Civil Rights Litigation Program
Surisa Rivers, Esq., Litigation Attorney
Surisa Rivers is a litigation attorney with the Disability Rights Legal Center’s Civil Rights Litigation Program. Ms. Rivers’ practice focuses on high-impact cases affecting the rights of persons with disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act, Rehabilitation Act, and California law. Prior to joining DRLC, Ms. Rivers practiced with Martin & Martin, LLP where she represented both plaintiffs and defendants in a broad range of matters, including employment discrimination, fraud, business torts, and premises liability.
Ms. Rivers received her undergraduate degree cum laude from Pepperdine University in 1994 and her juris doctorate from Rutgers University School of Law in 2003, graduating with honors. She is admitted to practice in California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the U.S. District Courts for the Central District of California and Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
In law school, Ms. Rivers co-founded Rutgers Journal of Law and Public Policy and received the law school’s top 3L writing award. After graduating, she served as a law clerk for the Honorable Angelo DiCamillo, New Jersey Superior Court. Following her clerkship, she was awarded a two-year Independence Foundation Public Interest Fellowship and developed a special education project to represent low-income children with disabilities and their parents.