Peter Knapp received his bachelor’s degree (1980) and J.D. (1983) at Harvard. He practiced with Oppenheimer, Wolff and Donnelly in St. Paul from 1983-1989. He was hired as an assistant professor of law in 1989, and was promoted to associate professor in 1992 and full professor in 1994. Knapp was the co-director of Mitchell and Mitchell Hamline clinics from 1989-2017. Knapp has also served on the Minnesota Supreme Court Legal Services Planning Committee, and continues to chair its Legal Services Coordinating Commission. He has chaired the Minnesota State Bar Association’s Law School Assistance and Legal Assistance for the Disadvantaged Committees. Knapp has also been president of the Board of Liberty Plaza Housing Project. He has taught numerous CLEs and in other settings, including trial advocacy for Turkish students, lawyers and judges in Istanbul. He has published books and articles on jury instructions, civil advocacy and lawyering practice, among other topics.
The Mitchell Hamline associate dean of academic affairs from 2017-2019, Knapp was tapped to serve as interim president and dean from 2019-2020.