Robert Rivera graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton in 2009. Thereafter, he attended the University of North Carolina School of Law in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, a top 25 law school in the country, in 2010. There, he was the President of the Hispanic/Latino Law Student Association, Vice President of the Julius L. Chambers Civil Rights Appellate Advocacy Moot Court Team and was awarded “Best Brief” in the William B. Aycock Intraschool Moot Competition. Additionally, Attorney Rivera assisted those in rural North Carolina in drafting Simple Wills, Living Wills, Power of Attorneys and Health Care Power of Attorney for indigent clients. Attorney Rivera’s litigation experience began in 2009, prior to law school, when he interned with Attorney Jeffrey Cario wherein he attended and viewed mediations, court hearings and trials in Family Court. Next, in 2011 he participated in the UNC Juvenile Justice Clinic where he defended juveniles in criminal court proceedings. He interned with esteemed New York criminal defense attorney Deron Castro in 2012. He also interned with Attorney John Pendergrass until 2013 assisting clients in obtaining their unemployment benefits. After law school, Robert Rivera was hired at the State Attorney’s Office in Kissimmee, Florida wherein he prosecuted criminal matters in juvenile criminal court. There, Attorney Rivera attended hearings and trials and was in front of a Judge every single day. After a year at the State Attorney’s Office, Robert Rivera moved to Miami, Florida with his eventual wife. There, Robert Rivera was fortunate to be hired by The Law Office of Richard E. Zaldivar in 2015 where he fought for injured workers seeking their Workers’ Compensation benefits for six years. In that time, Robert Rivera handled hundreds of depositions, attended an array of hearings, negotiated numerous settlements, and has fought and won many trials. Attorney Rivera has a continued passion for litigation, the practice of law, and above all, for helping injured people.

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.