Jim Hopkins

Since graduating from law school Jim has spent his entire career representing injured people. Jim has successfully handled cases representing injury victims in state and federal courts throughout the United States in jurisdictions including Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Colorado. He has tried numerous cases to verdict in Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas and Oklahoma. Jim has successfully represented several clients in obtaining multi-million dollar recoveries on their behalf. During his legal career, Jim has represented hundreds of clients in the areas of personal injury, railroad injury claims, medical malpractice, bad faith insurance claims, product liability, maritime injuries (Jones Act), workers’ compensation, employment discrimination and clergy sexual abuse.

In 2006 Jim worked extensively on and wrote the appellate briefs in the case of Powel v. Chaminade, 197 S.W.3d 576 (Mo. 2006). In Powel, the Missouri Supreme Court, in a case of first impression, considered the issue of repressed memory in the context of a man who alleged that he had been sexually abused while in high school but repressed that memory for almost thirty years. In a far reaching opinion the Missouri Supreme Court reversed the trial court and held that a genuine issue of fact existed as to whether the plaintiff had repressed his memory of the abuse and therefore when his damages had been ascertainable was uncertain on the record before the Court. The Missouri Supreme Court further held that the statute of limitations does not necessarily begin running at the time of injury but rather when the plaintiff is injured and when his damages are reasonably capable of ascertainment under a reasonable person standard.

When not practicing law Jim enjoys playing poker and in 2011 Jim played in the World Series of Poker Main Event in Las Vegas.

Publications:

“Admissibility and Submissibility of Expert Testimony and Issues” (Co-author) St. Louis Lawyer, 1995

Honors and Awards:

The National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Trial Lawyers, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017

Professional Associations and Memberships

Missouri Bar Association, Member

Illinois State Bar Association, Member

Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, Member

Lawyers Association of St. Louis, Member

Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys, Member