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Chief Counsel and CEO of Legal Aid Society of San Diego (LASSD) 1974-2023. A founder of the Health Consumer Alliance, a coalition of 10 Calif. legal aid organizations.
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Person details
| Where most active professionally: | California |
|---|---|
| Law type: | Civil |
| Lists: | In Memoriam |
| Source: | CNEJL |
| Date deceased: | Aug 27, 2023 |
Bio
From State Bar of California (https://www.calbar.ca.gov/About-Us/Who-We-Are/Board-of-Trustees/Roster/Gregory-E-Knoll)
Gregory Knoll [was] an attorney member of the State Bar of California Board of Trustees, appointed by Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins in 2022. Mr. Knoll brings nearly 50 years of leadership and experience in providing legal assistance for low-income clients.
Mr. Knoll has been the Chief Counsel and Chief Executive Officer of the Legal Aid Society of San Diego since 1974. He also serves as chair of the “Healthy San Diego” Committee, sponsored by the San Diego County Geographic Managed Care Medi-Cal Program, and vice-chair of San Diegans for Health Care Coverage.
Mr. Knoll is a founder of the Health Consumer Alliance. He is also a member of the American Bar Association, the Lawyers Club of San Diego, and the San Diego County Bar Association.Previously, Mr. Knoll served on the California Healthcare Workforce Policy Commission.
Mr. Knoll’s honors include the NAACP’s Loren Miller Attorney of the Year Award, the San Diego County Bar Association’s Outstanding Attorney of the Year Award, and the Cesar E. Chavez Social Justice Award.
Mr. Knoll received his law degree from Rutgers University School of Law and his undergraduate degree from the University of Bridgeport.
What others say
The Legal Aid Society of San Diego Mourns the Passing of its Longtime Executive Director, Gregory Evans Knoll
Press release of LASSD, Aug. 31, 2023
Knoll led Legal Aid for 50 years and helped hundreds of thousands of low-income people
San Diego, CA – The Legal Aid Society of San Diego (LASSD) mourns the passing of
its longtime Executive Director, Gregory Evans Knoll, on August 27, 2023. Greg served
as the CEO/Executive Director/Chief Counsel of the Legal Aid Society of San Diego for
50 years and helped hundreds of thousands of people during his lifetime.
A highly celebrated student athlete born in Newark, New Jersey, Greg attended the
University of Missouri on a basketball scholarship and majored in business. He later
attended Rutgers Law School, where he studied under Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and
interned at Newark Legal Services. These experiences led Greg to dedicate his life’s
work to addressing the harsh realities of poverty, systemic racism, and discrimination.
Greg moved his family to San Diego for his first job at LASSD as a Staff Attorney. A
year later, he was appointed CEO and led an organization that delivers high-quality,
free legal services to low-income people throughout the county. He grew LASSD from a
small group of attorneys with a budget of $700,000 in 1974 to an organization that today
has a staff of 212, including 80 full-time attorneys, engages an additional 200 volunteers
annually, and has a budget of $25 million.
Knoll revolutionized the delivery of public health care to low-income people. Under his
leadership, LASSD founded the Consumer Center for Health Education and Advocacy
in 1999 and was one of the founders of the Health Consumer Alliance, a coalition of 10
legal aid organizations throughout the state that provides health consumer advocacy
services and education statewide. Since its inception, Greg has continuously served as
either the Chair or Co-Chair of the Joint Professional and Consumer Advocacy (JPCA)
Committee for the Healthy San Diego program.
“We are devastated by the loss of Greg, our friend, colleague, and mentor,” said Joanne
Franciscus, Chief Operating Officer of LASSD. “Greg will forever be remembered as
one of the most ardent champions of the poor that San Diego and California have ever
known. His legacy of selflessly serving and upholding the rights and dignity of people in
need over the course of 50 years will live on. We extend our deepest sympathy to Jo
Anne and the rest of their family, and our heartfelt gratitude for sharing this remarkable
man with all of us.”
