A long-time Arkansan, Mr. Ray graduated summa cum laude from Henderson State University before earning his Juris Doctor from the William H. Bowen School of Law, where he is qualified for membership to the Who’s Who Among American Law students.
Mr. Ray has earned the respect of both his clients and peers by being named to the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers by Martindale-Hubbel for demonstrating the highest possible ethical standards and legal ability. He has earned a rating of “10.0 – Superb” from the online legal directory, Avvo, where peers and clients have posted their rankings in terms of knowledge, trustworthiness, responsiveness, and keeping clients informed.
He is a regularly sought-out speaker for legal education seminars for attorneys in Arkansas. Prior to becoming an attorney, Mr. Ray served in the United States Marine Corps, and later as a police detective.
Additionally, Mr. Ray has worked as a special deputy prosecuting attorney and applies his significant law enforcement experience and deep knowledge of the criminal justice system to those accused of crimes. Mr. Ray is a member of the Masonic Lodge, Veterans of Foreign Wars, The Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association, and Arkansas Bar Association. Mr. Ray is also a member of the Top 10 Trucking Trial Lawyers.
Licensed in Arkansas and Texas.
Brian Ray's History As A Criminal Defense Attorney
Brian has nearly thirty years of experience handling serious drug and alcohol cases in nearly all aspects of the criminal justice system.
His work in this area of the law began in 1989 when he became a Certified Police Officer making individual narcotics arrests, and also serving as the “number one entry man” on the SWAT team for drug task force (DTF) “no-knock” warrants. Brian also worked on drug crimes while assigned to the Street Crimes Narcotics Division, and later drafted and executed search warrants while serving as a Detective. Also while serving as an Advanced Certified Police Officer he received many personal commendations and awards and attended Advanced Drug Training from the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) & US Department of Justice before graduating Summa Cum Laude from Henderson State University and obtaining his Juris Doctorate from the William H. Bowen School of Law where he was named to membership in the Who’s Who Among American Law Students. While still in law school, Brian worked for the Attorney Generals’ Office where he assisted in working on behalf of law enforcement agencies, and also worked for one of the most prominent attorneys in the state handling drug and alcohol crimes. Later, as a licensed attorney, he served as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney where he obtained numerous convictions of those arrested for possession of controlled substances. While still a new attorney defending drug cases, Brian represented one of two commercial truck drivers in Federal Court charged with possessing over a ton (2213 pounds) of 82% pure cocaine while traveling on Interstate 30 and across a good part of the country. That cocaine seizure was deemed to be worth an estimated $125,000,000, and still represents one of the largest seizures of cocaine in the State.
When partnering with John & Brandi Collins to form CCR Law Firm in early 2015, Brian began putting his significant law enforcement and criminal justice experience to work for those contacting the firm after being accused of alcohol and drug crimes, including driving while intoxicated (DWI). Because of the firm’s focus, Brian also went to work to systematically further his extensive and advanced training to more heavily focus on these highly specialized cases. With his unique experience gained over decades in the criminal justice system, Brian has now embraced several opportunities to pass his hard-won knowledge along to other attorneys seeking to learn more about drug and alcohol cases after attending many DWI-specific training seminars throughout the country.
Mr. Ray has earned the respect of both his clients and peers by being named to the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers by Martindale-Hubbel for demonstrating the highest possible ethical standards and legal ability. And, he has earned a rating of “10.0 – Superb” from the online legal directory, Avvo, where peers and clients have posted their rankings in terms of knowledge, trustworthiness, responsiveness, and keeping clients informed.
Prior to becoming an attorney, Brian served in the United States Marine Corps with First Battalion Fifth Marines and still enjoys telling others of the unit’s motto, which is: “Make Peace or Die”! Additionally, Mr. Ray has worked as a Special Deputy Prosecuting Attorney and is a member of the Masonic Lodge, Veterans of Foreign Wars, The Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association, and The Arkansas Bar Association while serving as an attorney licensed in state and federal courts to include Arkansas, Texas and the United States Supreme Court. He is a regularly sought-out speaker for legal education seminars for attorneys and enjoys winning cases at trial.
