Thomas Jefferson Drake Jr., of Nashville, died July 8 at age 78. Drake graduated from the Nashville School of Law in 1988 and practiced as a solo attorney for 37 years. He believed his greatest service in life was helping others and providing the best legal advice possible. Drake was admitted to the Supreme Court of Tennessee, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court, and was a member of the Nashville Bar Association and the Tennessee Bar Association. Visitation will be held July 12, at Bellevue Presbyterian Church, 100 Cross Timbers Drive, Nashville 37221, from 9 to 11 a.m. CDT, followed by a memorial service at 11 a.m. CDT. Donations in his memory may be made to the Bellevue Exchange Club Foundation, memo: Tom Drake Memorial Scholarship, P.O. Box 210945, Nashville, TN 37221.

Roger James Bean of Tullahoma died July 5 at age 70. Bean earned his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Tennessee and practiced law for more than 45 years. Visitation will be held July 10 from 5 to 8 p.m. CDT at Kilgore Funeral Home, 215 Mitchell Blvd., Tullahoma 37388. Funeral services will take place July 11 at 11 a.m. CDT in the funeral home's chapel, with burial to follow at Franklin Memorial Gardens, Cowan Hwy., Winchester, TN 37398. Donations in Bean’s memory may be made to the Tullahoma Animal Shelter, 942 Maplewood Ave., Tullahoma, TN 37388.

William Lloyd “Bill” Brooks, a retired attorney and judge, died June 30 at his home in Nashville at age 83. Brooks practiced law in Tennessee for more than 55 years, beginning in 1966, both in private practice and as house counsel for two companies. He received his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law and often performed pro bono legal work. In addition to his law and counseling work, Brooks served as judge of the Belle Meade City Municipal Court for 10 years. Services were held at 11 a.m. CDT on July 8, at St. George’s Episcopal Church, 4715 Harding Rd., Nashville 37205, with visitation beginning at 9:30 a.m. at the church. Contributions may be made to the church or to St. John’s Episcopal Church, 311 W. Seventh St., Columbia, TN 38401.

Knoxville attorney Douglas Jackson Yaggi died June 17 at age 71. Yaggi earned a degree in political science from the University of Tennessee before receiving his law degree from Duke University School of Law in 1978. He began his legal career as a law clerk for Knoxville attorney J.D. Lee and later held various positions in Washington, D.C., and Denver, Colorado. He eventually returned to Knoxville, where he worked at Sam’s Club and the University of Tennessee. A private graveside service will be held at Anderson Memorial Gardens at a date to be determined. Donations in his memory may be made here to one or more of three charities: Breast Cancer Research Foundation, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or Wounded Warrior Project.

Former state Sen. Frank Niceley died Thursday at the age of 78. Niceley, a Republican, served in the Tennessee General Assembly for decades, holding seats in both the House and Senate between 1988 and 2025. He represented the 8th District, which includes Claiborne, Grainger, Hancock, Hawkins, Jefferson and Union counties. Visitation will take place from 2 to 5 p.m. EDT on June 28 at Bridges Funeral Home in Knoxville followed by a memorial service at 5 p.m. In a statement to 10News, Lt. Gov. Randy McNally remembered Niceley’s wit, saying, “He had a great sense of humor. He served in both the Senate and the House. He said serving in the House was like being in junior high school and serving in the Senate was like being in a nursing home.”

Chattanooga lawyer William Robert Heck died May 2 at the age of 81 following an extended illness. Heck earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 1968 and enlisted in the Army. He was honorably discharged in 1971, returned to Tennessee, and earned his law degree at the University of Tennessee College of Law (now Winston College of Law). He was admitted to the bar in 1974, establishing himself as a small firm practitioner specializing in criminal defense. For nearly 50 years, he was a stalwart presence in Hamilton County's courtrooms, defending clients across the full spectrum of criminal charges — from misdemeanors to high profile death penalty cases. Visitation will be Friday from noon to 1 p.m. EDT at the North Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home, 5401 Highway 153, Hixson 37343. A chapel service will follow at 1 p.m. Burial with full military honors will be held at 2:30 p.m. at Chattanooga National Cemetery, 1200 Bailey Ave., Chattanooga 37406.

Joelton lawyer Irving Lee Fentress, age 77, died June 13. Services were held June 17 at the Austin & Bell Funeral Home in Springfield. Burial followed in the Mt. Sharon Cumberland Presbyterian Cemetery in Greenbrier. Fentress graduated from the University of Tennessee at Martin and the Nashville School of Law. He ran his own CPA firm for over 40 years. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to Mt. Sharon Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 4634 Mount Sharon Church Rd., Greenbrier, TN 37073 or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.

Nashville attorney Dot Dobbins, a trailblazer in family law and legal advocacy, died last week at age 77. A Celebration of Life will be held June 18 at 2 p.m. CDT at Brenthaven Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 516 Franklin Rd., Brentwood 37027. Visitation will begin at noon. Donations may be made to The Alternatives To Violence Project Inc. (AVP-USA), 2136 Ford Parkway, Saint Paul, MN 55116. A 1971 graduate of Vanderbilt Law School, Dobbins was one of only 12 women in a class of 150. She began her career at the Legal Aid Society of Nashville, where she led the family law unit for more than a decade, handling cases involving adoption, divorce, custody and domestic disputes. A founding member of the Lawyers’ Association for Women in 1981, she also served as general counsel for the Tennessee Department of Human Services and played a key role in drafting the state’s first order of protection law. Dobbins retired in 2015.

Retired Nashville attorney Dot Dobbins, age 77, died Monday after being struck by a vehicle while walking her dog in Nashville's Germantown neighborhood. Dobbins, a leader in the legal aid and family law communities, practiced law for over 40 years. She began working at the Legal Aid Society (LAS) as a law clerk while at Vanderbilt Law School. After graduation, she stayed on at LAS, practicing at the Matthew Walker Health Center office in North Nashville. According to a Facebook post from LAS, while in law school, Dobbins helped start a women’s center at Scarritt-Bennett and joined the YWCA Board where she helped to raise awareness of domestic violence, including playing a foundational role in opening Nashville’s first domestic violence shelter through the YWCA. She wrote the first order of protection legislation for Tennessee and worked with the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services (TALS) to get the legislation passed. When LAS founder and former Executive Director Ashley Wiltshire created the Nashville Family Law Unit, Dobbins became its lead attorney, a position she held for 11 years before leaving LAS to become general counsel for the Tennessee Department of Human Services. Prior to retiring, Dobbins practiced family law, including collaborative divorce. Dobbins was featured in a May 2021 video interview as part of the Nashville Bar Association's Historical Committee. Service information is pending.

Knoxville lawyer Donald Eugene Ray, 89, died June 2 after a lengthy battle with cancer. A graduate of the law school at the University of Wisconsin, Ray served four years with the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General Corps and later worked as an attorney for the U.S. Department of Energy at Oak Ridge and in Ohio and with Lockheed Martin in Ohio and Oak Ridge. He volunteered for several charities in the Knoxville area including Lions Club, Foster Care Review Board, Domestic Violence Shelter Board and America's Promise mentoring program.