Greg received numerous awards, including San Diego County’s Martin Luther King, Jr.,
Drum Major for Justice Award, San Diego Barrio Station’s Cesar E. Chavez Social
Justice Award, San Diego Law Library’s Bernard E. Witkin Award, and San Diego
County Bar Association’s Outstanding Attorney of the Year Award. In 2022, Greg
became the first-ever active legal aid director appointed to the California State Bar
Board of Trustees.
On September 23, in recognition of his lifetime of work addressing the root causes of
systematic inequality and injustice, the California Lawyers Association will
posthumously award Greg the Lorin Miller Award.
***
NLADA Mourns the Passing of Greg Knoll, Former Executive Director of the Legal Aid Society of San Diego
NLADA press release, October 6, 2023
Washington (October 6, 2023) – The National Legal Aid & Defender Association joins the legal community in honoring the life and legacy of Greg Knoll, former executive director of the Legal Aid Society of San Diego, who died on August 27. Knoll served as the executive director of the Legal Aid Society of San Diego (LASSD) for 50 years, helping hundreds of thousands of people during his lifetime.
The headline of Knoll’s obituary in the San Diego Union-Tribune read, “He saved so many lives of San Diegans.” There could be no truer statement, and the NLADA and civil legal communities are deeply saddened by his death.
Knoll was widely admired and respected by his peers in California and across the country, known especially for his innovations in partnership with community to revolutionize the delivery of public health care to low-income people. In its statement on Greg’s passing, LASSD noted his leadership in founding the Consumer Center for Health Education and Advocacy in 1999 and service as Chair and Co-Chair of the Joint Professional and Consumer Advocacy (JPCA) Committee for the Healthy San Diego program.
But Knoll did not only partner with other human services providers. At the heart of everything he did was a strongly held commitment to servant leadership, and he poured his heart and soul into serving clients and staff, alike. His life was defined by his selfless devotion to fighting for equity and equality, and he was a committed advocate, servant, and mentor.
In addition to his leadership in California and the national legal aid community, Greg was a great friend of NLADA. He was always a go-to source for us on so many issues and served on the Board of Directors of the NLADA Service Corporation.
Jo-Ann Wallace, President and CEO of NLADA Mutual Insurance Co., RRG shared:
“Greg was the personification of what it means to advance equity and justice – it came through every day in how he treated and supported people, as well as through his passionate, effective, leadership and advocacy. Greg understood the role that insurance plays in the lives of clients and equal justice professionals alike; his expert leadership has made an indelible mark on the NLADA Insurance Program, in the equal justice community and for countless people across the country.”
April Frazier Camara, NLADA President and CEO stated:
“Greg was a legendary member of our community who passionately served under-resourced clients and communities through his leadership at Legal Aid Society of San Diego for nearly 50 years. His contribution to the national community of equal justice is immeasurable.”
Greg was also a dear friend for his colleagues at NLADA:
Radhika Singh, NLADA’s Vice President of Civil Legal Services and Strategic Policy Initiatives, said of Greg:
“He embodied so many ideals. He gave selflessly, and he was kind. As a woman of color, entering any leadership position in the legal space is challenging, but I knew I always had Greg’s support, and that meant the world to me. He’d show it in subtle ways – a smile, a giggle, a kind email, the first to laugh at a joke. Greg was always the first to celebrate accomplishments and victories, and there was a twinkle in his eye and brightness in his smile – you just knew he was genuine.”
Don Saunders, former NLADA Vice President of Policy, who worked with Greg for more than 30 years, noted:
“What always struck me about Greg was his unfailing devotion to ensuring that he and his colleagues gave voice and power to the clients and communities they serve in the San Diego area. He could bring a bit of Jersey flavor to his work there, with the hard edges not always softened by SoCal’s laid-back atmosphere. I think that part of his personality made him all the more effective in his life’s. work. He was a true trailblazer in ensuring access to health care for all Californians. What better tribute to a life well spent than to see so many families enjoy healthy lives because Greg passed their way. “He was such a delightful guy to be around – you always felt he had your back if you ever needed support. I miss him deeply.”
Greg Knoll leaves an incredible legacy as an advocate and colleague. How lucky we have been to have known him.
https://www.nlada.org/Greg_Knoll