Area of Practice: Torts and Products Liability Law Joseph T. Rivera Jr. is a partner in the New York office of Gordon & Rees and a member of the Products & General Liability practice group. He has extensive experience handling complex litigation in the areas of product liability, special education and criminal litigation. Mr. Rivera also serves as an Adjunct Professor of Trial Advocacy at his alma mater, Fordham University Law School. As a litigator, Mr. Rivera has negotiated favorable outcomes on behalf of his clients prior to and during litigation and has achieved favorable verdicts through bench and jury trials. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Rivera worked for the New York City Department of Education, Office of the General Counsel, in the special education unit, where he defended the Department at numerous Carter/Connor administrative hearings regarding alleged violations of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. In this role, Mr. Rivera successfully negotiated hundreds of favorable outcomes for the Department. Before that, he served as an Assistant District Attorney at the Bronx District Attorney’s Office where he was specially selected to be a member of the office’s Bias, Gun and Hate Crimes Units. Here, he successfully prosecuted hundreds of major felony cases including attempted murders, burglaries and robberies. In law school, Mr. Rivera gained experience in federal litigation through an internship with Judge Marilyn D. Go in the Eastern District of New York and participation in Fordham Law’s Federal Litigation Clinic. Through these roles, Mr. Rivera represented a cooperating witness in a political corruption case, argued before the Second Circuit and drafted multiple decisions on behalf of Judge Go. During law school, Mr. Rivera was elected as Co-President of the Latin American Law Students Association (LALSA) where he was able to meet Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and organize numerous programs and events aimed at preparing his fellow law students for legal practice. He also founded a legal networking group while in law school, the La Unidad Latina Law Guild, for which he still currently serves as Co-Chair.

Bruce Rivers appears regularly in both federal and state courts. He is acquainted with most of the federal judges and magistrates. Aside from work in Hennepin County and the metro area, he has had a significant number of cases and trials in outstate Minnesota. Bruce Rivers has handled over 2,000 criminal cases. His experience includes trials and plea negotiations at both the state and federal levels. Bruce Rivers has achieved acquittals on cases ranging from DWI to first, second and third degree murder. He has also handled white collar and high profile cases requiring unique judgment and experience. He has represented lawyers in tough situations. Lawyers from all different types of firms feel very comfortable referring clients to his firm.

Brett Rivkind is a leading national renowned maritime personal injury and wrongful death attorney. He has been handling Maritime/Admiralty cases for over 25 years. After graduating from the University of Florida College of Law with honors, and being selected to the Florida Chapter of the Order of the Coif based on being in the top five percent of his graduating class, Brett Rivkind started his career at a large maritime firm, where he handled cases on the defense side. Within the first five years of handling hundreds of maritime and personal injury cases involving the cruise ship industry, Brett Rivkind decided he wanted to help the victims of accidents and crimes, and decided to represent only the victims in maritime and personal injury cases. Since leaving the defense side, Mr. Rivkind has only represented individuals or families who have been the victims of crimes and accidents onboard all types of boats and ships, focusing mainly on incidents occurring aboard passenger cruise ships.

Greg aggressively fights for the well-being of our clients, making sure they receive what they are entitled to after their life has been altered because of someone’s negligence. He is passionate about being a voice for injury and wrongful death victims, making sure that insurance companies and others don’t bully or overlook them. By recovering the funds injured victims are entitled to, he ensures medical care is paid for so that injured victims can focus on getting well, and can start to feel hopeful for their future again. Greg Rizio is one of the most successful and influential personal injury lawyers in California. This is particularly the case in Riverside, San Bernardino, and Orange Counties where his cases have resulted in record-breaking verdicts and recoveries for clients. His most recent success was a jury trial verdict of nearly $58 Million in Riverside Superior Court. It was the largest ever plaintiff’s verdict in Riverside County, the #1 verdict in the State of California, and the 10th largest verdict nationally in 2014. As a result, Mr. Rizio was awarded the industry’s “Litigator’s Award,” which is given only to the top 1% of attorneys nationwide. The Inland Empire Bar Association has also awarded him “Attorney of the Year,” and the California Association of Consumer Attorneys awarded him as California’s “Trial Lawyer of the Year” for 2015. He received his BA degree from Point Loma Nazarene University, San Diego in 1988 and earned his JD at California Western School of Law, San Diego, in 1991. Mr. Rizio worked for the San Diego District Attorney’s office from 1991-1992 as a Deputy District Attorney Pro Tem, in the Major Drug Division.