John L. Burris

The Cochran Firm, with 21 locations nationwide

John L. Burris is best known for his work in the area of civil rights. Primary areas of focus for his practice include cases involving police misconduct, employment discrimination and criminal defense. He was named one of the top 100 most influential Attorneys in the State of California by the Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journal in 2005. In June 2005 he was featured as "Oakland's Johnnie Cochran" by the San Francisco Chronicle Sunday Magazine. In 1995 the readers of the Oakland Tribune voted him the "Best Attorney from the Valley to the Bay". In 1994, the City of Oakland proclaimed June 23 as "John Burris Day".

He represented Rodney King in his civil suit against the Los Angeles County Police Department. He represented 119 plaintiffs in their class action lawsuit against the Oakland Police Department known as the "Riders" case which resulted in a multi-million dollar settlement and a Consent Decree placing the Oakland Police Department under a court monitor for 5 years. His high profile cases have also included entertainers, athletes and public officials. Among them rap artist Tupac Shakur, actor Delroy Lindo, singer/musician Dwayne Wiggins, NFL player Keyshawn Johnson, NBA players Gary Payton, Jason Kidd and Latrell Sprewell, Sports Agent Aaron Goodwin and Earl Sanders the former Chief of Police of San Francisco. He likewise was a major participant in two large toxic tort cases as well as a successful class action case against a large delivery company.

In 1999, Attorney Burris wrote a book, BLUE vs. BLACK: Let's End the Conflict Between Police and Minorities. Aside from telling the stories of conflicts between police and community, the book offered a blueprint for fostering better relations between police and minorities. Many of the ideas were used by Burris as a background in developing the reforms in the landmark settlement in the Oakland Riders' litigation in 2003.

Attorney Burris is familiar as a legal analyst on Fox, MSNBC, Court TV, CNN and many local television and radio stations. He figured most prominently as an analyst during the OJ Simpson trials. He has appeared prominently in news articles in the New York Times, USA Today, Los Angles Times, and locally in the Oakland Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury, Contra Costa times and others.

He is active in the Dwight D. Eisenhower People to People Ambassador Program. As a delegate with other criminal defense lawyers he visited Athens, Florence, Rome, and Barcelona. He has also visited Mainland China as an employment delegate.

He has made presentations before numerous bar associations including the Charles Houston Bar Association, California Association of Black Lawyers, American Bar Association, National Bar Association, American Trial Lawyers Association, and the National Lawyers Guild. Nationwide he is frequently requested as a speaker on the issues of police misconduct, the criminal justice system, trial practice, and other legal matters of interest. He has been a keynote speaker or panelist at hundreds of events such as The National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives regional training conference, U.S. Department of Justice FBI section's conference on FBI corruption/Civil Rights at Quantico, U.S. Department of Justice, Community Relations Service section's national staff meeting and the National Association of Black Police Officers Conference.

Throughout his career Burris has been the recipient of numerous awards, and distinctions. In addition to those mentioned previously, a partial list of others is listed as follows: In 2003, he was the recipient of the Clinton White Award for Outstanding Advocacy presented by the Charles Houston Bar Association. In 2004, he was awarded the Scout Award, presented by the San Francisco Bay Area Boy Scouts of American. In 1994, the City of Oakland proclaimed June 23 as John Burris Day. In 1986, Mr. Burris was the recipient of the Charles Houston Bar Association's Outstanding Trial Attorney Award for his civil rights accomplishments. In 1989, he won the California Association of Black Lawyer's Lorn2 Miller Outstanding Lawyer for Civil Rights Award and in 1992, Mr. Burris was awarded the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Bay Area Chapter Pro Bono Award. In 1998, he received the California Community College Distinguished Alumni Award, as well as the Solano Community College Alumnus of the Year Award. In 1999, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority honored him for his community service. In 2001, was honored as a "Local Hero" by PEUBLO, a local Oakland Civil Rights community group

Born and raised in Vallejo, California, he obtained a Bachelor of Science (B. S.) in accounting from Golden Gate University, a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from U. C. Berkeley Graduate School of Business and a law degree from UC Berkeley School of Law - Boalt Hall in 1973. He is married to Law School Professor, Cheryl Amana Burris, who teaches at North Carolina Central University.

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