Dear Ladies and Gentlemen:

I am a candidate for District Court Judge in Judicial District 29B (Henderson, Transylvania and Polk counties), for a seat that is being vacated by the retirement of Judge Robert Cilley. I grew up in Hendersonville, and graduated from Hendersonville High School in 1973. I received my college and law degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and following graduation from law school, I returned to Hendersonville where I have been engaged in the general practice of law for the past 27 years.

My law practice has permitted me to perform work in a variety of areas, including real estate matters, corporate law, estate planning and estate administration, family law, juvenile matters and criminal law. I have been able to perform fee work for the builder and the homeowner, the retired executive, the corporate entity and others with sufficient funds to retain counsel, as well as to provide pro bono work in a variety of areas for the less fortunate.

Beginning in 1994, while continuing to practice law, I was appointed by our Superior Court Judge to preside in small claims cases in Henderson County. As you may know, small claims cases include matters in controversy up to $5,000; by comparison, District Court is the proper forum for matters in controversy up to $10,000. My service as a small claims judge involved hearing cases two mornings each week for fourteen years. Of the several thousand lawsuits which came to court during that period, something over one thousand matters were vigorously disputed by the parties, with presentation of numerous witnesses, documents, and in some cases physical evidence and expert witnesses.

In each of these matters I followed the same procedure: I listened carefully to the evidence, applied the law to the facts, and, while explaining my analysis to the parties, I rendered a decision. I routinely received positive comments from parties on both sides of a conflict, regarding my demeanor, and also regarding my practice of explaining the resulting decision.

My law practice over this time precipitated no conflicts with my duties as magistrate, and my schedule permitted me to devote an average of fifty hours each week to my clients’ needs, while also hearing small claims cases two mornings per week, and serving several nights each week at the criminal magistrate’s office. My work as a criminal magistrate meant that I was constantly called upon to determine probable cause in matters presented by both law enforcement officers and the general public, and therefore engaged me in a perpetual review of the elements of all misdemeanor and felony offenses. I resigned from the magistrate position in late 2007 in order to conduct my campaign for District Court Judge.

Community involvement has been part of my life since returning to Hendersonville in 1980. I have actively served on the boards of numerous local non-profit entities and provided pro bono legal services to these and many others. I taught Sunday School to the high school age youth for twelve years, and have regularly served in other positions of leadership in my church, including as president of our congregation.

Thank you for considering me as a candidate for District Court Judge.

Very truly yours,

PETER KNIGHT