Overview

Fabiola M. Rivera is the Office Managing Partner in Lozano Smith's Los Angeles office and serves as co-chair of the firm's Administrative Hearings Practice Area. Ms. Rivera is an active member of the firm's Facilities and Business, Litigation, and Investigations Practice Groups. She represents and counsels public school districts and public agencies throughout the state in a variety of areas including facilities, procurement and purchasing, construction and employment litigation, labor and employment matters and investigations.

Experience

Ms. Rivera has extensive experience representing state and local agencies as well public school districts in litigation matters from inception through appeal in the areas of labor and employment, contracts and business and construction matters. She also represents public agencies in a variety of administrative proceedings including classified and certificated employee discipline, employee discipline hearings, grievances, and wage and hour matters on public works projects. Her experience includes successfully resolving disputes through mediation and informal dispute resolution before they result in extended and costly proceedings or litigation. In addition, Ms. Rivera assists clients in various transactional matters and governance issues including drafting a wide range of contracts and agreements, the Brown Act and public records requests.

Professional Affiliations

Ms. Rivera is a member of the Mexican-American Bar Association, the Hispanic Bar Association and the Los Angeles County Bar Association. She is also a member of the Advisory Committee to the Los Angeles City College Pathway to Law School.

Ms. Rivera is a member of the California State Bar and is admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Central and Southern Districts of California.

Education

Ms. Rivera received her Juris Doctor from Loyola Law School and was a recipient of the Mabel Richards Wilson Scholarship. She was also president of La Raza de Loyola and a member of the Scott Moot Court Team. Ms. Rivera earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science (cum laude) from the University of California, Los Angeles, where she was named to the Provost's Honor List.

California Supreme Court Clarifies What Constitutes a "Protected Disclosure" for Whistleblower Claims Under Labor Code Section 1102.5

By: Fabiola Rivera, Matthew Lear- 06/29/2023

California Supreme Court Rejects Expansion of the Prevailing Wages Requirement

By: Arne Sandberg, Fabiola Rivera- 09/07/2021