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General Biography
Practice Areas
Estate Probate Trusts
Family Law
Higher Education & Title IX
Real Property
Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities
Background and Education
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
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
This page is for general information purposes. JAMS makes no representations or warranties regarding its accuracy or completeness. Interested persons should conduct their own research regarding information on this website before deciding to use JAMS, including investigation and research of JAMS neutrals. See More
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