John Hummel

John is a litigator. During John’s thirty plus years practicing law he has handled thousands of civil and criminal litigation matters and has tried 75 cases to jury verdict. John focuses his practice on advocating for those who have been wronged, diminished, marginalized, or forgotten.

John started his career as a public defender, representing farm workers from Mexico and out-of-work loggers from rural Oregon. John’s farm worker clients were the hardest working people he ever met, and his logger clients lost more than a job when the mills shut down – they lost their identities. Those early lessons shaped John’s approach to justice. Every person has a unique story that informs how they arrived in the criminal justice system, either as a defendant or a victim. John assesses people based on their entire lives, not solely on the worst day of their lives.

After practicing as a public defender, John lived and worked in West Africa where he led former United States President Jimmy Carter’s operations in Liberia. Collaborating with the President of Liberia and leaders of Liberia's Indigenous tribes, John and the Carter Center helped Liberians rebuild their justice sector after a brutal 15-year civil war, stand up a conflict resolution program to mediate disputes, and establish a program that worked to destigmatize mental illness in the country.

Upon his return to the United States, John has worked in health care policy, higher education, as an elected district attorney, and in civil litigation.

When not practicing law, you will find John running the streets and parks of Denver (and the mountain trails when he can get out of town), cheering on the Oregon Ducks, and tasting his way through Denver’s restaurant scene.

PRACTICE AREAS

• Landlord/Tenant matters (focusing on the representation of tenants)
• Commercial lease disputes
• Probate litigation
• Contract disputes
• Disputes with government agencies
• Clemency Petitions (Pardon and commutation)

EDUCATION

• University of Arkansas School of Law, J.D.
• The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, M.A.
• Roanoke College, B.A.

ADMISSIONS

• Colorado State Bar
• Wyoming Supreme Court
• Oregon State Bar (currently inactive)
• Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals
• U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado
• U.S. District Court for the District of Wyoming
• The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Tribal Court