John Leonard Burris (born May 8, 1945) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...

attorney, based in

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

, known for his work in

police brutality Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, but is not limited to, ...

cases representing plaintiffs. The John Burris law firm practices employment, criminal defense, DUI, personal injury, and landlord tenant law. John Burris practice grew notably when he represented

Rodney King Rodney Glen King (April 2, 1965June 17, 2012) was an African American man who was a victim of police brutality. On March 3, 1991, he was beaten by Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers during his arrest after a pursuit for driving whi ...

in his civil rights lawsuit against the

Los Angeles Police Department The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-large ...

and won $3.8 million against the

LAPD The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-large ...

. Since then, Burris has represented plaintiffs in a number of high-profile lawsuits against police departments across the state of California including the "

Oakland Riders ''Delphine Allen et al. v. City of Oakland'' (or the Riders Case or Riders Scandal) was a civil rights lawsuit in Federal District Court regarding police misconduct in Oakland, California which has resulted in ongoing Federal oversight. Plaintif ...

" case which settled for $10.9 million where a gang of Oakland officers were found to be planting evidence on citizens, which caused the federal government to investigate and oversee the

Oakland Police Department The Oakland Police Department (OPD) is a law enforcement agency responsible for policing the city of Oakland, California, United States. As of May 2021, the department employed 709 sworn officers and 371 civilian employees. The department is div ...

to this day. Recently, John Burris represented

Celeste Guap John Leonard Burris (born May 8, 1945) is an American civil rights attorney, based in Oakland, California, known for his work in police brutality cases representing plaintiffs. The John Burris law firm practices employment, criminal defense, DUI, ...

in her cases against

Northern California Northern California (colloquially known as NorCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. Spanning the state's northernmost 48 counties, its main population centers incl ...

Police Departments for a number of officers exploiting and having sex with her while she was underage. Mr. Burris won a $989,000 settlement for Ms. Guap against the Oakland Police Department whose officers also face criminal charges for their sexual misconduct with a minor. Mr. Burris won a $11.3 million judgment at trial against the

San Jose Police Department The San Jose Police Department (SJPD) is the police agency for San Jose, California. The San Jose Police Department is led by Chief of Police Anthony Mata. The department makes its calls for service available to the public; it is the first Am ...

, after an officer shot Hung Lam in the back causing him to become paralyzed. John Burris also represented Oscar Grant's mother in her lawsuit against

BART Police The BART Police (BARTPD), officially the Bay Area Rapid Transit Police Department, is the transit police agency of the BART rail system in the U.S. state of California. The department has approximately three hundred police personnel, including ov ...

which settled for $1.3 million, where

Bay Area Rapid Transit Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is a rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area in California. BART serves 50 stations along six routes on of rapid transit lines, including a spur line in eastern Contra Costa County which uses ...

Officer Johannes Mehserle shot the 22-year-old in the back while he was handcuffed on the

Fruitvale BART ''Fruitvale Station'' is a 2013 American biographical drama film written and directed by Ryan Coogler. It is Coogler's feature directorial debut and is based on the events leading to the death of Oscar Grant, a young man killed in 2009 by Bay A ...

train platform in

on New Year's Day in 2009. The facts of the case were later depicted in the movie "

Fruitvale Station ''Fruitvale Station'' is a 2013 American biographical drama film written and directed by Ryan Coogler. It is Coogler's feature directorial debut and is based on the events leading to the death of Oscar Grant, a young man killed in 2009 by Bay ...

" starring

Michael B. Jordan Michael Bakari Jordan (; born February 9, 1987) is an American actor. He is known for his film roles as shooting victim Oscar Grant in the drama ''Fruitvale Station'' (2013), boxer Adonis Creed in ''Creed'' (2015), and Erik Killmonger in ''Bl ...

, which won multiple film awards. Mr. Burris also represents Mario Woods' mother in her case against the San Francisco Police Department where a group of officers were captured on video shooting her son, Mario Woods, on December 2, 2015 that caused large protests throughout the Bay Area and ultimately resulted in the resignation of the SFPD Chief of Police Greg Suhr. Burris also has represented notable clients such as

Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the Li ...

