he
enrolled in Florida State University and subsequently
in the Florida State University College of Law,
where he was a recipient of the Herbert H. Lehman
Foundation Scholarship for three (3) years. Upon
completion of his legal training and receipt of
his Juris Doctorate degree he was employed as
an Assistant Attorney General by the Florida Department
of Legal Affairs. In 1974 he opened his law practice
and has been engaged in the private practice of
law since. He has served as the City Attorney
for the City of Gretna, Florida for over 25 years.
Mr.
Knowles is admitted to practice before the Florida
Supreme Court, the U.S. Eleventh Circuit Court
of Appeals, and the U.S. District Court for the
Northern District of Florida. He has served as
president of the Tallahassee Barristers Association,
is a member of the National Bar Association and
the Florida Bar's Real Property and Probate Law
Section, as well as its Administrative Law Section.
For the past ten (10) years Mr. Knowles has been
listed in the “Red Book,” a compendium
of lawyers who are experts in the field of bond
finance. He has served two terms on the Second
Judicial Circuit Nominating Commission and one
term on the Florida Bar Grievance Committee for
the Second Circuit.
His
numerous civic affiliations include serving on
the Board of Directors of Capital City Bank, membership
on the Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center Authority,
the Tallahassee Downtown Improvement Authority
and the Northwest Florida Black Business Investment
Board. In 1999 he was appointed by Governor Jeb
Bush to serve on the State of Florida Lottery
Commission; in 2001, he was appointed by Governor
Bush to serve on the Florida Federal Judicial
Nominating Commission, and more recently, to the
Board of Trustees of Florida State University.
He
received his B.A. degree in 1969 from the Florida
State University School of Government and his
Juris Doctor in 1973 from the Florida State University
College of Law. He and his wife Anne have one
son, Clayton, who is a student at Florida State
University. |
