John Kenneth Pineau, Lawyer

Born in Detroit, Michigan in 1960, John Pineau graduated from Ferndale High School in 1978 before attending the University of Michigan, where he was admitted to the Honors College. He went on to earn his Bachelor of Arts degree with Honors in Civil Liberties from Oberlin College in 1982.

From 1983 to 1991, Mr. Pineau served as a Hearings Advocate for Wayne County Neighborhood Legal Services in Detroit, representing low-income clients in administrative hearings. He later earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Colorado School of Law in 1994. That same year, he was admitted to both the Colorado State Bar and the United States District Court of Colorado. In 2006, he was admitted to practice before the United States Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Mr. Pineau began his legal career as a Trial Attorney in the Indian Law Clinic at the University of Colorado School of Law and has since taught Trial Advocacy at both the University of Colorado and the University of Denver College of Law. He has also served as an instructor for various Continuing Legal Education seminars and has been qualified and testified as an expert witness in legal matters. He graduated from the Trial Lawyers College in 2009 and received the Gideon Award from the Colorado Criminal Defense Bar in 2010 for his work protecting the rights of children.

He was a finalist for a county judgeship and was jointly appointed by the Governor, Attorney General, and Chief Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court to serve on the Colorado Judicial Nominating Commission. He has been selected by his peers for inclusion in Super Lawyers, the Register of Preeminent Lawyers, and the National Trial Lawyers Top 100.

Mr. Pineau currently serves as President of the Gilpin County Bar Association, a position he has held since 2001. He is also a Fellow of the Colorado Bar Foundation and a member of the Colorado Bar Association, the Colorado Criminal Defense Bar, and the First Judicial District Bar Association. His legal scholarship includes serving as a reviewer for Colorado Criminal Practice and Procedure (Dieter, R., Vols. 1–2, West Publishing, 2005).

Mr. Pineau’s cases and commentary have been featured in national and international media, including 60 Minutes, The Early Show (CBS), NBC, ABC, FOX, Court TV, CNN, The Colbert Report, A&E, NPR, The New York Times, Sports Illustrated, Denver Post, Rocky Mountain News, Los Angeles Times, London Times, Le Monde, China Daily, and many other outlets around the world.

Practice Areas: Civil Rights, Criminal Defense, Felonies, Misdemeanors, Juvenile Law, Employment Law, Litigation, Negligence, Personal Injury, Sexual Assault, Torts, Trial Practice, Whistle Blower Claims, Claims for Victims of Crime.

John likes to pick juries, ski, and cook.

Telephone: 303.440.4444. Please feel free to call anytime.

Ethan Wearner, Trial Assistant

Born and raised in Denver, Colorado, Ethan Wearner graduated from Monarch High School before earning a B.A. in History from Wake Forest University, with minors in Politics & International Affairs and Middle East & South Asian Studies.

As a Trial Assistant, Ethan works on both state and federal cases by providing comprehensive case management and trial preparation, while coordinating closely with clients, witnesses, attorneys, and the courts. Prior to working with John Pineau, he was certified as a domestic violence advocate in Colorado and Maine. In Longmont, Colorado, he served as a Legal Advocate for survivors of intimate partner violence, offering confidential support on civil protection orders, divorces, parenting plans, and address confidentiality. He also worked alongside law enforcement and prosecutors, responding to emergency calls and assisting with active investigations.

Ethan is a certified notary public and has experience working as a process server in the Denver metro area. He brings strong research and writing skills to his work, developed through roles at Old Salem Museum & Gardens in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and as a Staff Columnist for The Old Gold & Black. He was awarded a research stipend by Wake Forest University’s Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Center to support original scholarship on the histories of North and South Yemen. 

Ethan is especially passionate about humanitarian issues in Yemen and leads the Free Yemen Initiative, a nonprofit organization focused on delivering aid to the country’s north. He also volunteers as an on-call domestic violence crisis advocate for NextStep Domestic Violence Project in Ellsworth, Maine. Outside of work, he enjoys playing tennis, lifting weights, reading in the dark, and savoring a good cup of coffee.

Telephone: 303.440.4444. Please feel free to call anytime.
Email: ethanwearner@yahoo.com