Jim Ray returns to Robinson+Cole on September 1 as a partner in the firm’s Environmental + Utilities Group, where he will primarily focus on counseling clients in multiparty federal and state Superfund, site remediation, as well as other environmental matters. He will also be involved with the litigation of  environmental and product liability cases. Mr. Ray was with the firm for 23 years before spending the last 18 months at the University of Connecticut School of Law.

“We are thrilled to welcome Jim back to our firm,” said Stephen E. Goldman, managing partner of Robinson+Cole. “His background in chemical engineering, his ability to collaborate with other parties and technical experts from throughout the country in a number of disciplines, and his 23 years of experience adds significant depth to our nationwide environmental practice.”

Much of Mr. Ray’s experience involves private liability and allocation disputes under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act and includes a number of matters in which he served as coordinating or liaison counsel for joint defense groups and as court-appointed counsel for groups of defendants. His experience also includes handling claims under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the Clean Water Act, and most other federal and state environmental statutes. He has also been heavily involved in the defense of  asbestos, lead-based paint, mold, and product liability cases,  and he has counseled  clients involved in product recalls with the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

“Jim’s background reinforces the breadth of services we offer to our clients in the environmental, health and safety, and product liability fields,” said Earl W. Phillips Jr., chair of the firm’s Environmental + Utilities Group.

Mr. Ray was co-chair of the Environmental Litigation Committee of the American Bar Association’s Section of Litigation from 2011 to 2014 and is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. He has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America® in the area of Environmental Law from  2008 to 2013 and in the area of Litigation - Environmental for 2013 (Copyright 2014 by Woodward/White, Inc., Aiken, SC). Prior to initially joining the firm, Mr. Ray was a senior engineer for the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, where his work included enforcement and permitting under RCRA and analysis of environmental considerations in litigation, real estate transactions, and bankruptcy.

About Robinson+Cole

Robinson+Cole is a service mark of Robinson & Cole LLP, an Am Law 200 firm with 200 lawyers in nine offices serving regional, national, and international clients, from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies. Since 1845, Robinson & Cole LLP has expanded to meet the changing needs of clients. The firm represents corporate, governmental, and nonprofit entities, as well as individual clients, in a wide range of matters, including corporate; business and insurance litigation; tax and tax-exempt; finance; public finance; land use, environmental and utilities, and real estate; health law; labor, employment, and benefits; intellectual property and technology; data privacy and security; and government relations. For more information, please visit www.rc.com.