Joshua Ray - Partner

Josh Ray is a US-qualified lawyer and English barrister who represents individuals and businesses in cross-border financial crime and commercial litigation, investigations, and contentious regulatory matters. A substantial part of his practice involves advising clients on sanctions, export controls, and anti-bribery issues. Based in London and New York, he leads CANDEY’s US practice.

He has advised clients in dozens of jurisdictions and in a range of sectors, including financial services, energy, and manufacturing.

Josh trained at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP and then spent the bulk of his career in the New York and London offices of Kobre & Kim LLP. Prior to joining CANDEY, he was a partner at a specialist financial crime litigation firm in London. He is the author of White Collar Criminal Prosecutions in the US and UK: A Comparative Treatise for Practitioners, a textbook published by the American Bar Association. His work has also been published in the NYU Journal of Law & Business, the New York Law Journal, Traders Magazine, Law360, and elsewhere.

Josh earned his undergraduate degree from Cornell University and his law degree with honors from Cornell Law School. He is admitted to practice in New York, Washington DC, and England.  

Recent Experience

Financial Crime

· Defending a British citizen charged by the DOJ with sanctions violations and wire fraud.

· Defending a British citizen in a market manipulation lawsuit brought by the SEC.

· Defending a Slovakian trader and his firm in a spoofing and market manipulation lawsuit brought by the CFTC.

· Representing a cryptocurrency executive in an internal investigation involving allegations of fraud and market manipulation.

· Representing a London hedge fund advisory business in an insider trading investigation conducted by the CFTC.  

· Advising an Eastern European online casino business in relation to an FCPA and UK Bribery Act investigation.

· Defending an Uzbek telecom executive charged by the DOJ with FCPA and money laundering offenses.

· Defending a British finance executive in a $35 million wire fraud prosecution brought by the DOJ.

· Defending a British commodities trader in a criminal spoofing and market manipulation brought by the DOJ.

Sanctions & Export Controls

· Representing a Belarusian technology company in the first ever judicial review of a sanctions designation to reach the UK High Court.

· Representing a German nanotechnology manufacturer in the first ever judicial review of OFSI’s failure to issue a license to reach the UK High Court.

· Advising a Seychelles investment fund on sanctions issues related to the redemption of bonds issued by a sanctioned Russian bank.

· Advising a British property development company on sanctions issues related to a bond issuance.

· