SGR Attorney Richard Rivera Receives the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division 2017 Star of the Year Award

ATLANTA (October 16, 2017) – Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP (SGR) is pleased to announce that Jacksonville attorney Richard Rivera received the American Bar Association (ABA) Young Lawyers Division Star of the Year Award for 2017. The award was presented at the 2017 Annual Meeting held in New York.

The honor was awarded to 12 nationwide recipients from among more than 160,000 members of the Young Lawyers Division for exemplary performance of duties in service to the public and the ABA. Mr. Rivera received the award for his work as Co-Chair of the Young Lawyers Division Litigation Committee during the 2016-17 term. As Co-Chair of the committee, he worked to create a year-long series of programs guiding new practitioners through all stages of litigation and developed two new annual programs for the Young Lawyers Division, "ABA in my City" and "Litigation Week." During Mr. Rivera’s term, the Litigation Committee also worked to set new policy for the ABA, including urging all jurisdictions to require implicit bias training for all new judges.

Mr. Rivera has accepted a reappointment to the Co-Chair of the Litigation Committee position and will be continuing his work for the 2017-18 term.

Mr. Rivera is an Associate in the Litigation and Intellectual Property Practices of SGR. His litigation practice is focused on commercial litigation, with a special emphasis in defending actions brought under consumer protection statutes, such as the FDCPA, FCRA, TCPA, and their state-level counterparts. Mr. Rivera’s intellectual property practice is concentrated in advising clients in matters involving intellectual property (trademark and copyright), compliance with state and federal laws governing sweepstakes and other promotional activities, software and internet technology, marketing, and licensing issues.

About the American Bar Association
With more than 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is one of the largest voluntary professional membership organizations in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law. View our privacy statement online. Follow the latest ABA news at www.americanbar.org/news and on Twitter @ABANews.

About Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP
SGR is a full service, international law firm that advises regional, national and global businesses on a wide range of legal matters. The firm’s more than 200 attorneys provide legal counsel in more than 45 specialized practice areas, including corporate transactions, litigation, intellectual property, aviation, banking, real estate, construction and employment law. Founded in 1893, SGR has offices in Atlanta, Austin, Jacksonville, London, Munich, New York, Southampton, and Washington, D.C.

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