John Denny Jopling

John Jopling is a lifelong resident of north central Florida. After completing his undergraduate degree at Furman University, John graduated from the University of Florida College of Law, with honors, in 1982. After a year as research aide at the Supreme Court of Florida, John joined Dell Graham, P.A., a Gainesville, Florida, firm. He served the firm as senior partner and president for the last 30 of his 39-year career there. During his long career as a civil litigator, John focused much of his practice on defense of medical malpractice cases while also involved in a variety of other civil litigation cases, including personal injury, civil rights, commercial and governmental liability. He served as lead counsel in scores of jury trials in north central Florida, in both state and federal courts. He has maintained his certification in Civil Trial Law since 1991. John has been admitted to the bars of the U.S. District Courts for the Middle and Northern Districts of Florida, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. John’s skills as a litigator have been recognized by his peers. He earned invitation and admission into the American College of Trial Lawyers in 2002 and remains active in the organization. He has been recognized for many years by Florida Super Lawyers®. He is a past president of the North Florida Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates. Service to the Bar and his community has also been a focus of John’s career. He served on the Florida Bar Grievance Committee for the Eighth Judicial Circuit, the Florida Bar Committees on Professional Responsibility and Judicial Evaluation, in addition to twice serving as Special Counsel to the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission. In his community, John has served on the boards of multiple non-profits, as well as the vestry of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. He has a particular passion for the preservation of Florida’s natural springs, serving as founding member and president of the Ichetucknee Alliance advocacy group and on the boards of the Florida Springs Council and the Florida Wildlife Federation. John became a certified Circuit Court Mediator in 2018. After decades as a trial advocate, John has a deep appreciation for the values resolution and finality offer to litigants and lawyers. He appreciates the opportunities he has as a mediator to assist parties in creating those values for themselves.