Jeremy P. Hopkins

Jeremy Hopkins is a nationally recognized eminent domain attorney dedicated to defending property owners against government takings. With a legal career focused entirely on protecting landowners’ rights, he has represented clients in direct and inverse condemnation cases at all levels of state and federal courts. Jeremy has secured some of the largest jury verdicts and settlements in North Carolina and Virginia, ensuring property owners receive the just compensation they deserve.

Fighting for Property Owners Facing the Power of Eminent Domain

Jeremy has been defending property owners against unlawful takings and government overreach since 2002. In addition to courtroom victories, he has worked to strengthen property rights laws, helping draft and secure legislative and constitutional protections for landowners.

His work includes:

•Testifying before legislative committees on eminent domain laws
•Training and educating attorneys on land valuation and condemnation cases
•Publishing influential legal articles, cited by state and federal courts
•Appearing on local and national TV and radio to advocate for property rights

National Leadership in Eminent Domain & Property Rights Law

Jeremy is the sole North Carolina representative for Owner’s Counsel of America, an exclusive network of top eminent domain lawyers committed to protecting landowners. There is only one OCA representative in each state, and each member is selected by OCA. He also serves as:

•Planning Chair for the American Law Institute’s national Eminent Domain and Land Valuation Litigation 101 Conference
•Advisory Board Member for the Brigham Kanner Property Rights Conference at William & Mary Law School

Protecting Your Property Rights & Ensuring Just Compensation

Jeremy firmly believes that private property owners should be secure in their rights and that those forced to surrender property deserve full and fair compensation-not just a portion of it. His unwavering commitment to property owners has made him a leading advocate in eminent domain law.

Media Appearances

Jeremy Hopkins has been featured in numerous national and local media outlets for his knowledge and experience in eminent domain and property rights law. He has appeared twice on Fox News’ Fox & Friends, as well as NPR’s On the Commons, discussing critical issues related to government takings. In addition, he has been a guest on several local Virginia radio stations and news broadcasts. His work has been cited in New York Times Magazine, the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the Washington Times, and the Virginian-Pilot, among other publications

Contact Jeremy Hopkins

If you are facing an eminent domain case or need guidance on property rights litigation, contact Jeremy Hopkins .

