Tennessee-licensed attorney Steven Ray Minor died July 15 at age 60. Minor, from Virginia, earned his law degree from the College of William and Mary’s Marshall-Wythe School of Law in 1989 and passed the bar exam that same year. He became a partner at Elliott, Lawson & Minor, where he distinguished himself in business and commercial law, civil rights law, constitutional law, employment law, litigation, personal injury defense, state and local law, municipal law, and warranty and products claims. A reception will be held at Abingdon Baptist Church, 361 W Main St, Abingdon, VA 24210 on Aug. 23 from 4 to 6 p.m. EDT.

Retired Nashville General Sessions Judge William Higgins died Aug. 11 at the age of 86, The Tennessean reports. A graduate of Cohn High School and Vanderbilt University, Higgins went on to earn his law degree from the Nashville School of Law. After graduating, he served two years in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, served on the Metro Nashville Council for three terms and practiced law for 13 years before running for the Davidson County General Sessions Court in 1980. He won that race and subsequently was elected to five terms. He was named presiding judge of the court in 2013. He retired in September 2022 to return to practicing law. At that time, the Tennessee legislature recognized his more than 40 years of service on the bench and lauded him as "one of the finest judges this State has ever produced.” Funeral arrangements have not been announced yet.

Nashville’s longest serving criminal court judge died Aug. 11 at the age of 87, The Tennessean reports. Judge J. Randall Wyatt Jr. spent 43 years serving the judicial system, including eight years as a general sessions court judge and then as a criminal court judge. He retired in 2017. Two years later, his portrait was unveiled at the Justice A.A. Birch Building in front of family, friends and colleagues. While working as a Nashville Metro police officer, Wyatt studied at Middle Tennessee State University and then Vanderbilt University Law School. After receiving his law degree, Wyatt became an FBI special agent in Detroit. He later returned to Nashville and became an assistant district attorney, a legal advisor to the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department and then was elected as a general sessions judge. Funeral arrangements have not been announced yet.

Franklin lawyer Mary Catherine Ross Kelly died Aug. 9 after an extended illness. She was 83. Originally from West Carroll Parish, Louisiana, Kelly relocated to Texas, where she worked as a high school teacher, coach and athletic director. She earned her law degree from Texas A&M in 1994, relocated to Tennessee and opened a solo practice in Franklin. She focused her practice on alternative dispute resolution, family law, elder law, estate planning, trusts, wills and probate. According to her obituary, she also was the first certified Rule 31 Mediator in Willamson County. She received the Williamson County Bar Association’s 2014-2015 Professional Award. Kelly retired from the practice of law in 2016. Graveside services will be held at 10 a.m. CDT on Friday at New Forest Lawn Cemetery, 2493 Highway 134, Oak Grove, LA 71263. Memorial donations may be made to the charity of the donor’s choice.

Memphis Attorney Stuart Kenneth R. "Ken" Shuttleworth died July 26. After completing his service in the U.S Air Force,  Shuttleworth attended the University of Memphis Law School and in 1972 became the founder and senior partner of the Shuttleworth PLLC law firm in Memphis. In addition to Shuttleworth’s success as a trial lawyer, he was known to help others in the legal profession through the Tennessee Lawyer's Assistance Program (TLAP). He was appointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court to the TLAP Commission, where he served for six years, and for a period of time, served as chair. He also was a fellow of the Tennessee Bar Foundation. A private family service will be held at St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Stuart, Florida. A memorial service will be held at a later date in Memphis. Donations in his honor may be made to MD Anderson Cancer Center or the TLAP Foundation.

Former City Judge Walter Williams died last week at age 73. Williams became a judge in March 1991 and served on the Chattanooga City Court for eight years. He earned his law degree from Howard University School of Law and practiced with the Internal Revenue Service in Atlanta before entering private practice. In 1980, he became a partner in the Chattanooga law firm McClarty & Williams, where he primarily handled personal injury, corporate, estate and municipal law cases. Williams retired from the bench in 2003 after 12 years of service and returned to private practice, later serving as senior partner at McKoon, Williams, Atchley & Stanley until his retirement in 2015. Arrangements are being handled by John P. Franklin Funeral Home. Details will be released at a later time. Donations in his honor may be made to the Judge Walter F. Williams 1974 Endowed Scholarship Fund at Morehouse College, Office of Institutional Advancement, 830 Westview Dr., SW, Atlanta, GA 30314.

Judge Robert Lynn Echols Sr. died Aug. 2 at age 84. A 1964 graduate of the University of Tennessee School of Law (now Winston Law), Echols joined the Tennessee Army National Guard in 1966, embarking on a military career that spanned nearly four decades and eventually rising to the rank of brigadier general. After a brief time in Washington, D.C., he settled in Nashville and was a founding member of the Dearborn & Ewing law firm. He was nominated by President George H. W. Bush to the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee in 1991, and served as chief judge from 1998 to 2005. Echols continued to serve the court as a senior judge until 2010. He later practiced law with Bass, Berry & Sims and Neal & Harwell until his retirement in 2019. Services were held Wednesday. Memorial contributions may be made to Abe's Garden Community, 115 Woodmont Blvd., Nashville, TN 37205.

Judge George W. Emerson Jr. died July 29 at age 71. Emerson earned his degree from Memphis State University in 1977, followed by a law degree from the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law in 1980. He began his career as a law clerk for Judge William B. Leffler, then practiced law for more than two decades before being appointed as a U.S. Bankruptcy judge for the Western District of Tennessee in 2006, a role he held with honor until his retirement in 2020. A visitation will be held Aug. 9 at 10 a.m. CDT at the Church of the Incarnation, 360 Bray Station Road, Collierville 38017, followed by a funeral service at 11 a.m. A reception will take place afterward at Ridgeway Country Club, 9800 Poplar Ave., Germantown 38139. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Baptist Reynolds Hospice House, Church of the Incarnation, Hope Church or Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

William “Bill” Ray Martin, age 83, died April 20. A graduate of Memphis State University, Martin became an attorney in 1966 and moved to Lexington to practice law with his wife Pennie. He worked in private practice for many years and later joined the 26th Judicial District as an assistant district attorney in Henderson County until his retirement. In that role, he worked closely with the Carl Perkins Center and supported efforts to help local children and families. He also served as chair of the Henderson County Election Commission. Funeral services were held in April with burial at Mt. Moriah Cemetery in Reagan. Memorial donations may be made to Grace Methodist Church, 89 Natchez Trace Drive, Lexington, TN 38351; St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place Memphis, TN 38105; or the Carl Perkins Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse, P.O. Box 447, Jackson, TN 38302.

Joseph Griffin Cook of Knoxville died at age 85 on Jan. 21. He received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Alabama. Cook had planned to enter law practice, but an interview with the University of Tennessee College of Law (now Winston College of Law) marked a change of direction. He was the youngest member of the law faculty when he accepted the position of assistant professor in 1965, which he held for 51 years. In 1972, he was promoted to professor of law and in 1979, he was named the Williford Gragg Distinguished Professor of Law. He held that position until his retirement in 2016 as professor emeritus. The highest honor the university can give to a member of the faculty is the University of Tennessee Macebearer. Cook received that honor for the 2004-2005 academic year. A celebration of life will be held Aug. 16 at 1 p.m. EDT at the Winston College of Law. To attend, please RSVP by Aug. 8.