John R. Hoopes (1952-2023)

Hoopes Adams & Scharber co-founder John R. Hoopes passed away September 14, 2023, at the age of 71.

He is survived by his wife, Nancy, four children, and numerous grandchildren.

Listed in The Best Lawyers in America® and Arizona's Finest Lawyers, John was a former judge pro tem in Maricopa County Superior Court and for the Arizona Court of Appeals.

John left private practice in 2010 after his election as vice president of Salt River Project, and he served in that capacity until his death.

He served on the Arizona-Mexico Commission Energy Committee and the Governor’s Regulatory Review Council. In addition, he was a board member for the Agribusiness Council of Arizona, Trapper Mining Inc., New West Energy Corp., Papago Park Center Inc. and Salt Verde Financial Corp., as well as the nonprofit Valleywise Health Foundation, Valley of the Sun United Way, ICAN, Phoenix Zoo and Southwest Museum Foundation.

Born in Mesa, John was a fourth-generation Arizonan. After graduating from Mesa High School, he received a B.A. from Brigham Young University in 1975 before earning a law degree from the University of Arizona in 1979. He was selected to serve a two-year federal court judicial clerkship following graduation and then practiced with a large Phoenix law firm until 1998, when he and Ron Adams co-founded the law firm that bears their names.