Joseph H. Nicholson, passed away at age 69 on January 26, 2017. He received a B.A. degree in history from the University of Tennessee in 1970 and his J.D. degree at the U.T. College of Law in 1974. He began the prac��ce of law with Maryville attorney, Ron Meares. Joe rose to prominence in the legal community during his role in the litigation surrounding the collapse of the Butcher banking empire in the mid‐1980s. He subsequently developed a thriving litigation practice focusing primarily on products liability cases. Joe was active in the Blount County, Knoxville, Tennessee and American Bar Associations. He served as president of the Blount County Bar Association and was a member of the Executive Committee of the litigation section of the Tennessee Bar Association. He was a member of the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association and the American Trial Lawyers Association and was a member of the Tennessee Association for Justice where he served on the Board of Governors and was a recipient of its award of excellence for his work in the Firestone Tire litigation. Joe had an AV‐Preeminent ra��ng with Martindale‐Hubbell. Joe had a warm and empathetic personality. Joe is survived by his wife, Mollie, and his sons, Blaine, who is an attorney and Nathan, who is a singer/songwriter, as well as his daughter‐in‐law, Helen and his grandson, Teddy.