John Burris

Considered by experts to be one of the nation’s most prominent civil rights attorneys, John Burris has worked on landmark legal cases leading to reforms in both the San Francisco Police Department and Oakland Police Department.

John started his law firm in 1985, initially focusing on criminal defense. However, in response to the institutional inequities that often resulted in police use of excessive force, he quickly shifted his focus to an emphasis on civil rights litigation, particularly in the context of police misconduct, and racial and sexual discrimination in employment.

Over the years, John and his associated counsel have represented a number of public officials and high-profile clients including: Earl Sanders (former Chief of Police of San Francisco), Rodney King (national civil rights figure), Tupac Shakur (recording artist), Del Roy Lindo (actor), Keyshawn Johnson (former NFL player), Gary Payton and Jason Kidd (former NBA players) and Aaron Goodwin (former sports agent for NBA phenomenon LeBron James).

The Law Offices of John L. Burris have been instrumental in bringing about social reforms involving the police. John also has been successful in a number of class-action lawsuit, including the infamous Oakland Police “Riders” case.

As a board member of the Oscar Grant Foundation, John guides the organization in matters involving the design of law enforcement equity training and matters involving intellectual property.