ATTORNEY JOHN J. HOPKINS
About John J. Hopkins & Associates
As the son and grandson of ironworkers, Attorney John J. 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 42 years of practice, representing the interests of working men and women throughout the Metro East area.
Mr. John J. Hopkins focuses his practice in the areas of medical malpractice, personal injury, nursing home litigation, and workers’ compensation. He has achieved success before both Illinois and the United States Supreme Court and was voted as the best attorney in the Tri-City (Granite City) area. Mr. Hopkins was also elected as a fellow of the American Bar Association, an honor reserved for less than 1% of the legal profession.
Bar Admissions:
Illinois, 1977
Missouri, 1990
U.S. District Court
- Southern District of Illinois, 1977
- Central District of Illinois, 1992
U.S. Supreme Court, 1989
Law School:
University of Tulsa College of Law, J.D., 1977
Law School Honors/Involvement:
Moot Court: Finalist, 1975
Undergraduate School:
St. Louis University, B.A., English, 1973
Representative Clients:
Severely injured persons
Employment History:
Private Practice: 1977-Present
Special Assistant to Attorney General, Illinois: 1985-1987
Assistant City Attorney, Granite City, Illinois: 1985-1987
Bar/Professional Association Involvement:
Madison County Bar Association
- President, 1996-1997
Tri-City Bar Association
- President, 1985-1986
Alton-Wood River Bar Association
- President, 2013-2014
American Trial Lawyers Association
- Charter Member Presidents Club, 1999
Illinois Trial Lawyers Association
- Medical Malpractice Committee, 1992-Present
- Civil Practice Committee, 1992-Present
- Elected Board of Managers, 1996-2000, 2007
- Elected Secretary, 2000-2002
- Elected Treasurer, 2001-2002
Illinois State Bar Association
- General Assembly, 1998-2002
- Committee on Future of the Legal Profession
- Committee on Attorney Financial Responsibility
- Committee on Educating the Public on Judicial Process
- Committee on Judicial Evaluations
- Task Force on Allocation of Judges
Trial Lawyers for Public Justice
Land of Lincoln Legal Association Campaign for Equal Justice
- Madison County Co-Chairman, 2000-2002
Re-appointed by Illinois Supreme Court: Judicial Performance Evaluation Committee
Awards/Honors:
Alton Branch NAACP
- Civic Award, 1996, 1999
Life Member, NAACP, 1996
Tri-City Lawyer of the Year, 2000
Illinois Bar Foundation
- Lifetime Fellow, 1998-Present
American Bar Association
- Fellow, 2002
Alton-Godfrey Rotary
- President, 2015
Who’s Who in American Law, 13th Edition, 2003-2004
Marquette Catholic High School, 1994
- Serviam Award, 1994
University of Tulsa College of Law
- Alumni Award, 2000
Leading Lawyers, 2009-Present
- Medical Malpractice
- Nursing Home
- General Personal Injury
Published Legal Writing:
Mr. Hopkins is the author of more than 100 articles, which have been published in a variety of publications in the Metro East area, some state-wide, including:
“Nursing Home Litigation,” Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, December 2001
“Do Not Go Gentle into the Good Night: The Case for Punitive Damages in Nursing Home Litigation, “Trial Journal, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, Volume 4, Number 2, Summer 2002
Teaching Experience:
Constitutional Law Lecturer: Monthly class for non-lawyers in Alton