Don Davis, Mobile County Judge of Probate, announces the filling of two administrative positions effective February 1st, 2023. These moves were necessitated by the departure of Chief of Staff, Chuck South, who resigned his post with the Court in order to return to the private practice of law.
The new Chief of Staff will be Melissa Lindquist King, Esq. Ms. King has been practicing law in the Mobile community for over twenty years. After graduating from the University of Alabama School of Law, she was admitted to the Alabama State Bar in 2000. Ms. King began her legal career as a law clerk to the Honorable John Lockett after which she joined the law firm of Sirote & Permutt and eventually became a sole practitioner. In 2021, she left the private practice of law to serve as the Judicial Division Chief of the Probate Court of Mobile County. As Chief of Staff Ms. King will oversee all human resource matters for the Court and serve, practically speaking, as the chief operational officer of the Court.
Joining the Court as the new Judicial Division Chief will be Susan Powers, Esq. A native Mobilian, Ms. Powers graduated from Samford University and received her law degree from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1990. After a brief time in private practice, Ms. Powers served as law clerk in the US Bankruptcy Court until 2015. She comes to the Probate Court from the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office where she served as the director of the Civil Division. Susan brings valuable experience in court operations and supervision that will serve her well in this new role.
Judge Davis stated, “I am pleased we were able to fill these two critical jobs with Ms. King and Ms. Powers. We are fortunate to already have Melissa on staff to move into the Chief of Staff position. In her time with the Court she has proven more than capable to take on the additional responsibilities of this new role. Similarly, Susan brings great administrative experience to supervise our judicial operation. Mobile County Probate Court has a tremendous caseload and we must manage these cases well to ensure we are delivering efficient service to the members of the bar who practice in the Court and to the clients they represent.”