Publications

•Just Compensation and Fair Market Value, American Law Institute-Continuing Legal Education, January 2025
•The Basics of a Condemnation Case, American Law Institute-Continuing Legal Education, January 2025
•The Jury’s View, American Law Institute-Continuing Legal Education, January 2025
•Summary Primer on Preserving the Record, American Law Institute-Continuing Legal Education, February 2023
•Avoiding Ridiculous Court Rulings and Outcomes, American Law Institute-Continuing Legal Education, January 2022
•Keep Your Head on a Swivel, American Law Institute-Continuing Legal Education, January 2022
•Hurdles to Just Compensation, 10 Brigham-Kanner Property Rights Journal 177 (2021)
•Inverse Condemnation: Standards and Burdens of Proof, Practical Real Estate Lawyer, July 2021
•The First Question in Determining Just Compensation: What Property Should Be Valued?, Practical Real Estate Lawyer, May 2021
•Inverse Condemnation: What It Is and How to Raise It, American Law Institute-Continuing Legal Education, January 2021
•The First Question in Determining Just Compensation: What Property Should Be Valued? American Law Institute-Continuing Legal Education, January 2020
•The Big Four: Parent Tract, Highest and Best Use, Scope of the Project and Threat of Condemnation, American Law Institute-Continuing Legal Education, January 2020
•Project Damages, American Law Institute-Continuing Legal Education, January 2019
•Market Value: Fair or Fictional? American Law Institute-Continuing Legal Education, January 2019
•Yes, Virginia, the Constitution Applies in Family Court, Too, Common Constitutional Issues in Family Law, David Domina, James Bocott, and Jeremy Hopkins, The Nebraska Lawyer July/Aug. 2018
•Due Process, Equal Protection, and the Uniform Relocation Act: Regulation and Enforcement Must Comply with the Constitution, American Law Institute-Continuing Legal Education, January 2018
•Winning the Common Valuation Evidentiary Issues, American Law Institute-Continuing Legal Education, January 2017
•Effective Case Planning and Theme Development, American Law Institute-Continuing Legal Education, January 2017
•State and Federal Eminent Domain Law, CLE International, May 2016
•An Analysis of the Judicial Grant of the Quick Take Power, American Law Institute-Continuing Legal Education, February 2015
•Amending the Certificate, CLE International, May 2015
•Holding Back the Tide of Eminent Domain, Property Rights Foundation of America, Nineteenth Annual National Conference on Property Rights, Latham, New York (October 17, 2015)
•Obtaining Eminent Domain Reform: A View Through the Lens of Virginia’s Constitutional Amendment, American Law Institute-Continuing Legal Education, January 2014
•Practical Issues in Freedom of Information and Open Access Litigation, American Law Institute-Continuing Legal Education, January 2014
•Virginia Eminent Domain: Frequently Asked Questions, Pipeline Trust, April 2014
•Design Build, Due Process, and Descriptions, CLE International, May 2014
•Utility Corridors, CLE International, April 2013
•Initial Discovery in Eminent Domain Proceedings: Having a Plan and a Purpose, American Law Institute-Continuing Legal Education, January 2013
•The Keystone Pipeline, American Law Institute-Continuing Legal Education, January 2013
•Fifty State Survey: The Law of Eminent Domain, Virginia, ABA Section of Litigation, June 15, 2012 (Virginia Chapter)
•The Property Rights Constitutional Amendment of 2012, Vol. XXXIII, No. 1, The Fee Simple: The Newsletter of the Virginia State Bar Real Property Section, Spring 2012 ed.
•Debunking Property Rights Amendment Fears, Washington Times, January 20, 2012
•Doctrines of Undercompensation: “Just Compensation” v. just “Compensation,” CLE International, April 2011
•Rethinking Concepts “Chiseled in Stone,” American Law Institute-American Bar Association, February 2011
•Al-Qaida, the Klan, and Property Activists?, Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star, January 20, 2011
•Basics of Section 1983 Claims, CLE International, April 2010
•Permanent Protections Would Be Best, Richmond Times-Dispatch, April 3, 2007
•The Constitution and the Eminent Domain Attorney, CLE International, April 2007
•Reform Eminent Domain, Washington Times, January 15, 2007
•Not Mr. Jefferson’s Virginia, Virginia Institute for Public Policy, January 2007
•The Real Story of Eminent Domain in Virginia: The Rise, Fall, and Undetermined Future of Property Rights in the Commonwealth, Virginia Institute for Public Policy, December 2006
•Special Interests vs. Virginia Taxpayers, Washington Times, March 23, 2006
•Just Compensation: Elementary Principles and Considerations to Ensure the Property Owner Is Made Whole, American Law Institute-American Bar Association, January 2006
•Cited by Kansas Supreme Court in City of Mission Hills v. Sexton, 284 Kan. 414, 426, 160 P.3d 812, 823 (Kan. 2007)
•Virginia’s Response to Kelo: Constitutional Amendment or Legislation?, Virginia Institute for Public Policy, September 2005
•Separation of Powers: A Forgotten Protection in the Context of Eminent Domain, Regent University Law Review, 16 Regent U. L. Rev. 371, 2003/2004
•Cited by United States District Court in Transwestern Pipeline Company, LLC v. 9.32 Acres, 544 F. Supp. 2d 939, 948 (D. Ariz. 2008)
•The Claim of Severance Damages in Easement Takings, American Bar Association-American Law Institute, January 2004
•Cited by United States Court of Claims in Loveridge v. United States, 167 Fed. Cl. 44, 54 (2023)
•Compensable Nuggets of Just Compensation, American Bar Association-American Law Institute, January 2003

Accomplishments

•Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America in the field of Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law (2024 - 2026)

Most Recent Posts

Result

Car Dealership Owner Wins $2.4 Million on a $124,000 Offer

Jeremy Hopkins recently secured a jury verdict for the owner of a car dealership in an eminent domain case against...

Post

Our Top 10 Resources of 2025

Throughout the year, the attorneys at Cranfill Sumner LLP strive to provide the public with the latest updates on North...

News

33 CSH Law Attorneys Selected for Inclusion in the Best Lawyers in America 2026

Thirty-three attorneys from Cranfill Sumner LLP (CSH Law) were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2026....

Result

Jeremy Hopkins Secures Victory for Owner of Fast-Food Franchises

Jeremy Hopkins (Raleigh) secured a favorable settlement for the owners of several fast food franchises in Eastern North Carolina in an...

Post

Eminent Domain Compensation: How Much Is Your Property Worth?

How Property Owners Can Maximize Their Recovery When the government exercises its power of eminent domain - the right to...

News

Jury Awards Landowners Nearly $2 Million for Property Taken by NCDOT

Jeremy Hopkins recently secured a major victory in a land condemnation and eminent domain case involving a 3-acre vacant property...