Latrell Sprewell Latrell Fontaine Sprewell (born September 8, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Golden State Warriors, the New York Knicks, and the Minnesota Timberwolves in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Du ...

Gary Payton Gary Dwayne Payton Sr. (born July 23, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player who played the point guard position. Widely considered one of the greatest point guards of all time, he is best known for his 13-year tenure with t ...

Keyshawn Johnson Joseph Keyshawn Johnson (born July 22, 1972) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for eleven seasons. He played college football for the University of Southern Calif ...

and

Barry Bonds Barry Lamar Bonds (born July 24, 1964) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Bonds was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1986 to 1992 and the San Francisco Giants f ...

Early life and education

Burris was born in May 1945 in

Vallejo, California Vallejo ( ; ) is a city in Solano County, California and the second largest city in the North Bay region of the Bay Area. Located on the shores of San Pablo Bay, the city had a population of 126,090 at the 2020 census. Vallejo is home to the ...

. He graduated from Vallejo High School in 1963. He attended

Solano Community College Solano Community College (SCC) is a public community college in Fairfield, California, with additional centers in Vacaville and Vallejo. The college is part of California Community Colleges System. SCC's service area includes all of Solano Coun ...

in the mid-1960s and later earned a bachelor's degree in accounting from

Golden Gate University Golden Gate University (GGU or Golden Gate) is a private university in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1901, GGU specializes in educating professionals through its schools of law, business, taxation, and accounting. The university offers s ...

. Burris graduated from UC Berkeley Graduate School of Business (MBA) in 1970 and

UC Berkeley School of Law The University of California, Berkeley, School of Law (commonly known as Berkeley Law or UC Berkeley School of Law) is the law school of the University of California, Berkeley, a public research university in Berkeley, California. It is one of 1 ...

in 1973 with a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

degree. He worked for Chicago law firm

Jenner & Block Jenner & Block is an American law firm with offices in Chicago, London, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. The firm is active in corporate litigation, business transactions, the public sector, and other legal fields. ...

immediately after law school, and went on to become a member of the

California Bar The State Bar of California is California's official attorney licensing agency. It is responsible for managing the admission of lawyers to the practice of law, investigating complaints of professional misconduct, prescribing appropriate disciplin ...

in 1976.

Career

Burris's work in police brutality cases began in 1979 when he was an investigator in the district attorney's office working on the case of the killing of 14-year-old Melvin Black. Burris's 1999 book, ''Blue vs. Black'', is about the problem of police brutality against African-Americans. Burris "has earned millions of dollars" in filing hundreds of police brutality and high-profile lawsuits, including a $3.8 million verdict for

and a $42,000 settlement in a suit brought on behalf of

Rodney King civil trial

Burris's practice grew notably when he represented Rodney King in his civil rights lawsuit against the

and won $3.8 million against the

Oakland Riders Case

Burris has represented plaintiffs in a number of high-profile lawsuits against police departments across the state of California including the "

" case which settled for $10.9 million where a gang of Oakland officers were found to be planting evidence on citizens, which caused the federal government to investigate and oversee the

to this day.

Oscar Grant Case

John Burris also represented Oscar Grant's mother in her lawsuit against

Bart Police The BART Police (BARTPD), officially the Bay Area Rapid Transit Police Department, is the transit police agency of the BART rail system in the U.S. state of California. The department has approximately three hundred police personnel, including ov ...

which settled for $1.3 million, where

Officer Mehserle infamously shot 22-year-old in the back while he was handcuffed on the

train platform in

on New Year's Day in 2009. The facts of the case were later depicted in the movie "

" starring

, which won multiple film awards.

Barry Bonds

John Burris represented

Mario Woods

Burris represented Mario Woods' mother in her case against the San Francisco Police Department where a group of officers were captured on video shooting her son, Mario Woods, on December 2, 2015 that caused large protests throughout the Bay Area and ultimately resulted in the resignation of the SFPD Chief of Police Greg Suhr.

Celeste Guap

Recently, John Burris represented Celeste Guap (also known as Jasmine Abuslin) in her cases against

Police Departments for a number of officers exploiting and sexually assaulting her when she was underage. Mr. Burris won a $989,000 settlement for Ms. Guap against the Oakland Police Department whose officers also face criminal charges for their sexual misconduct with a minor.

