State of Mississippi Judiciary

New members appointed to Access to Justice Commission

August 4, 2021

Hancock County Court Judge Trent Favre, Harrison County Law Library Director Stephen T. Johnson and Jackson attorneys Cynthia Lee and Julian D. Miller have been appointed to the Access to Justice Commission. Hinds Chancery Judge Tiffany Grove of Raymond and Itawamba County Chancery Clerk Michelle Clouse of Fulton were reappointed to the Commission.

Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice Mike Randolph issued the appointment order on July 9. The appointees will serve three-year terms set to end June 30, 2024.

Access to Justice Commission Executive Director Nicole McLaughlin of Tupelo said, “The Commission is excited to have these new and returning Commissioners and we look forward to the insight they will bring to assist with projects and initiatives that expand access to justice in Mississippi.”

The Supreme Court created the Access to Justice Commission in June 2006. The Commission works to develop and recommend policies, programs and initiatives which assist the judiciary in meeting needs for civil legal services to the poor.

The Access to Justice Commission provides assistance to low income people through free family law clinics across the state. The Commission most recently partnered with the Mississippi Center for Justice to create a virtual court navigator for litigants in Justice Court. The Commission spearheaded efforts to help self-represented civil litigants by creating forms to help them draft documents for filing in Chancery Court. The Commission partnered with other organizations to produce a series of self-help videos for litigants in Chancery and Youth Courts. The Commission through its website also provides information about eviction and other housing issues, criminal records expungement, immigration law, workers’ rights, and assistance for the elderly and veterans.

For more information about the Access to Justice Commission and the civil legal resources it provides, go to http://www.msatjc.org/.

Judge Favre was appointed to the Hancock County Court when the Court was created in January 2018. He is County Court and Youth Court Judge. The Commission on Children’s Justice recognized him in 2019 as a Champions for Children. The Mississippi Bar named him as the 2020 recipient of the Judicial Excellence Award. Before his appointment to the bench, he served as City Attorney for Bay St. Louis and was an assistant prosecutor for both Bay St. Louis and the Hancock County Justice Court.

Johnson, of Gulfport, has served as director of the Harrison County Law Library since February 2018. He previously worked as a police officer on the Gulf Coast for more than 20 years. He worked for the Gulfport Police Department, Long Beach Police Department and the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College - Jefferson Davis Campus.

Lee is an associate at Phelps Dunbar in Jackson. She practices primarily in the area of labor and employment law. She is a participant in the American Bar Association Litigation Section Young Lawyer Leadership Program and a member of the Mississippi Bar’s Young Lawyers Division Diversity Committee. She is an adjunct professor at the University of Mississippi School of Law.

Miller is an associate at Forman Watkins & Krutz in Jackson. His practice includes commercial, administrative, governmental, labor and employment, products liability, education and appellate litigation. He is adjunct clinical supervising attorney of the Education Law Clinic at Mississippi College School of Law. He is former program coordinator for Dreyfus Health Foundation. He is a founder and director of the Delta Fresh Foods Initiative and the Clutter 2 Compost Initiative. He also helped found the Trinity Development Foundation and the Mississippi Chapter of Black Alliance for Educational Options.

Judge Grove has served on the Hinds Chancery Court since January 2019. The Mississippi Women Lawyers Association named her Outstanding Woman Lawyer of the Year in 2018. She was chair of the Women in the Profession Committee of the Mississippi Bar for two years. She is former chair of the Capital Area Bar Association, CABA.

Clouse took office as Chancery Clerk of Itawamba County in January 2016. She has served on the Commission since June 2018. She is a former teacher.

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