LOUDON, Tenn. — Chancellor Tom McFarland began his new term in the newly refurbished Loudon County Courthouse on Aug. 4, renewing the term of his Clerk and Master Lisa Scott — who serves as McFarland’s “right hand” — to kick off his first day back on the bench in Loudon County.

The session began as lawyers and legal counsel filed into the upstairs courtroom, spurred into all-day action by a prayer from Mark Hester, pastor at Loudon Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Hester urged for solutions to be found through the legal process from a civil and morally centered environment.

“Ease temperature,” Hester said. “Break down anything that separates us from seeking Your divine law.


“And loving God, be ever-watchful over the people who defend the law. May our courts find favor with You as they seek truth and mercy and justice for all.”

The Chancellor then swore in his Clerk and Master for another six-year term, as Lisa Scott assumed an extension of her position through August of 2031. Scott was joined by her parents and family for this momentous occasion.

Scott began her career in court in 1995, when she began work under Connie Clark in Circuit Court, whom she worked under until Clark’s retirement.

In 2002, she ran for her first term as a Circuit Court Clerk, getting re-elected for that positon in 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018 … for a total of 20 years in the role.

In 2018, she was appointed Clerk and Master under the prior administration, officially beginning her work with Chancellor McFarland four years later in 2022.

Scott told The Connection that her position, at its best, provides judges and attorneys with avenues through cases that reward progress rather than stalling for settlement.

“I see one of the main pieces of the Clerk’s position as making sure that the Chancellor has what he needs to serve the people,” Scott said. “[McFarland] takes great pride in doing his job, and we want to make sure we do our best so he can do his best.”

The duo are also bringing their “friends of the court” program to Loudon County on select dates throughout the term — a program that was headed up by Chancellor McFarland.

It’s an opportunity for county residents to sit on certain court proceedings in order to get a better, wholesale understanding of the justice system. After cases are finished, guests can ask the Chancellor and other court employees questions regarding what they’ve just observed.

Residents looking to apply or sit in simply need to call the Clerk’s Office to coordinate a time and date that works for both parties. Scott said that the perspective the program gives to all parties involved is a unique one.

“When you work in [court] every day, it’s just natural,” Scott said. “You forget the vast majority don’t ever experience it.

“Which it’s not a bad thing — to never experience a court case — but they just don’t have that opportunity and they’re curious.”