Frederick Hoops

Frederick K. Hoops, a former attorney and retired law professor, was a recognized authority on business and estate planning law and the coauthor of a couple of learned treatises regarding the subjects. Mr. Hoops died Thursday of renal failure at his home in Novi. He was 70. A memorial service is scheduled for 2 p.m. April 24 at the O'Brien/Sullivan Funeral Home, 41555 Grand River Ave., Novi. Visitation is to precede the service at 1 p.m. and continue after the service until 3 p.m. "More than anything else, my dad enjoyed teaching people -- whether it was a client, a student, another attorney or even one of his kids," said his son Daniel Hoops, who practiced for several years with his father in a family firm and is now a faculty member at Walsh College and a solo practitioner. "Everything was always a learning process with him." Born in Highland Park, Mr. Hoops graduated from Redford High School in 1957. After receiving a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Michigan, he served two years in the Army before receiving his law degree from U-M in 1966. Two years later, he received a master's in business administration from Harvard University. He added a master's of law in taxation from Wayne State University in 1973. Mr. Hoops established a private law practice in Detroit in 1974, which later grew to include two of his sons, Frederick and Daniel. Named Hoops, Hoops and Hoops, the firm later moved to Birmingham and then to Farmington Hills before closing in 1999. Along with his two sons, Mr. Hoops coauthored "Planning for Estates and Administration in Michigan" and "Family Estate Planning Guide." "He really enjoyed intellectual challenges, which is the reason why he liked business law so much," Daniel Hoops said. "Sometimes the problems were difficult to comprehend, but he enjoyed figuring them out." Mr. Hoops practiced for several more years with the Detroit law firm that was then named Kitch Drutchas, before retiring in 2006. A law professor for nearly 30 years, he started teaching at Detroit College of Law in 1975. After the school became affiliated with Michigan State University in 1995, he continued teaching until retiring in 2003. Besides his sons Daniel and Frederick, survivors include his wife of 48 years, Cynthia; other sons Elliot and William Hoops; daughters Stephanie Hoops and Haley Hoops, and one sister. His body was donated to the U-M Medical School. Donations can be made to Arbor Hospice.www.arborhospice.org

Frederick Hoops

April 8, 2010