Biography
Originally from Mutual, Oklahoma, Lorena is the proud daughter of two Mexican nationals who have paved the way for her to continually serve and represent her community.
Lorena Rivas is CEO of Rivas & Associates, an immigration law firm that serves immigrants all over the United States. To further assist her clients, she recently opened the Colegio de Sueños (College of Dreams) that offers English as a Second Language (ESL) and citizenship courses to individuals seeking to become citizens of the United States.
As an attorney, Lorena has long been a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and Oklahoma Bar Association (OBA). Much of her company centers on the legal representation of individuals who are facing the numerous and complicated immigration laws of the United States in affirmative and defensive cases. She is the past chair of the immigration law section for the Oklahoma Bar Association (OBA) and has served on various committees with AILA. In 2018, she was given the Fern Holland award by the University of Tulsa College of Law for her work in human rights and the empowerment of women.
Lorena Rivas and her law firm, Rivas & Associates have made an indelible mark on Tulsa through their impactful work and entrepreneurial spirit. Lorena’s vision and determination led her to establish a small firm that has since blossomed into an enterprise employing over 100 individuals, with an impressive 95% of them being minority women. Rivas & Associates was named in Inc.’s 5000 list as one of the fastest growing companies in the United States and ranked 31st in the Inc’s southwest region. Lorena was named to the prestigious Inc. Magazine Female Founders 200 list for 2023. This achievement, in itself, is a testament to her commitment to empowering underrepresented communities, providing them with not just jobs but also valuable opportunities for growth and advancement.
Awards and Continuing Legal Education
For her notable efforts, Lorena was the recipient of the 2018 Fern Holland Award, which is annually given to a lawyer who advocates for human rights or the empowerment of women, and was selected as a 2018 Super Lawyers Rising Star.
Additionally, she was selected to speak at the annual American Immigration Council’s American Heritage Awards in Orlando, Florida for their American Dreams speech contest in July 2019.
She is the past chair of the immigration law section for the Oklahoma Bar Association (OBA) and has served on various committees with AILA. Lorena is a graduate of the OBA’s Leadership Academy and the OBA Family Law Trial Advocacy Institute, and has participated in various seminars with the Trial Lawyers College.
Education
She was nominated for the 2015 Williams Women of Inspiration Award and is a member of Leadership Tulsa Class 60. Lorena graduated with a Juris Doctorate from the University of Tulsa College of Law where she not only graduated with honors, but also actively participated in the Immigrant Rights Legal Clinic.
Lorena also received her M.A. from Fort Hays State University and a B.S. from Saint Gregory’s University.
Originally from Mutual, Oklahoma, Lorena is the proud daughter of two Mexican nationals who have paved the way for her to continually serve and represent her community as an immigration law attorney.