James C. Hopkins

Associate Clinical Professor, Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program; Affiliated Professor of American Indian Studies & Latin American Studies

Professor Hopkins is Algonquin/Metis from Quebec. He is a former law clerk to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and is a member of the Ontario Bar. Prior to joining the College of Law, he was an Assistant Professor with the Faculty of Law, at the University of Alberta. He graduated from Harvard Law School's joint Masters of Laws and International Tax Program (LLM/ITP) in June 2000. Professor Hopkins' area of interest is the intersection between trade, tax and aboriginal law. He is a recipient of the Harvard University International Tax Program's Award for Excellence in Research and Writing for his graduate thesis titled, "Democratization by Taxation:  Democratic Experimentalism in Aboriginal Canada."

Representative Publications

Education

  • LL.M. /ITP Harvard Law School
    2000
    Graduated with the Award of Excellence in Research and Writing for LL.M. Thesis; Graduated summa cum laude; Mass. Indian Association Scholar, 1999
  • LL.B. University of Toronto
    1996
    Wilson Moot National finalist in tax & family law, 1995; Department of Justice Aboriginal Scholarship Recipient, 1994 - 1996; Roger Carter Q.C. Scholar, 1994; Leslie G. Dollinger Memorial Prize, 1993
  • B.A. (Innis College) University of Toronto
    1993
    Intern Award: Population Research, Department of Sociology, 1991 - 1992; Erindale Merit & Leadership Award, 1991

Admitted to Practice

  • Ontario, Canada

Work Experience

  • Associate Clinical Professor, Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program
    James E. Rogers College of Law
    2000 - present
  • National Chair in Aboriginal Economic Development; Associate Visiting Professor
    Faculty of Law and the Peter B. Gustavson School of Business, University of Victoria, Victoria, Canada
    2010 - 2011
  • Visiting Professor of Law
    University of Victoria, Faculty of Law, Indigenous Legal Studies Program
    Summer 2005
  • Adjunct Professor
    University of Arizona American Indian Studies Program
    2002 - present
  • Director, Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program
    James E. Rogers College of Law
    2000 - 2005
  • Thomas G. Feeney Visiting Professor in Business Law
    University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law, Common Law Section
    Winter 2004
  • Assistant Professor of Law
    University of Alberta Faculty of Law
    2000
  • Judicial Clerk
    Hon. Regional Senior Justice Bernstein & Hon. Regional Senior Justice Platana - North East & North West Regions - Ontario Superior Court of Justice & Divisional Court of Ontario, Canada
    1998
  • Articles of Law
    Fraser, Milner, Casgrain, Toronto, Canada
    1996 - 1997

Public & Institutional Service

  • Researcher (with 4 others), Substance Abuse Prevention - Diversion Programs in Tribal Courts: Case Studies
    2005 - 2007 (Federal Department of Justice Grant & The Native American Research and Training Center, The University of Arizona).
  • Co-principal Investigator (with 2 others), Health Law and Policy Implications for Native American Foster Care in Arizona
    2005 - 2006 (Inter-Agency Agreement with the State of Arizona and the College of Medicine).
  • Clinical Supervisor (with 2 research fellows), Agricultural Industries in the Southwest: Law and Policy Implications for Tribes
    2005 - 2006 (Research Grant in partnerhsip with the Native Peoples Technical Assistance Office
  • Member, Governor for the State of Arizona's Tribal Health Advisory Group
    2004 - 2006 (Provides research and policy recommendations on a wide range of health law and policy issues that effect tribal governments in Arizona.)
  • Manuscript Reviewer, University of Arizona Press
    2004 - 2006
  • Member, Executive Committee - Native American Cancer Research Partnership, University of Arizona
    2003 - 2004. NACRP is a cooperative agreement sponsored by the National Cancer Institute's Minority Institute/Cancer Center Program dedicated to alleviating the unequal burden of cancer among underserved populations.
  • Committee Member, CEGA, University of Arizona
    2003 - 2004 (This is an interdisciplinary body focusing on the research between Humanities and Social Sciences, supporting interdisciplinary and collaborative scholarship).
  • Clinical Supervisor, Land Use Ordinances, Zoning, By-Law Development
    2002 - 2003 (Training and Research Grant funded by the Administration for Native Americans for The Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians, California.)
  • Counsel Pro Bono to the Traditional Authorities of the Rio Yaqui Pueblos, before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), the Supreme Court of Mexico, and the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (UN CERD)
  • Chief Justice of the Pascua Yaqui Court of Appeals, the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, Tucso
Faculty