SAN FRANCISCO — Hopkins & Carley, a 65-lawyer firm with offices in San Jose and Palo Alto, has named a business and real estate litigator as its new managing shareholder.

Jeffrey Essner, who joined the firm in 1989, will begin his three-year term on July 1, the firm announced on Monday. He has been a member of the executive committee since 2008, and chaired the litigation department for a decade.