Committed to Protecting the Rights of the People
The Law Offices of John L. Burris was formed in 1985. While the practice initially focused on criminal defense, it quickly shifted to an emphasis on civil rights litigation, particularly in the context of police misconduct, and racial and sexual discrimination in employment. Located in Oakland, we serve the Bay Area, the San Joaquin Valley, Sacramento and Northern California.
Over the years, John Burris and his associated counsel have represented a number of public officials and high profile clients: Earl Sanders, the former Chief of Police of San Francisco; Rodney King; recording artist Tupac Shakur; actor Del Roy Lindo; NFL player Keyshawn Johnson; NBA players Gary Payton and Jason Kidd; and Aaron Goodwin, former sports agent for NBA phenomenon LeBron James.
Accomplishments
Our firm has been instrumental in social reforms of police policy governing the use of canines, deadly force, hog tying, pepper spray, and other practices. Our work has also changed police department protocols for crowd control tactics and handling of the mentally impaired.
The firm has been successful in a number of class actions, including the infamous "Riders" case against the Oakland Police Department over police brutality and lawsuits against United Parcel Service (UPS) and FedEx over systemic racial discrimination. The Riders case settled in 2003 for $10.9 million dollars on behalf of 119 plaintiffs, and resulted in a consent decree instituting groundbreaking reforms in OPD procedures, training and tracking of citizen complaints. The firm also gained punitive damages relief for female correctional officers forced to work in a hostile work environment in the California Department of Corrections. See our representative cases.
Our Legal Team
While primarily a sole practitioner, attorney John Burris is associated with two other lawyers. Our legal team of Benjamin Nisenbaum and Adante Pointer practices in the areas of civil rights, personal injury and wrongful death, criminal defense, and child dependency. In addition, attorneys Arthur Mitchell and Cheryl Amana are of counsel to the firm. Mr. Burris also engages a number of contract attorneys as needed for complex cases. We have collaborated on cases with other noted Bay Area attorneys such as Pamela Price, James Chanin, Andrew Schwartz, Matthew Kumin, and John Scott.
John Burris has consistently challenged discrimination and abusive and dangerous policies. He has also authored "Blue vs. Black: Let's End the Conflict Between Police and Minorities." Assessing police-community relations, Mr. Burris outlines a 10-point blueprint for fostering a better rapport between police and the community. See an excerpt from "Blue vs. Black."
The Law Offices of John L. Burris has demonstrated commitment and compassion for serving the underrepresented and the disenfranchised among us. Our goal is a just society for all.
Contact our Oakland office by e-mail or by calling 510-379-7215.
