| Judge Vanessa A. Hopkins Date Admitted to Bar: Illinois-1994 Court: Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois For more information about Judge Vanessa A. Hopkins visit www.judgevanessahopkins.com Legal Experience: Hopkins was an associate of the Law firm of J.L. Jones & Associates in Chicago and later started and managed her own firm. She represented clients in personal injury, paternity, child support, felony, misdemeanor, and bankruptcy cases and assisted other attorneys as co-counsel during various trials. Before becoming a Circuit Court Judge, Hopkins held business, law and adjunct teaching positions. She was on the faculty at various higher-level learning institutions, including Northeastern Illinois University, Kishwaukee College, DeVry Institution of Technology, and Roosevelt University. She taught in various areas, including management, economics, marketing, and business law. She also taught hands-on computer applications to disadvantaged youths. Judicial Experience: The nature of her call is civil jury litigation. Her duties include but are not limited to, case management, trial scheduling, impaneling jurors, ruling on the admissibility of evidence before and during trial. The types of cases include but are not limited to, Personal Injury, Dramshop Act, Breach of Contract, Breach of Written Warranty and Breach of Implied Warranty of Merchantability pursuant to the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, Consumer Fraud, Products Liability and other civil litigation causes. She also hears routine and complex motions, including summary judgment motions and she facilitates settlement negotiations. She was assigned this position after spending a year in the Forcible Entry and Detainer Division. There she Handled residential and commercial landlord and tenant disputes. She has heard other matters, including DUI cases, Statutory Summary Suspensions and traffic related offenses in the Traffic Division. Also, she presided over child protection cases, including abuse and neglect, in the Juvenile Justice Division. As a floater judge, she sat in the Domestic Violence Division and also handled overflow trials in the Civil Non-Jury Trial Division. Judicial Education and Seminars: - Civil Evidence Seminar - Civil Evidence; Discovery Rules - Evidence Admissibility and relevance - Evidentiary Foundations and Objectives - Voluntary Dismissals and Sanctions (Rule 219 and Rule 216) - Notices to Appear and Produce Documents - Disclose, Rescue, Serve - Civil Rule 213 - Evidentiary - ADmission: Other Crimes - Attorney Fees and Costs - Civil Instructing a Civil Jury - Civil Supplement Proceedings - Juvenile and Family Law Seminar - Temporary Custody Hearings - Supervised & Unsupervised Visitations - Special Needs of the Child - Traffic Court Seminar - Profiles of alcohol impaired and drug impaired offenders - Accurate assessment of Offender's risk to public safety - Petition to revoke - Statutory Summary Suspensions - How to identify a drunk driver - How to evaluate the reliability of Field Sobriety Test, Breathalyzer Test - How to evaluate the reliability of certification of machine - Business Record Exception to Hearsay Rule Foundation - Physician Patient Privilege - Discovery of Medical Records - Properly conducted test (i.e. followed IDPH Standards) - General Jurisdiction Seminar - Criminal Law - Civil Law - Domestic Violence - Family Law - Juvenile Law - Constitutional law - Handling High Volume Court Rooms - New Judge Seminar: - Motion Practice - traffic Matters - Misdemeanor and Preliminary Hearing Courts and Setting Bonds - Disposition of Criminal Cases without Trial - Trial of a Criminal Case and Sentencing - Search and Seizures - Jury Instruction in Criminal Cases - Contempt - Juvenile Law - Trial Practice - Civil Jury Instructions - High Volume Courts - Statutory Summary Suspension - DUI Sentencing Issues - Domestic Violence Awards : While in the Circuit Court Traffic Division she premiered in the educational DUI video "Wasted", which was nominated for the 1997 National Commission Against Drunk Driving Education and Prevention Award. Judge Hopkins, was chosen as the 1999 recipient of the Northern Illinois University Alumni Association's Outstanding Young Alumna Award for the College of Law. Hopkins received the NIU Outstanding Women Student Leadership Award from Northern Illinois University. She also received the Northern Illinois University College of Law Outstanding Contribution to Law School Community Award. She was a recipient of the 2001 Rainbow PUSH Bridge Builders Award. Also, she was recognized by the Chicago State University Alumni Association with the 2002 Outstanding Graduate Business Achievement Award. She received a Certificate of recognition from the Illinois Judicial Speakers Bureau in 2002. Memberships: Judge Hopkins is active in various professional organizations. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Illinois Judges Association and the President's Task Force Committee, as well as, Co-chairperson of the Membership Committee of the Illinois Judges Association. Judge Hopkins is a member of the Board of Visitors for Northern Illinois University College of Law; the Parent Network Advisory Board of the Nancy B. Jefferson Alternative School; and the Board of Directors of the Committee To Improve Education in South Shore. Additionally. Also she serves on the Board of Directors of the Illinois Judicial Council and as Chairperson of the Black History Month/Law Day Committee. She is also a member of the Bench& Bar Committee of the Illinois State Bar Association. Also, the Chairperson of the Existing Programs Committee of the Juvenile Mentoring and Early Intervention Committee (JMEIC) of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. Judge Hopkins has volunteered and participated in various court, community, church and educational related activities. This list include but is not limited to the City Wide Mock Trial Competition sponsored by the Circuit Court of Cook County in conjunction with the Chicago Bar Association, the Chicago Board of Education, and the law firm of Sidley Austin, Brown & Wood; Graduation keynote speaker at Our Lady Gate of Heaven School; Oratorical Competition Judge and keynote speaker with graduate level university students about the court's system, and keynote speaker with community organizations C.A.P.S. Moreover, during Black History month Judge Hopkins speaks at various schools, churches and community organizations. Birth Place: Chicago, Illinois. Education: In 1986, Hopkins received a B.S. degree in marketing from Chicago State University. She received her M.B.A. from Roosevelt University in 1988 and went on to receive her law degree from Northern Illinois University College of Law. Hobbies: Chess. CHICAGO LAWYER A PUBLICATION OF THE LAW BULLETIN Volume 21 Number 3 March*1998 "In my view, Vanessa Hopkins is the poster person for setting the standards of excellence for new judges," says Chief Judge Donald P. O'Connell. "She brought an outstanding character, temperament, analytical mind, work ethic, energy, enthusiasm and desire to learn." |
