John Ray

The founder of the firm, John Ray, established the predecessor firm of John Ray & Associates in 1983; the firm became Ray, Mitev & Associates, LLP in 2013. Mr. Ray is the only attorney in the U.S. to have two full-length trials covered by Court TV and has frequently appeared on nationwide television, including Fox News, Hardcopy, Current Affair, Inside Edition, Larry King Live, Sally Jesse Raphael, Geraldo Rivera, Maury Povich, Jenny Jones, Larry King Live, Dateline NBC and ABC’s Eyewitness News, as well as all major network news shows. Mr. Ray has appeared as an expert on CNN regarding jury trials; as a consultant on the Montel Williams Show on a controversial Maryland case, and as a commentator on Court TV.

He is the veteran litigator who successfully represented the father, Joseph Kaplan, in Kaplan v. Chamberlain (the famous “surrogate parent” custody case, where a 26-year-old surrogate mother who agreed to have sex with Mr. Kaplan in exchange for $25,000, bore a son and fought Mr. Kaplan for custody). Mr. Ray also represented Keila Pulinario in the precedent-setting “Rape Trauma Syndrome” case, involving a young woman who was raped and subsequently killed her rapist; this was also a full-length featured trial covered nationally on Court TV. Mr. Ray has handled thousands of cases over the course of his career and has tried countless matters to verdict.

An avid reader, especially of European and American history, Mr. Ray is admitted to the Supreme Court of the United States and the Federal Eastern and Southern Districts of New York.

A former semi-pro football player, Mr. Ray has played league lacrosse in New York for the past 30 years. He now plays goalie for several lacrosse teams year-round. He won the 2012 and 2013 ULAX championships in Manhattan, as a starting goalie, and is currently a top-ranked goalie in the ULAX league. He looks forward to three-peating in 2014.

A biathlon competitor along with Mr. Mitev, the Ray-Mitev team has medaled in New York biathlons, most recently taking silver at the 2012 Port Jefferson Biathlon and bronze in the 2013 Port Jefferson Biathlon.