Practice Areas
- Corporate & Business Law
- Public Finance (Bonds)
- Health Care
- Tax
- Employee Benefits (Tax)
- Trusts & Estate Planning & Administration
Speeches
- Addressing Sexual Assault on Campus
- Non-Profit Seminar Series: Session Three
- Non-Profit Seminar Series: Session One
News
- 6 Woods Rogers Attorneys Named Best Lawyers' 2012 Lawyers of the Year
- 17 Woods Rogers Attorneys Selected as 2010 Legal Elite
- 33 Woods Rogers Attorneys Named in Best Lawyers in America 2011
- 16 Woods Rogers Attorneys Honored as 2009 Legal Elite
- 31 Woods Rogers Attorneys Named by Peers for Inclusion in Best Lawyers in America 2010
- 18 Woods Rogers Attorneys Selected in Virginia Business Magazine's Legal Elite
- 30 Woods Rogers Attorneys Named Best Lawyers in America 2009
- Woods Rogers Attorneys Honored for Community Service
- 18 Woods Rogers Lawyers Selected to Virginia Business Magazine's Legal Elite
- 27 Woods Rogers Lawyers Selected to Best Lawyers in America 2008
Newsletters
- The 2010 Tax Relief Act - New Estate Planning Opportunities
- Employee Benefits Update - Grandfathered Plans
- Health Care Reform: A Sea Change Regarding the Treatment of Discrimination
- Health Care Reform: The Changing Landscape for Group Health Plans
- Impact of Health Care Reform on Physicians and Hospitals
- Federal Goverment Focuses on Employee Misclassification and Employee Tax Avoidance
- New Roth IRA Opportunities for Higher-Income Taxpayers
- Tax Group Alert
- Bond Financing and the Stimulus Bill
- Tax Group Alert
- Supreme Court Stirs Fiduciary Unrest
Roanoke
T: (540) 983-7632
F: (540) 983-7711
vCard
Education
- University of Virginia, J.D., 1974
- University of Virginia, B.A., with high distinction, 1967
Bar & Court Admissions
- 1974, Virginia Bar
- 1974, U.S. District Court, Western District of Virginia
- 1975, U.S. Tax Court
Alton L. Knighton, Jr., a principal in the firm, joined Woods Rogers PLC in 1974. His practice is concentrated in the areas of tax-exempt bonds, taxable financings, employee benefits and nonprofit organizations. Al is a director of Raleigh Court Presbyterian Church Endowment Fund, a director and current chairman of Planned Parenthood Health Systems, Inc., a director of Planned Parenthood Health Systems Action Fund, Inc., a former director of The Lewis-Gale Foundation, a former director and vice president of Greater Southwest Athletic Association, a former director and chairman of Planned Parenthood of the Blue Ridge, Inc., a former director and chairman of the Blue Ridge Action Fund, a former director and president of Raleigh Court Presbyterian Church Endowment Fund, Inc. and a former president of Phi Beta Kappa Association of the Roanoke Area. He is a member and former director of the Roanoke Bar Association and a member of the American and Virginia Bar Associations, Roanoke Valley Estate Planning Council, Ferrum College Estate Planning Council (of which he is a former chairman), National Association of Bond Lawyers, Local Government Attorneys of Virginia and Phi Beta Kappa. Al has been named in the "Best Lawyers in America" in employee benefits law, project finance law and public finance law. He is a 1967 graduate (with high distinction) of the University of Virginia and graduated from the University's law school in 1974.
Experience
- Counsel for Carilion Clinic and affiliated hospitals in more than $1.3 billion of tax-exempt financings
- Bond counsel, borrower’s counsel, lender’s counsel or trustee’s counsel in bond issues exceeding:$1.5 billion for other hospitals; $200 million for colleges and universities; $200 million for retirement facilities and other nonprofit institutions; $500 million for roads, schools, water and sewer utilities and other governmental facilities and $300 million for manufacturing, housing and other for-profit facilities
- Counsel for lenders and borrowers in numerous taxable financings
- Corporate counsel for many charitable organizations, including hospitals, colleges and universities, retirement facilities, cultural entities and social welfare organizations
- Employee benefits counsel for many employers, providing counseling and drafting with respect to ESOPS, 401(k) plans and other qualified plans, deferred compensation plans, health, life insurance, disability and other welfare plans and cafeteria plans and dealings with the IRS and Department of Labor
Professional Affiliations
- Virginia Bar Association, Member
- Virginia State Bar, Member
- American Bar Association, Member
- Roanoke Bar Association, Member and former Director
- National Association of Bond Lawyers, Member
- Local Government Attorneys of Virginia, Member