When Georgia State University College of Law alumni get together, good things happen.
That’s what Jon Gallant (J.D. ‘05) and Ramsey Knowles (J.D. ‘05) learned when they decided to pivot in their own established legal careers to build the Knowles Gallant law firm almost five years ago.
Since then, the firm has been renamed Knowles Gallant Timmons – adding Georgia State Law’s own Chris Timmons, an adjunct faculty member, who brings experience from more than 100 trials to both the classroom and his practice. Though Timmons isn’t an alumnus of the College of Law, his connection to Georgia State gives him a direct hand in shaping students through his experience as a business litigator and former prosecutor.
Both Knowles and Gallant were members of Georgia State Law Review and shared common experiences in law school, the two followed different paths after commencement. Gallant took a more transactional route as a commercial real estate associate at Smith Gambrell & Russell, and Knowles sought out real estate and business litigation with Taylor English Duma.
The pair found that each of them had skills and experience that complemented the other, and a brand new law firm took root in Atlanta. “We felt like the combination of our practices was greater than our separate parts,” said Gallant about their partnership.
“It’s uncommon to see both sophisticated transactional and litigation components in firms our size,” said Knowles,
In the office, Ramsey Knowles (J.D. '05) confers with Jared Hodges (J.D. '12) over reference materials peppered with bookmarks. Photo courtesy of Knowles Gallant Timmons. Photographer, Mark Najjar
When it came time to expand their firm to support a growing list of clients, there was one place they knew they could look for practitioners who would be a good fit: their alma mater.
“There is a well-justified narrative that, relative to many other law schools, Georgia State Law has more practical requirements that prepare you for your career,” said Knowles. “For years after I graduated, I would actually pull up my outline from our Practice and Procedure class and refer back to it.”
That practical aspect of Georgia State Law’s approach to pedagogy doesn’t just help alumni who have already established their careers, it also makes recent graduates attractive hires in a highly competitive landscape.
“In complex business matters, there can be a tendency among lawyers to seek academic solutions and approaches,” explained Gallant, “but our approach is exceedingly practical. We feel like Georgia State students have more of a proclivity to focus on winning the case, rather than focusing too much on winning an argument.”
This distinction is so important to Knowles and Gallant that the firm’s attorneys are all either alumni of or (in the case of Timmons) faculty at Georgia State Law.
Attorney Karen Bain (J.D. ’06) will also tell you that her connection with Georgia State Law Review and her practical experience during law school helped shape her career path in ways that make her a multi-functional member of this all-alumni legal team.
“One of the most valuable experiences from law school was interning with a Solicitor’s office and practicing under the Third Year Practice Act,” she said, “I was able to conduct a bench trial while I was still a law student.”
Bain’s experience working with judges offers an insider's perspective as to what a court may be thinking so she can tailor her response appropriately.
In another Georgia State Law connection, Gallant acted as a mentor to partner Jared Hodges (J.D. ’12) during his time as a law student, and now they work for the same firm.
“He helped me navigate law school, giving me advice on which classes to take, and even recommending Law Review,” Hodges recalled.
“There's a shared experience there where we all went through the same crucible at the same place,” said Hodges. “All lawyers have the shared experience of having gone through law school generically, but it's different when most of your colleagues have gone to the same school.”
Georgia State Law alumni are practice-ready and poised to become leaders as they navigate the legal landscape in their local communities and beyond.
-Written by Lauren Allred