Joseph T. Rivera Jr. is a partner in the New York office of GRSM 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.  Joseph also serves as an Adjunct Professor of Trial Advocacy at his alma mater, Fordham University Law School.  As a litigator, Joseph 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, Joseph 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, Joseph 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, Joseph 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, Joseph 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, Joseph 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.

Admissions

• New York
• New Jersey
• U.S. District Court, Northern and Western Districts of New York
• U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey

Memberships

• Hispanic National Bar Association, Region II Deputy Regional President
• La Unidad Latina Law Guild, Co-Chair
• Fordham Law Alumni Attorneys of Color Committee, Member
• Fordham Law LALSA Alumni Advisory Committee, Member
• Tufts Lawyer’s Association, National Board Member
• Regis High School Bar Association
• GRSM National Hispanic Affinity Group, Co-Chair