Jeffrey W. Ray is a Partner with Pannone Lopes Devereaux & O'Gara LLC and a member of the firm's Corporate & Business and Real Estate & Commercial Lending Teams with nearly 30 years of experience handling complex legal matters. Mr. Ray concentrates his practice on the representation of nonprofit organizations in connection with the acquisition and development of HUD Section 202 and Section 811 housing projects for the elderly and developmentally disabled, respectively, including negotiation of financing facilities with local, state and federal housing agencies, and the facilitation of all required permitting and approvals required in connection with the development of such housing projects. He also spends considerable time in the representation of financial institutions in connection with real estate and asset based loans.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Ray worked in Las Vegas, Nevada where he served as counsel to both lenders and developers during the greatest period of expansion in the history of Las Vegas, including his representation of the largest hard money lender in the State of Nevada. Prior to that, Mr. Ray spent over nine years with the Rhode Island law firm of McGovern, Noel & Benik Ltd. His legal experience also includes work as an Assistant Town Solicitor for North Kingstown, Rhode Island, where he served primarily as legal counsel to the North Kingstown Zoning Board of Review and the North Kingstown Planning Commission.
As a leader in the nonprofit community, Mr. Ray has devoted significant time to volunteering for several organizations, including his representation of the Rhode Island Dream Center through the Pro-Bono Collaborative Project sponsored by Roger Williams University School of Law, and serving as a board member for The Sunrise Children's Hospital Foundation and The Rudy Ruettiger Foundation in Nevada. Mr. Ray also served as President of the Notre Dame Alumni Club of Las Vegas from 1998-2002.
He earned his J.D. from the University of Notre Dame Law School and his undergraduate degree from Niagara University. He is also a graduate of the American Arbitration Association's Mediation & Arbitration Advocacy Program. He is admitted to practice law in Rhode Island and is a member of the Rhode Island Bar Association.
