John A. Burke serves as Supervising Deputy City Attorney in the General & Complex Litigation division. He handles and supervises the defense of the City in a variety of litigated matters including inverse condemnation, wrongful death, personal injury, wrongful termination cases and lawsuits alleging statutory or constitutional violations. Before joining the City Attorney’s Office in 2022, Mr. Burke spent more than 30 years in private practice litigating and trying cases, including the last 15 years at Bishop | Barry, PC in Emeryville, where he managed the firm’s complex litigation and general liability trial team.
Mr. Burke has a BS with honors in Biochemistry from San Francisco State University and a JD with honors from the University of San Francisco School of Law.
City Attorney Barbara J. Parker releases a periodic newsletter in which she provides updates about the work of the Office of the City Attorney as well as reflections on current local, statewide, and national legal topics of importance to Oakland residents.