Brandon T.

In 1996, Burris defended

pro bono ( en, 'for the public good'), usually shortened to , is a Latin phrase for professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment. In the United States, the term typically refers to provision of legal services by legal professionals for pe ...

Brandon T., a six-year-old

Richmond, California Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was municipal corporation, incorporated on August 7, 1905, and has a Richmond, California City Council, city council.

boy accused of and prosecuted for

attempted murder Attempted murder is a crime of attempt in various jurisdictions. Canada Section 239 of the ''Criminal Code'' makes attempted murder punishable by a maximum of life imprisonment. If a gun is used, the minimum sentence is four, five or seven ye ...

of an infant, in a crime that made national news.

Agustin Gonsalez

In March 2021, Burris and his associate Ben Nisenbaum announced a $3.3 million settlement of a lawsuit against the city of

Hayward, California Hayward () is a city located in Alameda County, California in the East Bay subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of 162,954 as of 2020, Hayward is the sixth largest city in the Bay Area and the third largest in Alameda Coun ...

. Burris represented the family of Agustin Gonsalez, who was shot to death by two Hayward police officers in 2018. The officers were responding to a call reporting that a man was threatening people with a knife. The officers killed Gonzalez, and then discovered that he was carrying a small safety razor. He had 14 bullet wounds. Gonzalez, 29, was an employee of

Tesla, Inc. Tesla, Inc. ( or ) is an American multinational automotive and clean energy company headquartered in Austin, Texas. Tesla designs and manufactures electric vehicles (electric cars and trucks), battery energy storage from home to grid- ...

, and had two children. His family reported that he was undergoing a mental health crisis.

Personal life

Burris is married to Cheryl Amana-Burris, a law professor at

North Carolina Central University North Carolina Central University (NCCU or NC Central) is a public historically black university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by James E. Shepard in affiliation with the Chautauqua movement in 1909, it was supported by private funds from b ...

. and lives in

Oakland Hills, Oakland, California Oakland Hills is an informal term used to indicate the city neighborhoods lying within the eastern portion of Oakland, California. The northernmost neighborhoods were devastated by the Oakland firestorm of 1991. Geography The geologic feat ...

Awards and honors

* Dr. Huey P. Newton Trail Blazer & Legacy Award Keepers of our Culture June 2018 * Mount Zion Baptist Church **** Scholarship Foundation Education and Community Service Award: ''In Recognition of your Indelible Contributions, Dedication, and Commitment to Working with the people in the Bay Area'' June 2018 * Love Not Blood Campaign Unsung Hero 2017 * Victoria Consistory #25 Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry; ''For your Consistent and Outstanding Contributions you have made to the Oakland Community throughout the years. You have helped bring light where there was darkness and truth where it was hidden from the helpless. –'' June 2017 * The National Bar Association Hall of Fame Inductee 2017 * California Legislative Black Caucus Civil Rights Leadership Award January 2017 * The Global Directory of Who's Who Top Lawyer Lifetime Member – In Recognition of Hard Work, Dedication, and Contributions to the Legal Profession 2016 * NATIONAL “40” ASSEMBLY of THE LINKS’ CO -FOUNDER’S AWARD, June 2016 * Eddie Walker Foundation's Life Time Achievement Award for Social Justice, June, 2016, Oakland * The Bishop Richard Allen Award for Excellence in Social Justice; in recognition of continuous service for Justice, Freedom and Equality; presented by the Methodist AME Church for the 5th Episcopal District 2016 * Parks Chapel AME Church's Community Service Award, February 2016, Oakland, *

Kappa Alpha Psi Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. () is a historically African American fraternity. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington, the fraternity has never restricted membership on the basis of color, creed ...

