Ray is a technology litigator, loyal advocate, and trusted advisor. His clients rely on his ability to see the big picture, to give practical business advice that speaks clearly to their specific concerns, and to bring effective and efficient litigation strategies to bear on those problems.
Ray has more than 15 years of litigation experience in both state and federal court, as well as domestic and international arbitration, with significant appellate experience, including litigation before the U.S. Supreme Court. He is also an NCDRC Certified Superior Court Mediator, who brings his determined and creative approach to litigation to helping parties resolve their disputes in ways that give them control of the outcome, their legal spend, and their future time and energy.
Ray represents clients across a range of technology-related industries, with an emphasis on computer hardware and software companies. With learned insight on a variety of technology-related disputes, Ray has advised his clients on copyright, technology licensing, unfair and deceptive trade practices, online defamation, trade secrets and IP disputes.
Recognized as a “Rising Star” in Business Litigation by North Carolina Super Lawyers, Ray has guided clients through a range of other business disputes, including class actions, directors and officers litigation, business torts and internal corporate investigations.
Honors and Awards
- Recognized as an Acritas Star (based on survey of 4,300 general counsel), 2019
- Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America (BL Rankings), Litigation – Intellectual Property, 2018 – Present
- Selected to the North Carolina Rising Stars list by Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters) in Business Litigation, Appellate, 2012 – 2018
Prior Legal Experience
- Associate, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, Raleigh, NC, 2006-2012
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, Honorable Douglas H. Ginsburg, 2005-2006
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Honorable T.S. Ellis, III, 2004-2005
Experience
Any result the lawyer or law firm may have achieved on behalf of clients in other matters does not necessarily indicate similar results can be obtained for other clients.
- Obtained a $26.3 million trial verdict (trebled in the judgment to over $79 million) for a U.S.-based software company in an action alleging fraud, breach of contract, and unfair and deceptive trade practices against a UK software company. SAS Institute Inc. v. World Programming Ltd. (U.S.D.C., E.D.N.C.).
- Obtained a dismissal of a class action on behalf of an international computer manufacturer.
- Defended a major telecommunications company against claims for commercial online defamation and unfair and deceptive trade practices.
- Represented a pharmaceutical company in an international arbitration involving claims for breach of patent licensing agreement and unfair and deceptive trade practices.
- Represented multiple Native American tribes in appeal of key jurisdictional issue to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court.
- Judicial law clerk for U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, Honorable Douglas H. Ginsburg, 2005-2006; U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Honorable T.S. Ellis, III, 2004-2005.
Publications and Presentations
- Author, “Fourth Circuit Rejects Broad Reading of Arbitration Ban in Dodd-Frank,” The National Law Review, June 9, 2014
- Author, “Can You Keep a Secret? Confidentiality Clauses In Settlement Agreements Are For Real,” The National Law Review, March 14, 2014
- Author, “Fourth Circuit Weighs in on Supreme Court’s Class Action Decision in Walmart v. Dukes—Or Does It?” The National Law Review, November 12, 2013
- Author, “Fourth Circuit Decision Highlights Risk of Personal Liability for Copyright Infringement,” The National Law Review, September 13, 2013
- Author, “The Gamble That Didn’t Pay Off: You Have Only One Chance to Get Into Federal Court,” The National Law Review, June 20, 2013
- Author, “Caught in the Cloud: How Hard Could It Be To Recover Your Data From a Defunct Cloud Provider,” The National Law Review, April 26, 2013
