Elissa Stiles

Biography

Elissa Stiles is a Senior Litigation Attorney at Rivas & Associates, one of Oklahoma’s leading immigration law firms. She has been selected as a Super Lawyers Rising Star in 2024, 2025, and 2026, a prestigious distinction awarded to only a small percentage of attorneys in each state.

Recognized for her proven win record before U.S. District Courts, Immigration Courts, and the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), Elissa is dedicated to defending the rights of immigrants in court and through persuasive legal writing. She has litigated well over 150 habeas corpus petitions in U.S. District Courts from coast to coast.

Since joining the Oklahoma Bar in 2019, Elissa has built her career exclusively in immigration law with Rivas & Associates. She currently serves as Vice Chair of the Oklahoma Bar Association Immigration Section, where she regularly presents continuing legal education (CLE) to help train other immigration lawyers across the state.

Elissa is also deeply committed to immigrant advocacy outside of the courtroom. She is President of the Board of Directors for the American Dream Center, a Tulsa nonprofit providing free and low-cost immigration legal support to underserved communities in Tulsa. Her legal scholarship has been featured in the Oklahoma Bar Journal, where she has published articles on complex immigration topics.

Elissa began her career with Rivas & Associates as a law student intern at the University of Tulsa College of Law in 2017. Over the years, she has developed into a respected litigator whose practice focuses on:

Appeals before the Board of Immigration Appeals and Federal Circuit Courts
Mandamus petitions for delayed immigration cases
Habeas corpus petitions for immigrants unjustly detained by ICE
Federal litigation to protect immigrant rights

In 2024, Elissa served as local co-counsel with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), successfully securing an injunction against Oklahoma’s anti-immigrant legislation, HB 4156.

When she is not litigating immigration cases, Elissa enjoys reading, writing fiction, and hiking.