fraternity, Berkeley Alumni's Chapter,”Knowledge is Power-for Civil Rights Advocacy and Community Service Award” January 2016 * The Saint Leo School “The Great Hero Award” , June 2015, Oakland * National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys—2015 Nationally Ranked top 10 attorney Award * Empire “the Battle of the Bay, San Francisco For Inspirational message as the Keynote speaker – 2015 * San Mateo Bar Association, — Community Service Award, Redwood City, Oct. 2015 * Sun Reporter, Talented 25 Selection, December 2015, San Francisco Ca * Merritt College’s Presidents Excellence Award June 2011 * Charles Houston’s Hall of Fame award Dec. 2015 – ''In appreciation of his years of service in the struggle for social justice.'' * National Bar Association Vince Monroe Townsend Legacy Award, July 2015 * National Lawyers Guild, San Francisco Chapter’s Champion of Justice Award, March 2015 * John F. Kennedy University Black Law Students Association 2013 * Legal Leader San Francisco Top Rated Lawyers of 2013 * San Francisco Chronicle Profile “Powerhouse Behind Police Reform, September 2012 * Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Western Province, Keynote Speaker Appreciation Award, Berkeley Alumni Chapter, 65th Western Province Council 2012 * EMPIRE COLLEGE SCHOOL OF LAW, given as Token Appreciation for law School Commencement Address for class of 2012 * Merritt College President’s Excellence Award; ''For Your Inspiration, Generous commitment of Time, and Support to Our Endeavors'' 2011 * Southern University Law Center 1983 Actions SULC 2011 * National Bar Association’s Heman Marion Sweatt Award for excellence in the legal profession, March 2011 * Golden Gate University ‘ Profile in Prominence 2011 * Solano County's Council of Negro Women Achievement Award February 2011 * Solano Community college: Living the Dream Achievement Award, 2011 * National Council of Negro Women, Inc. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Breakfast 2011 * San Francisco Daily Journal's Top 100 Leading “Lawyers in California, 2009 * National Bar Association's C. Francis Stradford Award: ''the highest award given by the association for inspiration, and contribution to the legal profession'' * 100 Black Men Achievement Award Bay Area- Lifetime Achievement (December 2008) * California Association of Equal Rights Professionals (June 2008) * North Carolina Achievement Award For Justice Presented By The American Justice Association (June 2008) * Arthur A. Fletcher Lifetime Achievement Award (July 2008) * Keeper of the Torch Award, by Oakland-based Community Groups (September 2006) * Courage Award, by the Civil Rights Concert Series (October 2007) * Top 100 Influential Lawyers in California, by California Daily Journal (September 2005) * 9th Congressional District Resolution for Achievement as Civil Rights Lawyer and Community Service on 60th birthday, (June 2005) * Tribute on 60th birthday from the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, for outstanding contribution to legal community of Alameda County (June 2005) * 16th Assembly District Resolution on 60th birthday for Outstanding Contribution to the Legal Profession in the State of California. (June 2005) * Certificate of Appreciation, HUD- Regional Office, Keynote Speaker at Black History Celebration, (February 2004) * Clinton White Outstanding Trial Advocacy Award, Charles Houston Bar Association, (December 2003) * 2003 Peace and Justice Award, California State University- Center for African Peace and Conflict Resolution (May 2003) * The Black American Writer's Scholarship Role Model Peace Award, O’town Passion Community Services, Inc. (2003) * Local Hero Award, PUEBLO Annual Dinner (2001) * Moot court trial attorney Stanford University (1996 – present) * Hasting College of Law Trial Advocacy Program (1980 – present) * Member, Oakland Municipal Court, Pro tem, 1993 Member: Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Presently, board Member, National Police Accountability Project President, California Association of Black Lawyers, 1979-1980 * Charles Houston Bar Association, President, 1979-1980

Recent Presentations

* Chapman college Law School, National Justice Symposium, Status of Policing in California, Orange * National Bar Association seminar”Police Litigation: Recognizing and bringing Section 1983 cases”, panelist; St. Louis, Mo, July 2016 * Ninth Circuit Annual Conference,”Ferguson and Where Do We Go From Here” Panelist; Big Sky, Montana July 2016 * Podcast, Police Brutality in This Golden State by this Golden State, Randy Shandobil, June 2016 * Empire National Mock Trials Honors, Keynote speaker, San Francisco, Ca November 2015

References

External links

John Burris Law firm Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burris, John American civil rights lawyers Golden Gate University alumni UC Berkeley School of Law alumni Living people Lawyers from Oakland, California Police brutality in the United States 1945 births Activists from California People associated with Jenner & Block