Judicial News

JUDICIAL NEWS By: Matthew T. McDonald

Bernstein, Stair & McAdams LL{P

J. SCOTT GRISWOLD - KNOX COUNTY CLERK AND MASTER

Appointment of Clerk and Master

Knoxville, Tenn., Oct. 1, 1955

Mr. W.T. Hennings: Having full confidence in your ability, integrity, and diligence, I hereby appoint you Clerk and Master of the Chancery Court of Knox County for the full term of six years.

Respectfully,

CHARLES E. DAWSON, Chancellor1

Clerk and Master Hennings’ personal copy of the Fifth Edition of Gibson’s Suits in Chancery, from which this quotation is taken, still sits on the bookshelf in the Clerk and Master’s office. His name is inscribed in the inside front cover, and both volumes are falling apart from sufficient use. Our county is fortunate to have had a succession of capable officeholders in this critical position. On September 1, 2022, J. Scott Griswold was sworn in as the next Clerk and Master of the Chancery Court for Knox County, Tennessee, successor in office to Howard G. Hogan, who retired after diligent service to the Chancery Court for twenty-four years. I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with the recently appointed Clerk and Master to discuss his experience thus far in this constitutionally created office, which is largely an enigma to the general public.

J. Scott Griswold is a self-professed “first-born, type-A, rule-follower,” the son of an accountant and a police officer. His undergraduate studies included accounting and political science, and he was encouraged to apply for law school. While at UT Law, one of his mentors, Professor Penny White, encouraged him to apply to be a judicial clerk for Chief Justice Barker of the Tennessee Supreme Court, for which he was selected by the former Chief Justice himself, serving as his last law clerk. During this early mentorship, he established a foundation for interpretation of the law as jurist and the need to perform such duties with impartiality and practicality.

Mr. Griswold’s background in accounting and business, combined with his affinity for textual interpretation, drew him to trust and estate litigation at Paine, Tarwater & Bickers, LLP, where his early mentors, such as Dwight E. Tarwater, helped shape his view of litigation and greatly influenced both his personal and professional growth. Other associations reenforced this path of trust and estate practice. While his time at Paine, Tarwater & Bickers served as his “litigation bootcamp,” his time spent at Holbrook Peterson Smith LLP served as an “estate planning bootcamp,” which provided for a more well-rounded view of his chosen practice area. Mr. Griswold’s private practice has mainly been centered on Chancery matters, where he spent much of his time practicing before the Clerk and Master.

After being asked by the Chancellors whether he would consider the appointment as Clerk and Master, Mr. Griswold admits that, after very brief moment of personal pride, an adrenaline crash followed upon contemplating the expansive duties of the office. After careful consideration with his family and law partners, he concluded that it was a good fit at this juncture in his career. After fifteen years of private practice, the offer presented itself as an opportunity to serve the public and as a new personal challenge he felt compelled and ready to undertake.

We discussed the more immediate challenges for the office. There have recently been several retirements by senior deputy clerks, and there is a need to hire qualified staff to be trained in Chancery practice and procedure. Additionally, and in support of the Chancery staff, the need for updates in technology are also on the new Clerk and Master’s radar. In particular, the probate office is in the early stages of digitizing the Will Books and other probate records, which will allow remote access to probate records via an online platform. Other technological advances will include the addition of monitors and cameras in the probate courtroom to allow for videoconference hearings in the appropriate circumstances.

Of special note is the upcoming delinquent property tax sale, set for January 5, 2023. He has already met with the Trustee’s office to establish the upcoming sale, which will likely be the largest sale in Knox County history. The Clerk and Master’s office is instrumental in this process. The Clerk and Master serves as the auctioneer at the sale, and the office provides accounting for incoming funds and the distribution of such funds and participates in post-tax sale hearings.

Mr. Griswold emphasized his dedication to advancing efficiency within the office. He noted: “people expect a responsive government, an efficient government, and technology is a big way to get there. And the other way is with our deputy clerks — to make sure they have the infrastructure and the training they need.” To this end, he is in the process of hiring several new staff members in both the Probate and Chancery Divisions, including a law clerk to ensure the forms and manuals continue to be updated pursuant to new law and procedure. Another recent addition is a Chief Deputy with a background in accounting and technology, who comes to the position with decades of experience managing law offices of all sizes. Mr. Griswold further emphasized the need for continued cross-training among the deputy clerks to be able to work together to build a system of excellence that the public and the bar have come to expect from the Clerk and Master’s office.

Mr. Griswold has had little opportunity to engage in his hobbies, especially woodworking. His grandfather, also a woodworker, handcrafted the desk Mr. Griswold uses in his Chancery office. A lesser known tidbit about the new Clerk and Master: as a teenager he was invited to try-out for the Olympics as a trap-shooter.

Mr. Griswold stated he will continue to have an open-door policy and looks forward to this opportunity for public service. Both the bench and the bar are fortunate to have the new Clerk and Master in office.

1 Henry R. Gibson, Gibson’s Suits in Chancery, § 1205 (Arthur Crownover, Jr., ed., 5th ed., 1956).