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Ray, Jeff


Jeff is known as a trial lawyer who is one of the few lawyers who spends much of his time in court and in front of juries throughout the Southwest. He has tried or has been lead counsel in cases in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio and Oklahoma.

During his career, a number of Jeff's cases have received regional or national recognition for defense verdicts in pipeline explosion, tire defect, automobile defect, product defect, oil field accident, refinery explosion, transportation accident, and liquor liability cases (reported by various news sources including CNN, USA Today, Business World and ABC News). He has also represented businesses and clients as plaintiffs and has obtained substantial verdicts and settlements on their behalf. Some of his more recent verdicts and accomplishments as lead trial counsel are set forth below.

In Santa Fe, NM, Jeff defended a national transportation company in a multiple fatality trucking/auto accident case. Plaintiffs' estates alleged that our truck driver rear-ended a vehicle, causing a chain reaction of multiple accidents and deaths. Weather and dust conditions contributed to the accident and the jury returned a defense verdict.

In El Paso, TX, Jeff represented a client with property in Mexico and Texas acquired during a 19-year period. Jeff's client was offered virtually no business assets in a complex and high asset/business divorce case. After a lengthy trial in the 388th District Court of El Paso County, Texas, the jury awarded over $23 million dollars to Jeff's client.

In Santa Fe, NM, Jeff defended a regionally and nationally publicized case involving the deaths of two teenage Navajo Nation girls and serious injuries to their parents. Jeff represented an international bar and restaurant corporation in a liquor liability case. The bar was accused of selling over 88 ounces of beer to a patron who left the bar and later rear-ended the family at a very high rate of speed. A multimillion-dollar offer was rejected by plaintiffs. After a two-week trial, the jury returned a defense verdict.

In Bell County, TX, Jeff acted as Plaintiffs' counsel for his clients. After a two-week trial, he recorded the highest fraud verdict in Texas for 2012 when a jury awarded Jeff's clients over $20 million. The verdict is ranked in the top 100 verdicts in the U.S. for 2012 and 2013 and has recently been recognized from 2012 to 2015 in the Texas Verdicts Hall of Fame.

Jeff has been the lead trial counsel for a major utility company in the largest wildfire in the history of Texas, the Bastrop Complex Fire Litigation, representing the utility against over 600 plaintiffs and 40 attorneys with damage claims totaling over $450 million. Jeff's client secured a substantial confidential settlement on its cross claim in the fire litigation.

Jeff represented a major pipeline company in an explosion case in New Mexico involving 27 plaintiffs. He defended the company in a multi-million dollar 2 ½ month trial. The trial received both regional and national attention and was broadcast by a national court service. The plaintiff demanded over $100 million. The jury returned a defense verdict for the natural gas corporation.

Jeff represented a major tire manufacturer in a multiple fatality/brain damage of a minor child case in Texas. After a lengthy trial, the jury returned a defense verdict for the corporation.

Over the course of several years, Jeff and his trial team represented a worldwide clothing manufacturer in over 2,000 claims and cases filed by workers who had suffered various respiratory, formaldehyde and other related injuries. The cases were all pending in counties along the South Texas Border. After trying and securing four straight defense verdicts over the course of two years, the remaining cases were dismissed.

Jeff currently represents high-profile individuals, companies, and entertainment industry professionals in high-risk/high-exposure litigation cases in New Mexico and Texas.

Jeff and his firm are very active in pro bono representation of clients in need of emergency legal representation. In response to the August 2019 mass shooting that took place in El Paso, Texas, Jeff and the firm donated substantial time, money, and resources to assist families with counseling, family aid, fundraising, legal matters, and seminars to assist hundreds of people in the community. On a personal note, Jeff acted as pro bono counsel to families in serious family and custody disputes, dedicating well over 1500 hours to assist multiple families. Jeff received the 2020 Albert Armendariz Award of Civil Rights, awarded by the El Paso Bar Association.

  • Texas Bar Association
  • New Mexico Bar Association
  • Board Certified - Personal Injury Trial Law Texas Board of Legal Specialization
  • AV Preeminent Rated
  • Life Fellow - Texas Bar Foundation
  • National Panel Counsel for Major Clients and Carriers
  • Texas Super Lawyer
  • Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers
  • 2020 Albert Armendariz Civil Rights Service Award
  • El Paso Bar Association, Board of Directors 2016-2018
  • Inspiring Generosity Award - Mexican American Bar Association
  • Texas Verdicts Hall of Fame - 2014
  • 2012 Top 100 Verdicts in the U.S.
  • 2010 Outstanding Lawyer - El Paso Bar Association
BC Personal InjuryBest Lawyers Jeff RaySuper LawyersTop 100 VeredictsBest Lawyers in AmericaAmerica top 100Jeff Ray Lawyer of the yearAV RATEDSuper Lawyers Jeff

Curriculum Vitae

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Areas of Practice

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Education


University of Texas at Austin (B.A. Honors)
St. Mary’s University School of Law (J.D.)


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Law School Honors and Distinctions


• Dean's Honor List
• National Order of Barristers
• National Mock Trial Team
• Outstanding Trial Advocate of Law School
• Outstanding Appellate Advocate of Law School
• St. Mary's Law Journal
• Instructor, Legal Research and Brief Writing


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Professional Experience


Jeff is known as a trial lawyer who is one of the few lawyers who spends much of his time in court and in front of juries throughout the Southwest. He has tried or has been lead counsel in cases in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio and Oklahoma.

