This collection consists of records of historical trials from Tennessee (including transcripts, newspaper clippings, photographs, audio recordings, VHS tapes, and other items) and materials from seminars that Paine presented. The material has been divided into series according to the trials that Paine studied for these presentations. The series are arranged in chronological order according to the crime committed.

The first series covers State of Tennessee v. John A. Brown, which is commonly known as the Stringbean Murder Case. Stringbean (David Akeman) was a well-known Country musician and part of the television program Hee-Haw. Both Stringbean and his wife Estelle were murdered in Nashville in 1973.

Series II constitutes a case study of two different trials based on the same crime: the Douglas MacArthur Forbes Trials and the Jerry Williams Trials. Forbes was convicted of a series of rapes in and around Johnson City, Tennessee in 1976. Five years later, District Attorney May revealed that Jerry Williams had confessed to the crimes and Forbes was the victim of mistaken identity. There are several eyewitness identification articles and case studies included in this series.

Series IV documents the Rocky-Top Murders, which occurred in 1986 in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Be cautioned that Box 5, Folder 25 contains graphic crime scene photographs. The trial focused on Tattoo Eddie Harris, although two others, Kimberly Pelley and Joseph C. Demodica, were also involved. This case was a turning point in Tennessee law because it questioned whether a person with a low IQ could be sentenced to death.

Series V deals with a case study that Paine wrote entitled "Sex in the Choir Loft." In a case revolving around a love triangle in Knoxville, Tennessee, Michael Frazier attempted to murder his lover's husband while he slept. The lovers knew each other from working at church, hence the title, and the evidence reveals the Knoxville story that made its way to People magazine.