I was born in West Frankfort in 1975, one of twin boys to the late Jody Hopkins and the late Hon. Terrence “Terry” Hopkins, who served as Circuit Judge in Franklin County from 1983 until 1994, and served as a 5th Circuit Illinois Appellate Justice until his death in 2006. 

 

I am a 1989 graduate of St. John’s Catholic school, a 1993 graduate of Frankfort Community High school, a 1997 graduate of Knox College in Galesburg Illinois, where I studied History, Anthropology, and Psychology, and a 2000 graduate of the S.I.U. School of Law. I began my legal career as a law clerk in 1998 for the personal injury law office Hughes and Prince, under the tutelage of attorneys R. Courney Hughes and Mark Prince Esq. 

 

As my first job out of law school I spent almost 6 years in the Franklin County State's Attorney’s office prosecuting a variety of cases,ranging  from murder to D.U.I.s.  Also, I spent many years practicing Juvenile Law and dealing with youth offenders and parents with allegations of abuse or neglect.

 

In January 2006 I founded my own Law Office from my mother’s guest bedroom with nothing but a used laptop that I inherited from my father. I am proud to say that with the eventual addition of my wonderful staff my Firm has grown to be one of Southern Illinois most successful Family Law and Criminal Defense firms. As a private lawyer I have practiced in every county in Southern Illinois and in Cook County from cases ranging from Divorce and Child Custody to Guardianships and complex civil litigation. I have also acted as a trial lawyer in cases of every type of criminal matter, including murder and petitions for post conviction relief.  

 

Outside the office I am a decent weight lifter, a horrible runner, an enthusiastic and eager Jiu-jitsu student, a theater junkie and performer, an unappreciated gonzo journalist, and at times an annoying Science Fiction Geek and Memorabilia Collector. But I am most proud of the fact that I am the father of two talented, unique and wonderful children, twelve year old Julian and nine year old Everly Hopkins.