Freidin, Philip

Mr. Adante D. Pointer is an associate attorney with the Law Offices of John L. Burris.  He primarily practices in the area of civil rights litigation, specializing in representing victims of police abuse.  In addition, he fights to recover funds on behalf of clients that have suffered catastrophic personal injuries due to the negligent or intentional conduct of others.  Mr. Pointer also regularly provides aggressive criminal defense on behalf of clients facing serious criminal charges in courts throughout the Bay Area.

Mr. Pointer received his law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in 2003.  Mr. Pointer received a Bachelors of Science Degree in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley in 1999.  While at Berkeley, he earned high academic honors and was selected to be a National Golden Key Merit Scholar.

In November of 2007, Mr. Pointer secured a $6 Million jury verdict against the City of Oakland in federal court. (Smith, et al. v. City of Oakland, et al. USDC Case No.: C-0504045).  In that case, Mr. Pointer and his associate, Mr. Ben Nisenbaum brought a federal civil rights suit against two decorated police officers for falsely arresting their clients. 

In a separate matter, Mr. Pointer successfully resolved a case for $750,000 on behalf of mentally impaired client that was excessively tazed and made to lay down on scalding hot pavement resulting in severe burns to over 30% of his body. In yet another case, Mr. Pointer recovered nearly $200,000 on behalf of a 70 year-old military veteran that was beaten by Santa Clara County Sheriff's Deputies at San Jose County Main Jail.  In addition to the aforementioned cases, Mr. Pointer has participated in the successful civil defense of NBA star Gary Payton and NFL star Keyshawn Johnson.

Mr. Pointer is the recipient of numerous awards and honors. He was recently featured in the February 2008 Ebony Magazine article entitled 30 On The Rise wherein the venerable magazine identified 30 young leaders from across the country who have delivered extraordinary results and demonstrated true leadership.  In 2006, the Congressional Black Caucus recognized him as a CBC Emerging Leader at their Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, DC.

Mr. Pointer's legal insights and social commentary are frequently publicized.  He has been quoted by the San Francisco Chronicle, Oakland Tribune, Oakland Post and San Francisco Bayview Newspapers.  He currently co-hosts a bi-weekly cable television show entitled Legally Speaking with John Burris.  He and Mr. Burris share their legal analysis and commentary on the political and legal ramifications of local, national and international events. 

Mr. Pointer is a native of Oakland and the proud father of his daughter, Deja Pointer.  He currently volunteers as a judge for his alma mater Berkeley High School where he presides over the school's Student Court as a judge adjudicating student-life related controversies.