Warner Receives H. Brent McKnight Renaissance Lawyer Award
The 2025 H. Brent McKnight Renaissance Lawyer Award was presented to Kirk Warner of Smith Anderson in Raleigh on Friday, June 27, at the NCBA Annual Meeting in Asheville.
The award recognizes attorneys who demonstrate the “Renaissance Lawyer” qualities embodied by Judge McKnight, former chair of the Professionalism Committee who died in 2004 while serving on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of N.C.
The McKnight Award seeks to recognize those North Carolina attorneys whose trustworthiness, respectful and courteous treatment of all people, enthusiasm for intellectual achievement and commitment to excellence in work, and service to the profession and community, inspire others.
Jay Tillman, chair of the NCBA Professionalism Committee which annually recommends the recipient to the NCBA Board of Governors, presented the award.
Celebrating the H. Brent McKnight Renaissance Lawyer Award winner, from left, Executive Director Jason Hensley, honoree Kirk Warner, Professionalism Committee Chair Jay Tillman, and President Kim Stogner.
“Kirk has served in many civic capacities,” Tillman began. “He is known by his peers as an attorney of high moral character and personal integrity in fulfilling his many obligations – as an attorney, professional soldier and officer of the United States, and as a member of his community. He treats everyone he speaks to with the same sense of humor, civility, and respect regardless of their politics or demeanor.
“I know this personally as I worked with Kirk on a case when I was a baby lawyer. At that time and since then, Kirk serves as an example for me, and many others, in we conduct ourselves as attorneys and as citizens. We do not want to let him down.”
Warner, he continued, exemplifies service above self through his service as a lawyer, Army lawyer, author, mentor, and community leader.
“Kirk is admired in all facets of his life and truly fits the definition of Renaissance lawyer.”
Warner is a member of the Products and General Litigation group at Smith Anderson and a partner in the firm, which he joined in 2000. He served 33 years in the U.S. Army and Army Reserves prior to his retirement in 2013 with the rank of Colonel from the Judge Advocate General Corps.
Warner chaired the NCBA Military & Veterans Affairs Committee and led the successful effort to transition the committee into an NCBA Section. The Kirk Warner Award for Distinguished Service to the Military and Veterans was established by the Military and Veterans Law Section and initially presented to Warner in 2018. He also served on the NCBA Board of Governors.
His military experience includes service as the Deputy Legal Counsel to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon for three JCS Chairmen; service as the first Commander of the 134th Legal Operations Detachment (LOD), Fort Bragg, North Carolina; and service as the Staff Judge Advocate of the Army’s Training Command.
While deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), he served as Deputy Staff Judge Advocate, Combined Joint Task Force-7 (Coalition Provisional Authority), Baghdad, Iraq, from immediately following the fall of Baghdad until September 2003. He was also the Senior Judge Advocate in the Command Operations Center, Coalition Forces Land Component Command (U.S. Third Army), Camp Doha, Kuwait, during the march to Baghdad.
A lifelong learner, Warner graduated from The Ohio State University in 1980 (B.S., Zoology) and proceeded to earn four more degrees over the next 35 years: North Carolina State University, M.B.A., Biosciences, 2015; U.S. Army War College, M.S.S., Strategic Studies, 2007; North Carolina State University, M.A., History, 1999; Duke University and University of Toledo, J.D., 1983.
Warner is the author of two award-winning books: “Zone of Action: A JAG’s Journey Inside Operations Cobra II” and Iraqi Freedom, and “A Hoot in Hell’s Island: The Heroic Story of World War II Dive Bomber Lt. Cmdr. Robert D. “Hoot” Gibson.” He is also a former high school football official who refereed over 600 games, including 60 playoff and championship games – training he says served him well in dealing with judges and juries!
“I actually tried a jury trial before Judge McKnight,” Warner said. “I admit that while I haven’t lost many trials, I sure lost that one. But I also readily admit that I probably should have lost that one. That said, perhaps this is Judge McKnight’s way of setting things right!
“He was the consummate lawyer and judge. A real professional with perfect judicial temperament and intellect … and a nice guy to boot! So, I am humbled by this honor.”
Warner provided marvelous insight on his unique perspective of the Renaissance lawyer.
“Compared to most previous McKnight Award winners, my activities are probably much less intellectually exquisite or talent demanding, but they do represent a wide variety of passions. In that Renaissance way, as Arctic explorer Ernest Shackleton was described, I am admittedly ‘several types bound in one volume.’ While I don’t play the violin, piano, or cello like prior winners, I do play a mean kazoo – and always play it loud and passionately!
“After all, passion is the key to success in life and certainly in our profession. I simply look to the Preamble to our Rules of Professional Conduct, especially the charge to passionately engage in our communities, in our profession, and in our justice system. I believe in taking up the guidon and carrying it into worthy battles and causes. They used to say Princess Diana cared for the poor and sick children, but Mother Teresa took them home. Be Mother Teresa – and follow the wisdom of the old country and western song: “Drive it like you stole it!”
Previous recipients of the H. Brent McKnight Renaissance Lawyer Award are:
2024 – Congressman Mike McIntyre, Raleigh
2023 – David Gantt, Asheville
2022 – Robert C. (Bob) Sink, Charlotte
2021 – LeAnn Nease Brown, Chapel Hill
2020 – The Hon. Linda Stephens, Raleigh
2019 – The Hon. Robert F. Orr, Raleigh
2018 – J. Rich Leonard, Raleigh
2017 – Martin Brinkley, Raleigh
2016 – The Hon. Willis P. Whichard, Chapel Hill
2015 – Suzanne Reynolds, Winston-Salem
2014 – Harrison L. Marshall Jr., Charlotte
2013 – Jonathan R. Harkavy, Greensboro
2012 – Mark Merritt, Charlotte
2011 – Catharine Arrowood, Raleigh
2010 – Woody Connette, Charlotte
2009 – Mark Bernstein, Charlotte
2008 – Wade Smith, Raleigh
2007 – E. Osborne Ayscue Jr., Charlotte
2006 – Peter Gilchrist, Charlotte
Russell Rawlings is director of external affairs and communications for the North Carolina Bar Association.