During his career, a number of Jeff's cases have received regional or national recognition for defense verdicts in pipeline explosion, tire defect, automobile defect, product defect, oil field accident, refinery explosion, transportation accident, and liquor liability cases (reported by various news sources including CNN, USA Today, Business World and ABC News). He has also represented businesses and clients as plaintiffs and has obtained substantial verdicts and settlements on their behalf. Some of his more recent verdicts and accomplishments as lead trial counsel are set forth below.

In Santa Fe, NM, Jeff defended a national transportation company in a multiple fatality trucking/auto accident case. Plaintiffs' estates alleged that our truck driver rear-ended a vehicle, causing a chain reaction of multiple accidents and deaths. Weather and dust conditions contributed to the accident and the jury returned a defense verdict.

In El Paso, TX, Jeff represented a client with property in Mexico and Texas acquired during a 19-year period. Jeff's client was offered virtually no business assets in a complex and high asset/business divorce case. After a lengthy trial in the 388th District Court of El Paso County, Texas, the jury awarded over $23 million dollars to Jeff's client.

In Santa Fe, NM, Jeff defended a regionally and nationally publicized case involving the deaths of two teenage Navajo Nation girls and serious injuries to their parents. Jeff represented an international bar and restaurant corporation in a liquor liability case. The bar was accused of selling over 88 ounces of beer to a patron who left the bar and later rear-ended the family at a very high rate of speed. A multimillion-dollar offer was rejected by plaintiffs. After a two-week trial, the jury returned a defense verdict.

In Bell County, TX, Jeff acted as Plaintiffs' counsel for his clients. After a two-week trial, he recorded the highest fraud verdict in Texas for 2012 when a jury awarded Jeff's clients over $20 million. The verdict is ranked in the top 100 verdicts in the U.S. for 2012 and 2013 and has recently been recognized from 2012 to 2015 in the Texas Verdicts Hall of Fame.

Jeff has been the lead trial counsel for a major utility company in the largest wildfire in the history of Texas, the Bastrop Complex Fire Litigation, representing the utility against over 600 plaintiffs and 40 attorneys with damage claims totaling over $450 million. Jeff's client secured a substantial confidential settlement on its cross claim in the fire litigation.

Jeff represented a major pipeline company in an explosion case in New Mexico involving 27 plaintiffs. He defended the company in a multi-million dollar 2 ½ month trial. The trial received both regional and national attention and was broadcast by a national court service. The plaintiff demanded over $100 million. The jury returned a defense verdict for the natural gas corporation.

Jeff represented a major tire manufacturer in a multiple fatality/brain damage of a minor child case in Texas. After a lengthy trial, the jury returned a defense verdict for the corporation.

Over the course of several years, Jeff and his trial team represented a worldwide clothing manufacturer in over 2,000 claims and cases filed by workers who had suffered various respiratory, formaldehyde and other related injuries. The cases were all pending in counties along the South Texas Border. After trying and securing four straight defense verdicts over the course of two years, the remaining cases were dismissed.

Jeff currently represents high-profile individuals, companies, and entertainment industry professionals in high-risk/high-exposure litigation cases in New Mexico and Texas.

Jeff and his firm are very active in pro bono representation of clients in need of emergency legal representation. In response to the August 2019 mass shooting that took place in El Paso, Texas, Jeff and the firm donated substantial time, money, and resources to assist families with counseling, family aid, fundraising, legal matters, and seminars to assist hundreds of people in the community. On a personal note, Jeff acted as pro bono counsel to families in serious family and custody disputes, dedicating well over 1500 hours to assist multiple families. Jeff received the 2020 Albert Armendariz Award of Civil Rights, awarded by the El Paso Bar Association.


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Professional Memberships and Activities


Professional Memberships and Activities', '• El Paso Bar Association, Treasurer 2017-2018
• State Bar of Texas
• State Bar of New Mexico
• Texas Association of Defense Counsel
• International Association of Defense Counsel
• Defense Research Institute
• New Mexico Defense Lawyers Association
• American Bar Association
• Christian Legal Society
• Trucking Industry Defense Association
• Speaker for the State Bar of Texas and other organizations on Litigation topics
• San Antonio Bar Association


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Court Admissions


• Texas
• New Mexico
• The Supreme Court of the United States
• U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
• U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas
• U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit


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Professional Reference


Professional Reference', 'Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory • Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers • Best\'s Directory of Recommended Insurance Attorneys • Trial Attorneys of the Insurance Bar • West\'s Legal Directory • Texas Board of Legal Specialization • Directory of Board Certified Attorneys


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Personal


Jeff was born and raised in the small South Texas crossroads town of Cuero. His father was a World War II veteran and disabled, and his mother was a leather factory laborer. Jeff worked his way through high school, college, and law school, working as a musician as well as a laborer in the South Texas oil fields and the Gulf of Mexico, primarily working as a floor and derrick hand for major drilling companies. His work ethic is unparalleled. He has been awarded numerous professional and community awards for his service to others and community causes. Some notable personal honors an activites include:
• Honored with his teammates by Fox Sports Southwest and Fox College Sports as Legends of High School Football
• Texas High School Football Back-to-Back State Championship Teams (Co-Captain)
• National Eagle Scout Association
• Musician (percussion)
• Heroism Community Award for Life Saving Rescue
• AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association)
• New York City Marathon (multiple marathon event participant)

Jeff is married to Catalina Delgado-Ray and is the proud father of three incredible children. He and his family enjoy numerous outdoor sporting activities.


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  • Product Liability
  • Pharmaceutical Malpractice
  • Professional Malpractice
  • Transportation
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Insurance Law and Negligence
  • Labor & Employment Law
  • Workers Compensation
  • Toxic Torts and Environmental Law
  • Personal Injury
  • General Civil Trial
  • Premises Liability
  • Civil Litigation Defense
  • Liquor Liability
  • Wrongful Death