Surisa Evelyn Rivers

Surisa Evelyn Rivers

4.7
Rating: 7.8

Licensed for 22 years

Education Lawyer at La Crescenta, CA
Practice Areas: Education, Discrimination

2600 Foothill Blvd, Suite 203, La Crescenta, CA

About Surisa

Biography

Practice Areas

2

Practice Areas

Education 90%

Special Education Law - assisting students with disabilities obtain the needed educational programming and services

22 years

90%
Discrimination 10%

Disability related discrimination cases

19 years

10%

Fees and Rates

Cost

Free Consultation

$0 first 30 minutes

Pro bono

100 %


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Licenses

Licensed in California for 18 years

State: California

Acquired: 2007

Active

No misconduct found

Licensed in Pennsylvania for 22 years

State: Pennsylvania

Acquired: 2004

Administrative Suspension

No misconduct found

Licensed in New Jersey for 22 years

State: New Jersey

Acquired: 2003

License Administratively Revoked

No misconduct found

Location

Surisa Rivers Law Office

2600 Foothill Blvd, Suite 203, La Crescenta, CA, 91214

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Surisa Evelyn Rivers's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

4.7 /5.0

13 Client Reviews

Filter Avvo Reviews (13) Refine reviews to match your needs. Use the filters to quickly surface reviews that align with your case or priorities.

Showing 6 - 10 of 13 reviews

Posted by anonymous | October 26, 2018 | Hired Attorney

Was disappointed with service.

I can tell you not to expect her to follow-up for further assistance; once she gets paid, she's done. She will also side with the district during negotiations. Wow, really.

Surisa Rivers

Replied last October 26, 2018

First, I would like to thank you for expressing your experience. I'm very sorry to hear that you felt my office did not provide enough support after your case was settled. My office is unique in that we do agree to provide some follow up after a settlement agreement (without any additional cost to the parents), which most other special education attorneys will not do without additional payment. Although you have posted anonymously and I do not know any details of your child's case, I do want to share that our office's commitment is to advocate for the best services for students with disabilities. Sometimes, however, we are limited in our abilities based on the facts and the law of the case. With that said, Rivers Law, Inc. will never take a school district's side over one of our clients. We do our best to achieve a settlement that is best for the student and that allows the family to move forward in working together with the District. If you would like to further discuss your experience with my firm or need additional help with your child, please do not hesitate to contact me. Sincerely, Surisa Rivers

Posted by Leila A Barrera | October 25, 2018 | Hired Attorney | Education

Excelente abogada

Es una muy buena abogada , tiene muy buena comunicación , siempre se preocupa por el bienestar de sus clientes , tiene mucho conocimiento de las leyes de educación especial y tiene mucha experiencia , Y refleja mucha confianza de si misma y seguridad para resolver un caso . La felicito mucho es u...na exelente abogado y también felicito a todo su equipo que trabaja con ella . También tiene una exelente comunicación todo su equipo . My experiencia fue excelente

Posted by Paul | April 03, 2017 | Hired Attorney | Education

Great Experience

We contacted Ms. Rivers to assist us in getting our high school-aged daughter qualified for special education and comp-ed time to make up for the lack of help that the district failed to provide to her over the years. Ms. Rivers reviewed our information, provided excellent guidance, filed the necessa...ry paperwork to get the district moving in the right direction, and attended the IEP meeting with us to get what was needed for our daughter. Our prior attempts without her ended in a great deal of frustration for our family. I highly recommend retaining Ms. Rivers, and for many districts, retaining an attorney such as Ms. Rivers is the only way to get fair representation in the special education arena.

Posted by anonymous | July 07, 2015 | Education

Look No Further. Hire Surisa Rivers

I recently hired Surisa Rivers to help me with a case regarding my daughter's need for accommodation at a private school and to help us attain a contract for next year (which they were denying based on my daughter's ADHD. Ms. Rivers was an amazing advocate for us and she handled the situation profes...sionally, thoroughly and with compassion. She was very upfront about her time constraints (for example, if she would be in court for 3 days in hearings and wouldn't be able to respond to me, she let me know) so I wouldn't be in the dark about why I might not hear from her. She did her research, was articulate and was very thorough in her research of precedent to help support my case. Many lawyers won't take on a case against a private school but Surisa believed in our case and was a great support during a stressful time. It only took one letter for her to get the school to agree to our demands, that is how good the one letter was. I highly recommend that if you have an educational issue that requires a lawyer, you hire Surisa Rivers.

Posted by Tanies | September 29, 2014 | Education

Autistic child finally received necessary services

Our autistic son was denied necessary services by his school to help promote his learning. We contacted Surisa Rivers Law Firm. The lead attorney in our son's case was Ms Sarah Gross. Sarah and Surisa listened to our complaints of the school and how our son was treated. Sarah reviewed our son's r...ecords and initiated the Due Process proceedings. In our first and only meeting with the school, they wanted this case settled. Our attorney negotiated with the school which resulted in our son receiving the necessary services immediately. Sarah and Surisa were well versed in special education law, worked very hard resulting in our son now receiving the necessary services to promote his learning. We would recommend this law firm to all who need to deal with the school regarding their children with special needs. We are very satisfied with the attorneys, Sarah and Surisa, as they explained the law to us, kept us informed every step of the way, and were very understanding.

See All Client Reviews

Surisa Evelyn Rivers's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Surisa
David Ward German headshot
David German

Education lawyer | May 29

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"Surisa is one of the most accomplished special education attorneys in California. She cares deeply for her clients and obtains excellent results. I have had the opportunity to co-counsel with her on several matters and I highly endorse her."

Christopher Hans Knauf headshot
Christopher Knauf

Education lawyer | Oct 07

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"Surisa is an excellent, caring attorney, who honestly evaluates difficult cases, and represents her clients with tenacity, experience, and compassion. I am proud to work cases with her and practice in the same field."

William Ryan McLaughlin headshot
William McLaughlin

Unknown lawyer | Oct 13

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Surisa Rivers cares deeply about her clients, and she has exceptional knowledge of education law. Highly recommended."

View All Endorsements
William Ryan McLaughlin headshot
William McLaughlin

Bankruptcy and debt lawyer

Experience

Rating:  7.8 (Very Good)

Honors

2003

Blaine Capehart Award for Legal Writing Excellence, Rutgers School of Law

2003

Pro bono Award, Rutgers School of Law

Work Experience

2013 - Present

Attorney, Surisa Rivers Law Office

2010 - 2013

Attorney, Disability Rights Legal Center

2008 - 2010

Attorney, Martin & Martin, LLP

2007 - 2008

Attorney, Litchfield Cavo, LLP

2004 - 2006

Attorney, Legal Clinic for the Disabled

2003 - 2004

Law Clerk, Law Clerk, Hon. Angelo DiCamillo

Associations

2004 - Present

American Bar Association

2008 - 2015

Theatre of Hearts / Youth First

Treasurer

Education

2003

Rutgers University School of Law

JD - Juris Doctor

1994

Pepperdine University

BA - Bachelor of Arts

Speaking Engagements

Publications

Languages

Spanish

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