Joseph M. Rivas is a shareholder in the law firm of Hochstatter, McCarthy, Rivas & Runde, S.C. He is a 1974 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he received a B.S. in Education, Mathematics major and General Science minor.  He received his J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1979. Joe was the Founding President of the Wisconsin Hispanic Lawyers Association (1984-86) and has served as Chair of the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (1992-94). He has been President of the Wisconsin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Spanish Center.  Joe is currently a member of the  Wisconsin Hispanic Lawyers Association, American Immigration Lawyers Association and a member of the Milwaukee and Wisconsin Bar Associations. Joe has been a speaker on immigration law issues in various settings, ranging from law schools and colleges to church and civic organizations, professional associations and grade schools. He has testified in circuit court proceedings as an expert on immigration law.  He has had articles published in newspapers and he has been a speaker on both radio and television.  He was honored as the "Alumni of the Year" at the 1985 LEO program at the University of Wisconsin Law School.  Joe is listed in the Best Lawyers in America under the section of Immigration Law.  He is fluent in Spanish.