The firm of Knox & Givens, P.A. is an "AV-rated" law firm specializing in all areas of Marital & Family Law. Our office are conveniently located in the Old Hyde Park area of Tampa, close to Downtown, South Tampa, the Westshore Area and Brandon.

THE KNOX & GIVENS PHILOSOPHY

The events leading to the litigation of a family law matter are, for many, the most difficult of their lives. For example, the strong emotions accompanying the end of a relationship, coupled with uncertainty over the welfare of your children and your financial future, may have a devastating effect on your ability to function in your everyday life.

We believe you deserve close attention to your individual legal needs during this time from an experienced and dedicated staff of lawyers and legal assistants. With over 100 years of combined experience, the five attorneys in our firm have proven themselves to be leaders among family lawyers in Florida. Our support staff is trained to listen carefully to your concerns and to assist you in the vigorous advocacy of your legal rights.

Our philosophy is to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. We always attempt to work cooperatively with those on the other side of your case to achieve a fair and timely resolution of the legal issues in your case. If, however, an out-of-court settlement is not possible, with our vast depth of experience in litigation, we are fully prepared to forcefully present your case at trial.

Our goal is to guide you through the family law process with the full protection of your legal rights, the least amount of delay and the most conservative use of funds possible.

Jim Knox & Stann Givens
Reprinted from the Temple Terrace News, March 14, 2001.

Jim Knox and Stann Givens were classmates at Florida State University’s Law School. They now are partners and being recognized as two of the best matrimonial lawyers in the state.

Friends, neighbors and partners, Jim Knox and Stann Givens have once again been listed in “The Best Lawyers in America.”

On one side of Jim Knox’s Tampa office, easily accessible in a box of newspaper clippings, sits a yellowed section of the April 18, 1967, Tampa Tribune.

On the other side, tucked among other large volumes on a bookshelf, rests the 2001-02 edition of the Best Lawyers in America.

The names James Knox and Stann Givens are in both of them and on the same page in each.

Knox, 52, and Givens, 51, both of Temple Terrace, were recognized in the Tribune more than 30 years ago as honor students at Plant City and King high schools respectively. Now, the two are partners in their matrimonial law practice and are listed in the latest edition of a prestigious reference guide that lists the top lawyers in every field.

“We’ve been very lucky,” said Knox of their successes, both as individuals and as a team. “And we understand that we’ve made our luck by working hard for our clients.”

The Best Lawyers in America uses peer reviews to evaluate thousands of lawyers in 27 specialities in all 50 states. Lawyers do not pay to be included - applications are accepted based on the positive input from their colleagues in the field.

On Page 308 of this year’s guide, Knox and Givens are listed among only a dozen or so Florida matrimonial lawyers mentioned.

Both Knox and Givens are also listed in Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, a listing similar to the Best Lawyers Guide.

The partners met at Florida State University while working for their law degrees. Givens returned to Tampa and started as a prosecutor, worked for two years as assistant city attorney, then opened a private practice.

His decision to specialize in matrimonial law did not come suddenly, Givens said.

“It evolved very slowly from a general practice as I eliminated the things I didn’t much care to do,” he said. By the mid-80's, matrimonial law prevailed as the product of that evolution.

Meanwhile, Knox had finished his five-year service as a major in the Air Force, serving at MacDill Air Force Base for the last year. While working with a local firm, he too felt drawn to the field of matrimonial law, becoming a sole practitioner in 1987.

The two would run into each other occasionally at the courthouse, occasionally trying cases both together and against each other.

The two decided in 1993 to team up and open a practice together.

“We thought it would be a good combination,” Givens said. “It turned out to be a far better arrangement than I ever thought it would be.”

Now the two partners, both board certified by the Florida Bar Association, have two associates and will soon add another, making the five-lawyer firm one of the largest matrimonial practices in the state, Givens said.

“We’re “those damn divorce lawyers,” Knox said with a laugh. “That’s who we are and that’s who we want to be.”

That pride in his profession, Knox said, comes in spite of television’s portrayal of divorce attorneys as heartless, greedy people who only care about getting the most for their client by battling in court.

“We’re big proponents of mediation,” he said. “We want to stop having a judge decide where kids are going to live, and sometimes the thorniest issue winds up getting solved in mediation.”

When a case does go to trial, Knox and Givens said they must continue to earn their place in the Best Lawyers guide. “We have to have the trial skills to present the case to the court if all settlement possibilities fail,” Givens said, “and have the ability to look for solutions to the problems and be innovative in resolving the conflict.”

That is most difficult when the conflict involves children, Givens added.

“The more emotional battles are over custody and visitations,” he said. “It’s difficult because there’s so much at stake, and not getting custody is one of the most tragic things that can happen.”

Both men said a sense of fulfillment comes from helping clients get through what is often one of the most painful times in their lives.

“It’s very satisfying to be able to take a horrible emotional situation and bring a legal conclusion to it and have people work together, especially in regard to children’s issues,” Givens said. “That’s why I’m in this area of law. There’s a lot of satisfaction in trying to solve that problem.”

While he appreciates the recognition in the book, Knox said his client’s approval is most important.

“This recognition doesn’t come to everyone, but I want the person sitting in that chair there,” he said, motioning to the seat across his desk, “to be satisfied.”