Michael S. Hopkins
Attorney Michael S. Hopkins graduated cum laude from The John Marshall Law School; At John Marshall, he served as a member of the John Marshall Law Review, and his comment “Hemlock in the Marketplace” was selected for publication in the summer 2007 issue. He was named to the Order of John Marshall, and was ranked the number one graduate in the evening division.
Mr. Hopkins earned his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in English from Governors State University, where he received the Daniel Bernd Award as distinguished undergraduate. He completed his undergraduate degree with High Honors and was the commencement speaker for his graduating class.
Mr. Hopkins joined Spesia & Taylor as an associate attorney in 2009. Prior to joining Spesia & Taylor, Mr. Hopkins was a speechwriter and public relations/marketing coordinator. He is a veteran of the United States Air Force.
At Spesia & Taylor, Mr. Hopkins has built a practice that includes several areas of law particularly focused on litigation. He has represented clients in the following practice areas:
- Eminent Domain
- Personal Injury
- Contract Law
- Commercial Law
- Municipal Law
- Employment Law
- Constitutional Law
- School Law
- Appellate
- Ordinance and Traffic Prosecution
Representative cases and results achieved by Mr. Hopkins include the following:
On behalf of a corporate defendant, Mr. Hopkins obtained dismissal of multi-count contract claims seeking damages in excess of $75,000, settling the remaining claims for only $1,000;
On behalf of an individual defendant, he achieved a settlement in the amount of $26,000 on a breach of contact claim seeking damages in excess of $276,000;
On behalf of personal injury plaintiff, Mr. Hopkins secured a jury verdict in the amount of $130,000 after the defendant’s insurer offered less than a third of that amount to settle the case;
On behalf of a municipal client, he obtained a settlement in an Eminent Domain case for construction of a public road in the amount of $300,000 after defendants rejected significantly higher offers and claimed land values in excess of $1,000,000; and
On behalf of a school client, Mr. Hopkins secured a federal district court ruling holding that the Illinois Safe Schools Law does not provide a private right of action against schools for alleged violations of that law.
Publications:
“Hemlock in the Marketplace: How Freedom of the Press for College Newspapers Poisons the First Amendment,” 40 J. Marshall L. Rev. 1365 (2007)
In the news
Attorney Michael S. Hopkins Inducted into Prairie State College Forensics Hall of Fame
Spesia & Taylor attorney Michael Hopkins was recently inducted into the Prairie State College Forensics Team Hall of Fame. During his tenure with the team from 1998 to 2000, Hopkins participated in speech competitions throughout Illinois, winning first place awards in both the Informative Speaking and Speech to Entertain categories.
“I truly consider this an honor,” said Hopkins of his induction. “But I must say, my fellow team members and I were lucky enough to have a first-class speech coach in Professor Ed Schwartz. He worked with us tirelessly and fostered a creative atmosphere that allowed each of us find our voice – and to use it effectively in competition.”
