A folding knife has first and second blades pivotably mounted about a common pivot pin to move between their respective open and closed positions. Preferably, the two blades pivot in opposite directions about the pivot pin. A side lock plate is positioned between the first blade and the second blade. The side lock plate includes a first finger biased toward the first blade to engage the first blade when the first blade is in its open position, and a second finger biased toward the second blade to engage the second blade when the second blade is in its open position. The fingers can be independently depressed to unlock the blades and permit them to be closed.