Administrative Office of Courts
Mississippi Supreme Court names two to administrative posts The Mississippi Supreme Court has promoted Hubbard T. Saunders, IV, of Jackson to Supreme Court Administrator and Counsel and named longtime staff attorney Greg Sparks of Madison as director of the Central Legal Staff. Saunders will replace Jack E. Pool of Jackson, who will retire as Court Administrator and Counsel on March 15. Sparks will take the Central Legal director position which Saunders previously held. Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr. in announcing the appointments said, “Hubby Saunders and Greg Sparks are two incredibly talented lawyers who have extensive experience in appellate litigation and court administration. Their vast institutional knowledge of the workings of the court make them ideally suited to take on these new duties.” Chief Justice Waller praised Pool’s 16 years of service to the court. “His service to the Court has been invaluable. He has worked tirelessly and provided outstanding assistance in the administration of justice. He provided critical staff support in the drafting and enactment of statutes that created the Office of Capital Post-Conviction Counsel and the Office of Indigent Appeals. He has assisted in revising other statutes concerning post-conviction relief and the appeals process in general. He has also played an essential role in several rule changes, including our adoption of the Code of Judicial Conduct in 2002. Most recently, he helped facilitate implementation of a pilot program for an electronic-filing system known as the Mississippi Electronic Courts (MEC).” Pool has been a practicing attorney for more than 50 years. He has served as Supreme Court Administrator and Counsel since November 2005. He previously served as director of the Central Legal Staff from 1994 to 2005. His work for the Court earned him the Chief Justice Award in 2003 and again in 2005. Pool, a native of Natchez, previously worked in the oil business and had a private law practice in Natchez. He earned his law degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law. The Supreme Court administrator and counsel oversees the administrative functions of the Court. This includes oversight of personnel, planning and all other non-judicial functions of the Mississippi Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals. The Central Legal Staff is comprised of seven lawyers who assist the Supreme Court in considering and ruling on motions and petitions seeking review of Court of Appeals decisions. Saunders, who has practiced law for 35 years, became Central Legal Staff director and deputy court administrator in November 2005. He previously served as editor of opinions for the Supreme Court for almost seven years. He served as a special assistant attorney general from 1977 to 1981, working in the federal litigation division of the Attorney General’s office. He worked in private practice from 1976 to 1977 and again from 1981 to 1998. Saunders earned his law degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law. Sparks has practiced law for 22 years. He joined the Central Legal Staff in 1993, and became Assistant Director of Central Legal in 1998. He served as a law clerk for then-Justice Edwin Lloyd Pittman from 1988 to 1991. He worked in private law practice for a year before joining the Central Legal staff. He earned a law degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law. #### |
