A University of Tennessee College of Law scholarship in memory of long-time Knoxville attorney Robert W. Ritchie, former president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys, has been established by the Tennessee Judicial Conference Foundation. Ritchie died April 28 after a battle with cancer.
“As effective as he was as an attorney, Bob was renown for his courtroom civility,” Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Gary R. Wade of Sevierville said. “Bob and I tried many cases together as lawyers and I always was impressed with his skill and courtroom demeanor. He was beloved and widely respected in the legal community and beyond for many reasons.”
Wade, who was instrumental in establishing the TJC Foundation, said a scholarship in Ritchie’s memory is especially appropriate because he was a mentor to many young lawyers, some of them now judges. Ritchie also was devoted to the law school from which he graduated and where he was an adjunct faculty member.
Ritchie, 67, served in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps of the U.S. Army and was a founding member of the Ritchie, Dillard & Davies law firm.
The TJC Foundation provides scholarships to students at each law school in the state. Donations in memory of Ritchie may be sent to Foundation Treasurer Suzanne Keith, 1903 Division Street, Nashville 37203.