Dorris Caldwell "Jim" Daniel Jr. died June 30 at age 89. After college Daniel entered the U.S. Army Reserve receiving his honorable discharge in 1963. He received his law degree from George Washington University Law School. In 1974 he joined the law firm of Daniel, Burton, Bolin & LaRoche in Murfreesboro. In 1991 he began a private practice as a Social Security Disability attorney, retiring in 2008. Daniel was a past president of the Nashville chapter of the Federal Bar Association and a member of the Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He served as a board member of Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands until his retirement. A memorial service is planned at First Presbyterian Church, 210 N Spring St., Murfreesboro 37130, on July 13 at 1 p.m. CDT, preceded by entombment at the church’s Columbarium with family only. A reception will be held in the church’s Common Room following the service. Memorial gifts in lieu of flowers may be sent to Shriner’s Children Hospital and the First Presbyterian Church’s Music Ministry.

Edith Taylor Langster, a groundbreaking figure in Nashville’s history and a dedicated public servant, died June 30 at age 75. Langster was a patrol officer in the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD) and made history in 1972 by becoming the first Black female patrol officer in MNPD’s Patrol Division. The Tennessee Tribune reports that at that time, women officers were confined to administrative “desk” positions; however, Langster challenged the status quo. She served as a Nashville Metro Council member representing District 20 and was a member of the Tennessee State House of Representatives. Visitation will take place on July 6 from 11–11:45 a.m. CDT, followed by family reflections at St. Ann Catholic Church, 5101 Charlotte Ave., Nashville 37209. Mass of Christian burial services will occur at noon.

The July/August 2024 issue of the Tennessee Bar Journal is now available online, and print copies will arrive in mailboxes next week! This issue includes news from TBA's Annual Convention, including the swearing in of Nashville attorney Ed Lanquist Jr. as president and his first President's Perspective column. Tom Shumate penned the cover story on the future of noncompete agreements; his colleague Katelyn Barham provides an in depth look at the legality of recording workplace conversations. Wade Davies' Crime & Punishment column features an interview with Stephen D. Crump, executive director of the Tennessee Conference of District Attorneys General, and Russell Fowler shares the story of the murder of Davidson County Chancellor Andrew Allison, who was also the TBA's third president. John Day reviews "Privileges and Protections: Tennessee and Sixth Circuit Law," by Nashville lawyers E. Todd Presnell and Kristi W. Arth. Additionally, Justice Sharon Lee and Buck Lewis introduce The Justice Frank F. Drowota Trust.

Document management systems take file organization to the next level with security and cataloging capabilities. Whether you want an on-premises or cloud-based solution, this comparison chart covers all the bases. Find this and more in the Document Automation and Assembly section of TBA’s Law Firm in a Box.

The TBA will be closed tomorrow, July 4, for Independence Day. The office will reopen Friday at 8 a.m. CDT. As always, our TBA.org website has plenty of continuing legal education options and other information available to you 24/7. Reach out to staff directly using contact information posted on our online staff directory.

Bowlman "Bo" Tarleton Bowles Jr. died June 9 at age 86. He attended the Virginia Military Institute and accepted a commission in the Army as an infantry officer after graduation. Bowles went on to graduate from Vanderbilt University Law School, joining the law firm of Mays & Valentine where he practiced for 15 years. In 1980, he formed his own practice, which he developed with his son, Churchill, into Bowles Affiliates. Bowles served as chair of the American Bar Association Committee on Income Taxation of Trusts and Estates, and was a member of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, as well as the Virginia and Tennessee bar associations. Burial services at Hollywood Cemetery will be private with a celebration of life reception to be held at a future date. Memorial donations may be made to the VMI Foundation Inc., P.O. Box 932, Lexington, VA 24450.

Nashville attorney Joe Curry Peel died June 19 at age 81. He received his bachelor of arts and master of theology degrees from Vanderbilt University, and did graduate theological study at St. Michael’s College in Toronto, Canada. Peel taught at Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia, as well as Montgomery Bell Academy and Battle Ground Academy. He also worked for IBM before attending the University of Tennessee College of Law. Peel practiced for a few years at King & Ballow in Nashville. He then served for 39 years in the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office. He became a recognized expert in the fields of state and local taxation, interstate commerce and constitutional law. Services will be held at St. George’s Episcopal Church, 4715 Harding Pk., Nashville 37205 on June 27 at 11:30 a.m. CDT with visitation beginning at 10 a.m. Burial will follow at Mt. Olivet Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to the In Excelsis Concert Series at St. George's Episcopal Church of Nashville or to the charity of one’s choice.

The DeKalb County Bar Association recently elected new officers. Gayla C. Hendrix will serve as president, Tecia Puckett Pryor was elected vice president, and Brad Hannah will fill the dual role of secretary/treasurer. Attorneys in the Smithville area should contact Hendrix at gaylachendrixlaw@gmail.com to get involved with the bar's activities.

The Department of Labor and Workforce Development announced that Tennessee's unemployment rate dropped to a historic low level, setting a record at 3%. WSMV reports that the rate decreased by 0.1% between April and May to 3% and made history as the lowest unemployment rate since the government began tracking the statistic in 1976. “Tennessee employers created 3,300 new nonfarm jobs between April and May. The accommodation and food services sector was responsible for most of those new jobs. The professional, scientific, and technical services sector was the next top job creator in May, followed by the health care and social assistance sector,” the department said.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti will not issue an opinion as to whether Donald Trump should remain on the state's presidential election ballot. The Tennessee Lookout reports that in a letter to Rep. Vincent Dixie, D-Nashville (who requested a formal legal opinion after Trump was convicted on felony charges in New York), Skrmetti said that after careful consideration, his office cannot opine based on a state law dealing with election eligibility. “The Attorney General’s statutory authority is limited to providing ‘written legal opinions’ on matters submitted by officials ‘in the discharge of their official duties.’” Skrmetti’s office notes, “And Tennessee’s election officials — not individual members of the General Assembly — enforce (the state law) in specific factual scenarios.” Dixie said in a statement he is “disappointed” but “not surprised” by the response.