Practice Description:

The son and grandson of ironworkers, Mr. Hopkins was taught the value of hard work at an early age. Working out of Ironworkers Local 392 in East St. Louis, Illinois, he financed his college and law school by working in the trade. The lessons learned on the job site have guided him well through his 31 years of practice, representing the interests of working men and women throughout the Southern Illinois area.

Mr. Hopkins focuses his practice in the areas of medical malpractice, personal injury, nursing home litigation and workers' compensation. He has achieved success before both the Illinois and the United States Supreme Court, and in the year 2000 was voted as the best attorney in the Tri-City (Granite City) area. In 2002, Mr. Hopkins was elected as a fellow of the American Bar Association, an honor reserved for less than 1% of the legal profession.

We have won Major Personal Injury and Class Action Cases. Recently, we reached a settlement of 28 Million dollars in Farmer vs. Jackson National Life.

Bar Admissions

Illinois, 1977

Missouri, 1990

U.S. District Court Central District of Illinois, 1992

U.S. District Court Southern District of Illinois, 1997

U.S. Supreme Court, 1989

Education

University of Tulsa College of Law, Tulsa, Oklahoma

J.D. - 1977

Honors: Moot Court Finalist, 1975

St. Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri

B.A. - 1973

Major: English

Published Works

Nursing Home Litigation, Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, December, 2001
"Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night: The Case for Punitive Damages in Nursing Home Litigation", Trial Journal of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, Volume 4, Number 2, Summer, 2002

Representative Clients

Severely Injured Persons

Honors and Awards

Serviam Award, Marquette Catholic High School, 1994

Civic Award, Alton Branch NAACP, 1996

Civic Award, Alton Branch NAACP, 1999

Alumni Award, University of Tulsa College of Law, 2000

Life Fellow, Illinois Bar Foundation, 1998

Tri-City Lawyer of the Year, 2000

Life Member, NAACP, 1996

Elected fellow, American Bar Association, 2002

Who's Who in American Law of the 13th Edition, 2003 - 2004

Professional Associations and Memberships

Madison County Bar Association, President, 1996 - 1997

Tri-City Bar Association, President, 1985 - 1986

American Association for Justice, Charter Member President's Club, 1999

Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, Medical Malpractice Committee, 1992 - Present

Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, Civil Practice Committee, 1992 - Present

Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, Elected Board of Managers, 1996 - 2000

Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, Elected Board of Managers, 2007

Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, Elected Secretary, 2000 - 2002

Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, Elected Treasurer, 2001 - 2002

Illinois Bar Association, General Assembly, 1998 - 2000

Illinois Bar Association, Committee on Future of Legal Profession

Illinois Bar Association, Committee on Attorney Financial Responsibility

Illinois Bar Association, Committee on Educating the Public on Judicial Process

Illinois Bar Association, Committee on Judicial Evaluations

Illinois Bar Association, Task Force on Allocation of Judges

Trial Lawyers for Public Justice

Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Campaign for Equal Justice, Madison County Co-Chairman, 2000 - 2002

Past Employment Positions

Attorney General, Illinois, Special Assistant, 1985 - 1987

Assistant City Attorney, Granite City, Illinois, 1985 - 1987