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.He briefly represented Rodney King in his suit against the Los Angeles Police Department and is most recently noted for filing a civil suit over the BART Police shooting of Oscar Grant. Burris also represented controversial basketball star Latrell Sprewell. Burris has appeared as a legal commentator on MSNBC, CNN, and other cable and local television networks.