Robert W. Ray

Robert W. Ray is a partner in Sterlington’s Litigation practice. A seasoned former federal prosecutor and a corporate and white-collar defense litigator, Bob served as Independent Counsel for the Whitewater investigation, succeeding Kenneth Starr as head of the U.S. Office of Independent Counsel. In this role, he led high-profile public corruption investigations, including the Monica Lewinsky matter, the White House Travel Office, and the FBI files controversy.

Bob has represented clients in more than 30 federal jury trials, acting as both prosecutor and defense counsel in cases spanning corporate fraud, RICO, civil fraud, and public corruption. His practice today focuses on white-collar defense, corporate governance, compliance, and complex commercial litigation, with deep expertise in the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), healthcare fraud, and the False Claims Act (FCA).

Previously, Bob was a partner at Holland & Knight and Zeichner Ellman & Krause. He has represented a wide range of prominent clients in matters involving commercial and constitutional law and has spoken before Congress on constitutional issues. He also served as amicus counsel before the U.S. Supreme Court on Fourteenth Amendment ballot access questions.

Early in his career, Bob clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. A sought-after legal commentator, he frequently appears on networks such as CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and PBS. His op-eds have been published in major outlets including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post.

Bob earned his J.D. from Washington and Lee University School of Law and holds an Executive Education Certificate from the Harvard Kennedy School.