John Hummel

Hi, I'm John. I'm a litigator. When a case needs to be fought in court, sign me up. That having been said, with experience I have come to learn that most cases on the path to trial can be resolved favorable for my clients through preparation and strategic negotiations.

I lived and worked in Liberia leading former United States President Jimmy Carter and the Carter Center's efforts to help Liberians rebuild their justice and mental health systems after a brutal 15-year civil war. This was the hardest and most rewarding work of my life.

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

Before starting law school I traveled the country setting up and tearing down the big top for the Big Apple Circus. Suffice it to say my mother was very happy when I traded in circus life for the law.