FAMU General Counsel Featured Among Florida’s Legal Elite

Florida A&M University general counsel Avery D. McKnight, Esq. was selected out of approximately 61,500 active Florida Bar members that practice law to be feature in Florida Trend’s Florida Legal Elite.

“I am sincerely grateful to be recognized by my fellow colleagues for such a prestigious award,” said McKnight. “It is an extreme honor to have the opportunity to serve my alma mater and the state of Florida.”

After 18,051 votes cast by attorneys across the state of Florida, McKnight was recognized as one of Florida’s Legal Elite as part of the government attorney category.

As general counsel, McKnight is charged with the responsibility of providing legal advice and counsel to the FAMU Board of Trustees, president and administration. After graduating from the Florida State University College of Law as a Virgil Hawkins Fellow, he gained valuable litigation experience in the State Attorney’s Office in the Second Judicial Circuit for Leon County, Florida. From 1992 through 2005, he served in various capacities with the Office of the General Counsel at FAMU including acting general counsel. In 2005, McKnight transitioned to private practice as a senior associate with Allen, Norton & Blue, P.A., specializing in labor and employment law.

A native of Gainesville, Fla., McKnight has been recognized by the NAACP as a 2002 Achiever. McKnight is an ordained elder with the Church of God By Faith, Inc. and volunteers with Big Bend Hospice. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Character Center in Tallahassee, which focuses on the educational, physical, emotional and spiritual needs of young students.