He attended Pontypridd Boys" Grammar School and then read law at Queens" College, Cambridge, was awarded his Bachelor of Arts in 1960, and his Bachelor of Laws the following year, accompanied by the Whewell Scholarship in International Law.
He was elected to a fellowship at Downing in October 1961. He was called to the Bar by Gray"s Inn in 1964. Thereafter, he held many positions in college, including Tutor, Senior Tutor and Director of Studies in Law, retiring in 2004.
He has been Visiting Professor at City University, London since 1980.
In 1981, he was elected Honorary Bencher of Middle Temple, London. He is a former governor of Harrow School, Sherborne School and Eastbourne College, and is a governor of Wellington College.
In his capacity as Director of Studies in Law at Downing for over 40 years, and also as a University Lecturer, John Hopkins guided generations of students through the highs and lows of Constitutional, Equity and International Law, regaling them with scores of (often the same) humorous stories and jokes. His love of Winnie-the-Pooh is legendary.
His style of supervision, delivered in the old style, pipe in hand,(smoking matches, as the pipe never seemed to light, and banging the pipe on the bottom of his shoe) has had a widespread influence on generations of lawyers who read law at Cambridge.
He taught John Cleese Equity when he read law at Downing. (He insists that Cleese developed his Ministry of Silly Walks gait in avoiding the puddles in Downing"s quad) The following describes his supervisions perfectly:
In 2012, John Hopkins was conferred Honorary Fellowship of Hughes Hall, Cambridge after serving for 8 years as the College"s Director of Studies in Law.He continues to teach and inspire students till this day.
He is a Master Bencher of the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, and a keen member of the Marylebone Cricket Club (Master Control Console).
