TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Nov 30, 2022

Nashville lawyer Emmitt Clifton Knowles died Nov. 21 at the age of 71 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. A 1977 graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law, Knowles began his legal career clerking for U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals Chief Judge George Edwards. He later joined and was named a partner at Bass, Berry & Sims. He completed his career as a federal magistrate judge for the U.S. Middle District of Tennessee, serving from 2000 to 2016. Knowles was a past president of the Nashville Bar Foundation and chair of the Tennessee Bar Association’s Litigation Section. He taught for many years as an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt Law School and volunteered with the University School of Nashville Mock Trial Team. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Memorial gifts may be given to the Legal Aid Society, 1321 Murfreesboro Pike, Ste. 400, Nashville TN 37217 or Tennessee Justice Center, 211 7th Ave. N., Nashville TN 37219.