Hon. Elizabeth Loredo Rivera (Ret.) joins the family law, and higher education and Title IX JAMS practice in Chicago after 24 years of distinguished service on the bench in the Circuit Court of Cook County. Judge Loredo Rivera presided over a trial calendar in the Domestic Relations Division from 2002 until 2022, as well as a post-decree calendar in the same division from 2000 to 2002. She also served in the Juvenile Justice and Child Protection Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County. Judge Loredo Rivera has wide-ranging experience working in all areas of family law, having presided over thousands of trials, hearings and motions. 

The most rewarding aspect of Judge Loredo Rivera’s judicial career was helping the vast majority of trial litigants who appeared before her, reach settlements. The litigants thus avoided the cost and uncertainty of a trial. She did this both in person, and over remote court calls, and Judge Loredo Rivera is also experienced in working with unrepresented parties. 

Prior to her appointment to the bench, Judge Loredo Rivera served in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office as Deputy Chief of the Sex Crimes Prosecution Division, Deputy Director of the Community Prosecutions Division, and several other positions. For many years she conducted training presentations for universities, police departments, and civic organizations on legal proceedings and the law.

As a judge on a domestic relations calendar for over 20 years, Judge Loredo Rivera has extensive judicial and settlement experience in several areas, including:

• Abuse/neglect
• Attorneys’ fees, interim fees and sanctions
• Allocation of parental responsibilities (custody)
• Allocation of parenting time (visitation)
• Bad faith litigation
• College contribution
• Domestic and Interpersonal Violence
• Disputes regarding the safety of minors, including those with special needs
• Disputes about parenting styles
• Distribution of assets and allocation of debts
• Double counting
• Duty of both parties to mitigate damage to the marital estate
• Enforcement proceedings
• Enrollment of foreign judgments
• Equitable remedies: reformation/unjust enrichment/constructive trusts
• Expert witnesses; business valuations, lifestyle, ability to parent, forensic accounting
• Grandparent Visitation
• Imputing income
• Marital and nonmarital estate issues
• Maintenance and reviews of maintenance
• Marital and nonmarital estate issues
• Mortgage Foreclosure Issues
• Orders of protection and other remedies against violence, abuse and harassment
• Prenuptial/postnuptial agreements
• Post-decree proceedings
• Real Estate Disputes
• Reimbursement to non-marital estate
• Relocation of children 25 miles or more from their current home
• Reunification and termination of parental rights­­
• Setting/review of maintenance
• Support for adult disabled children
• Temporary Guardianship
• Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act
• Valuation of businesses

ADR Experience and Qualifications

• Settled vast majority of cases that appeared before her for trial, while on the bench in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois.
• Served as Neutral Evaluator for divorcing parties on a variety of related issues
• Worked with opposing counsel to reach agreed disposition in majority of cases, while in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.
• Worked cooperatively with advocacy groups and organizations regarding disputed policies, while in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office
• Comprehensive Mediation Certification, John Paul Jones Group for the Illinois Supreme Court

REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS

Judge Loredo Rivera has presided over or settled cases where allocation of parental responsibilities (custody), parenting time (visitation), or other issues are disputed because:

• One or both parents are alleged to have addiction issues
• Parents have disputes over religious upbringing of children, and adolescent child has yet another view
• Parents disagree on children’s school and type of education
• Parents have disputes about grandparents
• One parent is alleged to pose a risk of serious endangerment to the children
• Parents have unusual schedules or where one or both parents do extensive travelling for work
• One parent has previously abducted the children, and removed them to a foreign country
• One parent is alleged to be involved with paramour who may be dangerous to the children
• One parent has been convicted of criminal conduct against the other parent and the children
• One parent has made allegations of child abuse against the other parent
• One parent suffers from mental health issues
• Parties disagree as to whether money from a party’s parent during the marriage constitutes a gift or a loan
• Parties disagree on school choice for children with special needs
• Parties disagree on the valuation of closely held family businesses
• Parties disagree on property allocation
• Parties disagree on division of executive compensation
• Parties challenge enforcement of foreign judgments
• Parties challenge Motions to Vacate Marital Settlement Agreements
• Parties disagree on modifications of Allocation Judgments (Custody)
• Parties disagree on maintenance or modifications of maintenance
• Parties disagree on allocation of family debts
• Parties disagree on real estate issues

