Jeffrey A. "Jeff" Hopper

As a corporate lawyer and business adviser, Jeff is committed to forging the right path to realizing each client’s goals. He is dedicated to serving as an effective consensus builder, communicator and negotiator who maintains focus on getting the deal done. In addition to his practice, Jeff serves on the firm’s Management Committee and is the partner-in-charge of legal personnel.

Jeff offers comprehensive legal counsel to businesses and business owners in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, debt and equity finance, succession planning, executive compensation, real estate ventures and other general commercial law and contract matters. He takes pride in providing practical legal advice and in finding solutions that address business needs and goals, and. He often fills an outside general counsel role to those he serves.

Jeff’s practice also focuses on executive compensation, including the full array of equity, non-equity and cash-based awards. Examples include stock options, restricted stock, phantom awards, stock appreciation rights, performance awards, deferred compensation and cash awards. Notably, Jeff advises on Sections 162(m), 280G and 409A of the Internal Revenue Code.

Prior to the law, Jeff served as a commercial loan officer with First Oak Brook Bancshares, a middle-market Chicago bank. His duties and responsibilities included servicing lending and cash management customers of the bank. He also worked for the United States Department of Labor. Having worked in the financial services industry, Jeff has the training and experience in understanding, analyzing and interpreting financial statements, which helps him to be effective when helping clients by negotiating and closing transactions of all kinds.

Jeff is valued by clients and colleagues for striving to find solutions that make practical business sense while justifying his client’s position, building rapport and establishing trust among deal constituents.

He was born and raised in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and has three children.