PRACTICE AREAS:
U.S. Immigration & Nationality Law

Minneapolis, Minnesota Office
P 612.746.0384
E erivera@igbanugolaw.com

Esteban A. Rivera is admitted to practice as an attorney in the State of Minnesota. At Igbanugo Partners Int'l Law Firm, PLLC, he prepares applications and petitions for employment-based immigration, family-based immigration, naturalization, and nonimmigrant visas. He handles motions, petitions and appeals before the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS), Administrative Appeals Office (AAO), Executive Office for Immigration Review (Immigration Courts), Board of Immigration Appeals, federal circuit courts, and federal district courts. Mr. Rivera also focuses on International Trade Law such as Foreign Corrupt Practices Act issues.

Prior to joining Igbanugo Partners, he worked as judicial extern to the Honorable Michael J. Roith in Anoka County, Minnesota. During the summer of 2009, he was selected as Minnesota Justice Foundation Summer Law Clerk and worked at Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Service in the Refugee, Immigrant, and Migrant Unit where he handled immigration cases.

Born and raised in Quito, Ecuador, Mr. Rivera is a native Spanish speaker. He received his law degree from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, where he graduated in the top 5 percent of his graduating class. Licensed to practice law in Ecuador, Mr. Rivera worked for five years as an associate and law clerk for two well-known law firms, where he practiced Intellectual Property and Corporate Law.

Mr. Rivera received his Juris Doctor degree from Hamline University School of Law in December 2010. At Hamline University, he was active in a variety of academic and extracurricular activities. He served as an Associate and as an Associate Editor for the Hamline Law Review. He also was a member and guest judge of the Intellectual Property Giles S. Rich Moot Court Competition. He served as legal research assistant to Professor Z. Jill Barclift. He was awarded with the Justice Thurgood Marshall Scholarship and named on the Hamline University School of Law Dean’s Honor Roll numerous times. He was also the Latino Law Student Association treasurer and the Student Representative - Board Member of the Minnesota Hispanic Bar Association.

Mr. Rivera serves as attorney Board Member of the Minnesota Hispanic Bar Association and serves as Board Member of the Hennepin County Bar Association.

Publications include:

Provisional I-601 Waivers Likely to Streamline Visa Application Procedure and Reduce Separation of Families
(Mshale, The African Community Newspaper, January 2012)

EB-5 Immigrant Visa Program: An Option for Foreign Investors to Invest in the U.S. and Obtain Permanent Residence for Themselves and Their Immediate Relatives
(Mshale, The African Community Newspaper, August 2011)

Draconian Arizona Law Sparks Renewed Hope for Comprehensive Immigration Reform
(Mshale, The African Community Newspaper, July 2010)

Thesis Dissertation: “Effects of the Free Trade Agreement on the Pharmaceutical Patent Intellectual Property Law in Ecuador”
(Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, May 2007)