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

Memberships and Affiliations

• Member, Hispanic National Bar Association
• Member, Illinois Judges Association
• Member, Illinois Latino Judges Association
• Past Board Member, Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois
• Past Treasurer, Puerto Rican Bar Association of Illinois
• Past Member, Mexican Women’s Committee, Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum (now National Museum of Mexican Art)
• Past Board Member, Chicago Council on Urban Affairs
• Past Board Member, Illinois Center for Violence Prevention (ICVP)
• Past Director, Our Children In The Courts Foundation

Selected Talks

• Past Presentations and Guest Lectures at Universities and Police Departments:
• University of Illinois Police Department – Charging and Progression of Cases
• University of Illinois at Chicago – When Sexual Harassment Becomes a Crime
• Chicago Police Academy – Report Writing and Domestic Violence Cases.
• Illinois State Police – Case Progression
• Loyola University – Sexual Assault
• University of Illinois at Chicago Jane Adams College of Social Work - Family Violence and Case Progression
• University of Illinois at Chicago – Youth Leadership Conference, Violence
• Northwestern University Legal Clinic – Orders of Protection in Criminal Cases
• Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office (at Northwestern University) Speaker and Organizer of Prosecutors’ Training Program on “Domestic Violence: Policy, The Law, and Criminal Charges”
• John Marshall Law School (now UIC School of Law) – Panelist on International Conference on Sexual Orientation and the Law: Legal Aspects
• School of the Art Institute - Criminal Justice Process, Sexual Assault
• Creator and Presenter - American Bar Association Webinar: Family Crisis at the Gate: Mediate, Don’t Litigate. October 11, 2023
• Judge – Loyola University Chicago School of Law, International Academy of Dispute Resolution, International Law School Mediation Tournament, March 8, 2024 
• Panelist - Hispanic National Bar Association Webinar: Pathbreaking Latinas and Their Paths to the Bench November 2023
• Speaker - Circuit Court of Cook County, Hispanic National Heritage Month “Pursuing a Legal Career” 1999–2019
• Speaker - Circuit Court of Cook County Public Affairs: “Legal Careers” and “The Truth About the Practice of Law” (for visiting law school students and other groups), 2009–2019
• Speaker, Circuit Court of Cook County Public Affairs: “The Court System in Cook County Illinois and Illinois Law” (for visiting scholars and judge from Tsu District Court in Japan), 2014
• Speaker - American Bar Association’s Rule of Law Initiative: “Illinois Law on Dissolution of Marriage” at Circuit Court of Cook County, 2012
• Speaker - Illinois Judges Association “Seven Reasons to Leave the Party” (interactive presentation on risky behavior for youth) 2009–2014
• Panelist – Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education (IICLE): Divorce Boot Camp, 2008
• Speaker- John Marshall Law School (now UIC School of Law) “Practicing Law, Pitfalls and All” Chicago, Illinois
• Speaker – Chicago Bar Association: Violence Within Intimate Relationships: Orders of Protection, Contempt of Court, and other remedies.
• Panelist – Chicago Bar Association: Enforcement Issues in Co-parenting.
• Speaker – American Bar Association Annual Meeting: Violence in the Workplace
• Speaker, Illinois Judges Association: Legal Protection from Domestic Violence (at Chicagoland civic and religious organizations, and churches)
• Panelist – Chicago Council on Urban Affairs Public Forum: Mandatory Sentencing Laws
• Panelist - “Judicial Perspective” Chicago Cable Television: Divorce and Mortgage Foreclosure, Diversity in the Judiciary, Domestic Violence.
• Panelist - Office of the Illinois Attorney General: Stalking and Domestic Violence
• Panelist – Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault: North Regional Advanced Training on Domestic Violence
• Panelist – City of Chicago, Department of Health Conference: Domestic Violence
• Panelist – BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Assoc.): Stalking/Violence in the Workplace

Background and Education

• Judge, Circuit Court of Cook County, 1998–2022
• Domestic Relations Division, 2000–2022
• Trial Calendar, 2002–2022
• Post-Decree Calendar, 2000–2002
• Cook County Juvenile Center, 1998–2000
• Child Protection Division, 1998–2000
• Assistant State’s Attorney, Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office
• Executive Staff
• Deputy Director, Community Prosecutions Division, Family Issues Coordinator
• Criminal Prosecution Division
• Deputy Chief, Sex Crimes Prosecution Division
• First Chair, Felony Trial Division
• First Chair, Night Narcotics Division
• Trial Supervisor, Felony Review Division
• J.D., John Marshall Law School (University of Illinois Chicago School of Law)
• B.A. University of Illinois
• Comprehensive Mediation Certification, John Paul Jones Group for the Illinois Supreme Court