BRYAN M. KNIGHT, ESQ.
ATTORNEY
Phone: (404) 228-4822
Direct Line: (404) 719-4038
Fax: (404) 228-4821
📧bknight@knightpalmerlaw.com
One Midtown Plaza
1360 Peachtree Street, Suite 1201
Atlanta, Georgia 30309
Education
J.D., Wake Forest University School of Law (2005)
Articles Editor, Wake Forest University School of Law Intellectual Property Law Journal
B.A., cum laude, Clemson University (2000)
Selected To Super Lawyers: 2015 - 2023
Selected To Rising Stars: 2012 - 2014
Bryan Knight is a trial lawyer who focuses his commercial litigation practice on real estate litigation, construction litigation, and business litigation. Mr. Knight represents Fortune 500 companies, small businesses, and individuals in a variety of business disputes. Mr. Knight has been named as one of the Top 100: 2023 Georgia Super Lawyers. He was also named a Top 100 Attorneys in Georgia in 2023 by Atlanta Magazine. Knight is the founder and president of the Brookhaven Bar Association (2022).
Mr. Knight has been recognized as one of the top 25 lawyers in Georgia under the age of 40 by the Daily Report's 2016 "On the Rise" edition. In addition, he was recognized by Super Lawyers and Atlanta Magazine as a Super Lawyer Rising Star (Top 2.5%) in Business Litigation for 2023. He was also recognized as one of Georgia's "Legal Elite" in Business Litigation by Georgia Trends Magazine in 2023. Mr. Knight was named to Time Magazine's "Excellence In Law" in 2013.
Mr. Knight's real estate practice consists of representing developers, builders, real estate investors, commercials landlords, property owners, and brokers in disputes involving lenders, real estate contracts, commercial leases, specific performance, injunctive relief, breach of promissory notes, foreclosure, receivership, specific performance, dispossessory, breach of purchase and sale agreements, breach of developer agreements, commission disputes, zoning, permitting denials, ad valorem tax appeals, and title suits in federal and state court.
Mr. Knight's construction practice consists of representing general contractors, subcontractors, designers, owners, and builders in contract disputes, negligent construction, lien foreclosure, surety suits, AIA contracts, arbitration, and defective materials in federal and state court.
Mr. Knight's business litigation practice consists of representing businesses, business owners, shareholders, partners, directors, officers in shareholder/ partnership disputes, business divorces, trade secret disputes, contract disputes, shareholder derivative suits, and actions involving breach of fiduciary duty, gross negligence, conversion, RICO, SEC investigations, FINRA disputes, mismanagement, accounting, receivership, UCC Article 2, UCC Article 9, collection, and lending.
Representative Experience
Real Estate Litigation
After a two-week jury trial, successfully obtained jury trial verdict of $7.1 million for real estate investment company against national title insurance company involving title defect (notice of prior contamination, well monitoring easements and development restrictions) on 151 acres of raw land, which was planned to be developed into a 330 lot single family residential neighborhood.
Successfully represented Atlanta developer by defeating bank's motion for summary judgment in breach of $18MM promissory note and guaranty.
Obtained trial verdict for real estate investor against bank involving bank's breach of assignment agreement involving $9MM loan.
Successfully represented hotel owner in defeating bank's motion for receiver associated with $7MM hotel.
Successfully represented developer in specific performance action to enforce a real estate sales contract for $8MM industrial property.
Successfully represented hotel owner by obtaining injunctive relief to stop foreclosure.
Obtained trial verdict for Atlanta developer against City of Atlanta for subdivision zoning dispute
Successfully represented national shopping center owner in numerous dispossessory actions and lease disputes.
Successfully represented steel manufacturer in ad valorem tax appeal resulting in $1MM deduction in assessed tax value
Construction
Successfully defended national developer in $3MM negligent construction action associated with 110 unit mixed-use development
Successfully defended Fortune 500 builder in breach of contract action associated with the development of three townhome projects
Successfully represented general contractor in $2M lien foreclosure action
Successfully represented Georgia's largest commercial door and frame manufacturer in construction suit against large general contractor for construction defect, delay, and damages of $500,000.
Successfully represented numerous homeowners against builders for claims of negligent construction and breach of contract.
Business Litigation
Served as lead counsel and obtained multiple trial verdicts for Fortune 100 bank in lawsuits for breach of commercial loans
Successfully represented minority shareholders in shareholder derivative action involving embezzlement of $2MM.
Obtained dismissal of fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, RICO, and breach of contract claims totaling $5MM brought by minority shareholder against majority shareholders.
Successfully defended franchisees of national hotel chain in action for breach of franchise agreement and trademark infringement
Successfully represented national computer distributor in Uniform Commercial Code Article 2 action for damages associated with non-conforming goods
Successfully represented software company in action for breach of non-compete and non-solicitation agreements
Publications & Presentations
Presenter: 2017 ICLE Hotel Series, Cartagena, Columbia, "Georgia's Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act'
Co-author "Vested Rights and Nonconforming Uses in Subdivision Zoning", Georgia Continuing Legal Education (April, 2009)
