Attorneys

Brian J. Hooper

Brian Hooper is a commercial litigator with over ten years’ legal experience in government and private practice.  He has been selected as an Up-and-Coming attorney by Florida Trend Legal Elite, voted Best Rising Leader by the readers of Pensacola’s Independent News, and repeatedly named a Rising Star by Super Lawyers magazine.

Brian completed his undergraduate studies at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, and earned his law degree from Harvard Law School. He then clerked for Chief Judge David B. Sentelle on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Brian came to the firm after serving the U.S. Department of State as Associate Director of the Office of Weapons of Mass Destruction Terrorism, where he coordinated senior-level planning on initiatives and activities to combat WMD terrorism.
 
Brian uses his experience in government to help clients with a wide range of regulatory and litigation issues. He regularly represents independent business owners and self-employed professionals in all areas of commercial litigation. Many in the community turn to Brian because of his responsiveness, knowledge of the law, confidence, and persuasive speaking and legal-writing skills.

In 2013, he received the Pensacola Area Commitment to Excellence Emerging Leader Award, given to a person who has shown significant potential for leadership in business or community activities. He also received the 2012 William Meador Award by the Escambia-Santa Rosa Bar Association, given to an attorney who shows integrity in the practice of law and outstanding service to the community.

Brian and his wife Kimberly live in Pensacola, where they are raising their first child. Like other local residents, they are active in the community and are committed to keeping Pensacola a thriving, fun, and attractive place to live.

Practice Areas

• Contract & Commercial Litigation
• Government & Administrative Law
• Trial Law

Education:
 
• Harvard Law School, J.D., 2003
  - Dean’s Award for Community Leadership
• Washington and Lee University, B.A., 1998

Special Qualifications:

• AV Rating, Martindale-Hubbell

Professional Work Experience:
 
• Associate, Emmanuel, Sheppard & Condon, 2009
• Associate Director, WMD Terrorism Office, U.S Department of State, 2007 - 2009
• Attorney, Wiley, Rein, & Fielding, 2004 – 2007
• Clerk, Chambers of Chief Judge David B. Sentelle, U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, 2003 – 2004
• Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, 2002
• Hunton & Williams LLP, 2001
 
Court Admissions:
 
• Admitted to all state courts in Florida
• Also admitted to the bars of the District of Columbia, Virginia, and the Fourth, Tenth, and Eleventh federal courts of appeal

Professional Memberships and Activities:

• Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO), Member
• Republican National Committee 72-Hour Task Force (2004 and 2006); Bush-Cheney 2004 Volunteer Legal Counsel in Florida
• Republican National Lawyers Association, Member
• Emerging Issues Committee, Vice Chair, American Bar Association, Section of Public Contract Law
• Executive Committee, International and National Security Law and Corporations Practice Groups, Federalist Society

Civic and Community Involvement:

• Military Affairs Committee of the Greater Pensacola Chamber of Commerce
• Five Flags Rotary Club, Board Member
• Gulf Breeze United Methodist Church, Member
• Leadership Pensacola, Class of 2012
• Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast, Board Member
• Mayor Ashton Hayward’s Urban Redevelopment Advisory Committee (URAC), Former Chair

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