Post

Navigating the Jury Trial in an Eminent Domain Case

Navigating a jury trial in an eminent domain case can feel like a high-stakes gamble. The unpredictability and inherent risks...

Post

Just Compensation and Fair Market Value: Understanding Property Rights in Eminent Domain

When the government exercises its power of eminent domain to take private property for public use, the U.S. Constitution requires...

News

Jeremy Hopkins Co-Chairs and Presents at National ALI-CLE Eminent Domain Conference

Jeremy Hopkins, a partner in Cranfill Sumner LLP’s Eminent Domain & Land Condemnation practice group, served as a co-chair at...

Post

How Your Property Is Valued in an Eminent Domain Case

Protecting Your Rights in Eminent Domain Cases At our firm, we’re committed to ensuring the government doesn’t overstep its authority. Understanding...

News

Jeremy Hopkins Selected as NC Representative to Owners’ Counsel of America

Jeremy Hopkins has been selected to serve as the North Carolina state representative for the Owners’ Counsel of America (OCA). Jeremy succeeds George Autry who held the position since 2014....

Post

Common Questions about Eminent Domain

Protecting Your Rights in Eminent Domain Cases At our firm, we’re committed to ensuring the government doesn’t overstep its authority....

Post

What Is Eminent Domain?

What is Eminent Domain? If you’re seeking a definition of eminent domain, you’ve likely recently received unsettling news from a...

News

Jury Awards Owner of Paint and Body Shop $433k for Property Taken by NCDOT

A jury awarded the owners of a North Carolina paint and body shop $433,000 in an eminent domain case against...

Result

Hopkins Wins Land Condemnation Case Against NCDOT in Craven County*

Jeremy Hopkins (Raleigh) successfully defended the owners of a North Carolina paint and body shop in an eminent domain case...

News

32 CSH Law Attorneys Selected for Inclusion in the Best Lawyers in America 2025

Thirty-two attorneys from Cranfill Sumner LLP (CSH Law) were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2025....

News

32 CSH Law Attorneys Selected for Inclusion in the Best Lawyers in America 2024

Thirty-two attorneys from Cranfill Sumner LLP (CSH Law) were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2024....

News

Harnett County Jury Awards Property Owner $5 Million for Property Taken by NCDOT

A Harnett County jury awarded a property owner $5,084,000 earlier this week for the taking of his partially redeveloped hotel. Amar Patel was represented by the Cranfill Sumner LLP attorneys George Autry and Jeremy Hopkins. The trial lasted six days with the jury ultimately deliberating for approximately 50 minutes....

News

Settlement Involving Cranfill Sumner Attorneys Featured in NC Lawyer’s Weekly

Cranfill Sumner LLP attorneys George Autry, Stephanie Autry and Jeremy Hopkins were featured in the Feb. 15 edition of N.C....

News

CSH Law Attorneys Featured in NC Lawyers Weekly Top Verdicts of 2020

Settlements involving Cranfill Sumner LLP were featured in the Top Verdicts & Settlements of 2020 by NC Lawyers Weekly....

News

NC Lawyers Weekly Top V&S of 2018 Features 3 Settlements by Cranfill Sumner Land Condemnation and Eminent Domain Law Practice Group

North Carolina Lawyer’s Weekly featured three settlements from the Land Condemnation and Eminent Domain Law Practice Group at Cranfill Sumner LLP (Cranfill Sumner) in its “Top V&S of 2018: Eminent domain and defense verdicts” which was released Feb. 25, 2019....

News

Jeremy Hopkins to Speak at Eminent Domain CLE

On Jan. 25, Jeremy Hopkins will speak at the American Law Institute CLE program, Eminent Domain and Land Valuation Litigation. The event will be held in Charleston, S.C., and will be offered online and in person....

News

Jeremy Hopkins Joins Cranfill Sumner Raleigh Office

Cranfill Sumner LLP (Cranfill Sumner) today announced that Jeremy Hopkins has joined the firm’s Raleigh office as a Partner with the Land Condemnation & Eminent Domain Practice Group....

News

Jeremy Hopkins Featured in Triangle Business Journal Story

Jeremy Hopkins, an attorney in the Raleigh office of Cranfill Sumner LLP, was recently featured in a Triangle Business Journal article. In “Gas Pipeline: Boon for Some, Burden for Others,” Jeremy discusses the legal issues for homeowners impacted by a proposed natural gas pipeline in North Carolina....