Education
California State University, Chico (B.A.)
University of California, Los Angeles (J.D.).
Memberships
University of Southern California/Beverly Hills Bar Association Entertainment Law Institute
State Bar of California (State Bar Number 171681)
Rivas has been practicing law since 1993.
Rivas is one of Southern California’s preeminent entertainment attorneys, specializing in music and entertainment, serving, variously, as current or former outside counsel, in-house counsel, and general counsel, for clients such as Kung Fu Records, Hopeless Records, Fearless Records, Smarkpunk, Modern Sky (China), Fire Records (UK), ARTISTdirect, The Vandals, Hawthorne Heights, Lawrence Arms, Anti-Flag, Greg Kuehn (composer/T.S.O.L.), Michael "Miguel" Happoldt/Skunk Records, Jim and Jakob Nowell, LBDA, The Aggrolites, Pennywise, Dead Meadow, Fortunate Youth, The Mystery Lights, Robert Trujillo (Metallica), Kim Deal (The Pixies, The Breeders), Josh Freese (Sting, Nine Inch Nails), Taku Hirano (Bette Midler, Fleetwood Mac), Brooks Wackerman (Bad Religion, Tenacious D, Avenged Sevenfold), Kevin Lyman (Van’s Warped Tour owner/concert promoter), Joe Escalante (The Vandals, TV executive/show runner, radio personality), Michael DeBarres (personality), Corey Feldman (actor/producer), Larisa Love (brand ambassador), Cameron Webb (record producer) and many others. Rivas has also consulted for corporate clients such as NBCUniversal, Best Buy, Sole Technology, LegalZoom, and others.
Rivas's transactional practice focuses on intellectual property, business affairs, corporate formation, mergers and acquisitions, and government filings. Rivas drafts, negotiates and advises clients with regard to a vast array of agreements, including corporate-sponsored record deals, “360" major label deals, “singles” deals, production, publishing, merchandising, distribution, soundtrack, producer, performer, partnership, operating and settlement agreements, along with music licensing for films, videogames, home video and television shows. She has successfully cleared immigration for the J Rock Festival line-up on behalf of producer/artist/entrepreneur Yoshiki, the Taste of Chaos Tour, X-Japan, M.I.A. and various business executives. Rivas has also acted as production counsel and music supervisor and has been credited as associate producer for a number of documentaries, live concert films and feature films, including "Rockstar’s Taste of Chaos Live" DVD/CD package (featuring the band My Chemical Romance) and "Van’s Warped Tour 2007 LIVE!" DVD, "Endless Bummer" and its soundtrack (featuring Katy Perry, Blink 182, Pennywise and Joan Jett), "She Makes Comics" and many others.
In 2018, after over a decade on the Syllabus Committee of USC Gould School of Law/Beverly Hills Bar Association Institute on Entertainment Law and Business, Rivas was invited to serve on the highly-esteemed Planning Committee.
Rivas has been quoted on the front page of the Wall Street Journal regarding politics and record deals and in the Los Angeles Times regarding artist development and regarding the concert industry. She has also produced and A&R'd artist showcases for NARAS, ASCAP and BMI, and has moderated or appeared on music industry panels at SXSW, CMJ, NXNW, NARIP, EAT’M, IPELS (LACBA), ASCAP, NARAS, California Lawyers For The Arts and universities including, UCLA, Loyola Law School, Biola and CSU Fullerton along with the DIY Convention, which she co-founded in 2000 with USA Today/Variety/Billboard journalist, Bruce Haring.
In addition to authoring many articles about performance rights in sound recordings, the Audio Home Recording Act and U.S. Copyright Law for NARIP over the years, she has testified on behalf of rights holders at hearings held by President Bill Clinton’s Information Infrastructure Task Force on Intellectual Property. She has been active with the Recording Academy's lobbying efforts and received a grant to participate in the "Grammys on the Hill" program in support of artist rights legislation. She was also awarded substantial grants by the California State University system for various music industry education endeavors and honored by CSU Chico's Provost with a generous financial award for her “Exemplary Performance” as an educator.