Arizona Superior Court in Pima County
Thursday, February 24, 2022 by Arizona Superior Court in Pima County
Pima County Presiding Judge Jeffrey T. Bergin and Juvenile Court Presiding Judge Peter W. Hochuli are pleased to announce the appointment of Nicholas Knauer as a commissioner for the Pima County Superior Court. He will fill the vacancy in Division 52/B created by the recent retirement of Hon. Alyce Pennington.
Knauer is currently an Assistant Attorney General assigned to the Tucson office, where he is a team leader/supervisor in their Protective Services Section representing Arizona’s Department of Child Safety. His practice is grounded in juvenile law-based matters, encompassing dependency, adoption, mental health, family law, probate, and guardianship cases. He is also his office’s primary liaison with Pima County Juvenile Court’s Dependency Alternative Program (DAP), a family-centered practice that prevents dependency actions when another legal arrangement can provide safety and stability for the child and their family.
Before joining the Attorney General’s office, Knauer was with the Adult Dependency Unit of the Pima County Public Defender’s Office as a deputy public defender, where, in addition to his role as head appellate attorney, he directly managed a substantial caseload and delivered legal defense services for parents and families entangled in dependency proceedings.
Knauer also spent three years as a staff attorney with the Pima County Office of Children’s Counsel, and, in 2017 and 2018, served as a Pima County Superior Court judge pro tempore. He also volunteers his time as a judge for the University of Arizona’s moot court and mock trial competitions.
A recent appointee to the Board of Directors of Arizona’s Asian American Bar Organization, Knauer is additionally a member of the Pima County Bar Association, the Arizona Minority Bar Association, and a member of and occasional presenter/trainer for the State Bar of Arizona.
Knauer graduated summa cum laude from the University of Arizona with his BA in Political Science and minor in Spanish, and earned his law degree in 2011 from the University of Arizona’s James E. Rogers College of Law.
Presiding Judge Jeffrey Bergin noted, “Nick Knauer is an exceptionally bright and talented attorney. We expect he will be a strong and positive addition to the bench and that he will serve Pima County with honor and dignity.”