ALONZO RIVAS

During his 25-year legal career, Alonzo has shown a sustained commitment to civil rights enforcement and labor advocacy.

He worked for the Mexican American Legal and Educational Fund (MALDEF) a total of 8 years, first as a staff attorney and then as the Regional Counsel of the Chicago Regional Office, litigating complex civil rights matters raising legal challenges under the U.S. Constitution and state and federal statutes. He continued his civil rights practice working as Of Counsel at Futterman & Howard for almost 4 years where he litigated similar cases.

For a brief period, Alonzo expanded his litigation experience beyond traditional civil rights matters when he joined Jacobs, Burns, Orlove, Stanton & Hernandez as an associate and worked representing union clients in federal litigation involving claims under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), as well as in grievance arbitrations. He also co-founded the law firm Rivas & Becerra, where he represented clients in wage and hour and employment discrimination cases.

Immediately prior to joining Lopez & Sanchez, LLP. Alonzo worked as an attorney with the Chicago Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, for 11 years. In this role, he enforced federal civil rights statutes in educational settings by investigating complaints filed by students and their families, starting self-directed investigations and compliance reviews of educational institutions, and monitoring compliance with resolution agreements.

Throughout his career, Alonzo has also maintained a strong commitment to pro bono service. His pro bono work has included representing individuals in unemployment compensation proceedings before the Illinois Department of Employment Security, the Cook County Circuit Court, and the Illinois Court of Appeals; advocating for students in school district enrollment disputes and Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings; and representing tenants in eviction proceedings.