Mikaela V. Rivera
Mikaela has extensive experience litigating a variety of commercial disputes arising from complex commercial transactions. Her primary areas of expertise, however, are eminent domain, land use, special district, and real estate related litigation. In eminent domain, Mikaela has represented landowners in urban, rural and mountain resort areas in a variety of contexts including urban renewal, open space, highway and other public facility acquisitions. She has particular expertise in industrial and special purpose properties. She has experience not only in defending condemnation actions, but in pre-litigation counseling and negotiations. She represented the owner of the Valley Floor in Telluride in which the jury awarded her client $50,000,000, the full amount sought for the property. She also has experience representing special districts and pipeline companies in aquisitions. Mikaela also has been a frequent speaker on eminent domain issues.
Other areas in which Mikaela has considerable experience include special district litigation, homeowner association litigation, quiet title and adverse possession actions, easement disputes, landlord/tenant disputes, property tax appeals, representing landowners and developers in disputes regarding development rights, and employment litigation.
Mikaela is a graduate of Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Denver Class of 2007. She served on the Associate Board for Big Brothers Big Sisters in Denver and has served as a mentor in the community program. Mikaela also served on the Board of Directors for the New America School, an English as a Second Language charter school with four campuses in Colorado. Mikaela has served on the Board of the Colorado Women’s Bar Association as well as that of the Colorado Hispanic Bar Association. Mikaela also was named one of Law Week Colorado’s 2008 Up and Coming Lawyers and a Super Lawyers Colorado Rising Star 2008-2015 and Super Lawyers 2016-2019. She was also named Lawyer of the Year in Eminent Domain for 2017 by Best Lawyers. Mikaela won the Outstanding Women in Business in real estate by the Denver Business Journal and was named in the 2018 Top Women Lawyers in Law Week Colorado.
Mikaela received her law degree from the University of Colorado School of Law, where she served on the Moot Court Board and interned for Colorado Supreme Court Justice Alex Martinez. She received her undergraduate degree in political science and economics from the University of Colorado at Boulder, graduating magna cum laude.
ADMISSIONS AND AFFILIATIONS
- State of Colorado
- U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado
- American Bar Association
- Colorado Bar Association
- Colorado Hispanic Bar Association
- Colorado Women’s Bar association
- Denver Bar Association