Hon. Maria P. Rivera (Ret.)
First District Court of Appeal

Experiences

About:

Hon. Maria Rivera (Ret.) joined ADR Services, Inc. in 2018 after spending over two decades on the Courts, where she earned a reputation for being a highly accomplished, intelligent, and fair jurist.

Justice Rivera attended law school as a scholarship student, and spent her summers in work-study programs at the San Francisco Neighborhood Legal Assistance Foundation (now Bay Area Legal Aid). She also completed an externship with California Supreme Court Justice Raymond Sullivan. After graduating first in her class, she went on to work at Morrison & Foerster for three years to develop commercial litigation experience. Thereafter, she worked in the Consumer Fraud Division of the District Attorney’s office and in the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s office in San Francisco before returning to private practice. Ultimately, she became a partner, and later of counsel at McCutchen Doyle Brown & Enersen.

Inspired by her dedication to community service and commitment to improving access to justice, Justice Rivera ran for and was elected to an open seat on the Contra Costa County Superior Court in 1996. As a Judge, Justice Rivera held assignments in the General Trial Department, Family Law, and the Civil Fast Track Division, where she adjudicated hundreds of matters in law and motion, presented by demurrer, motions to dismiss, motions to strike, Anti-SLAPP motions, and scores of motions for summary judgment and summary adjudication. She was appointed to the California Court of Appeal in 2002.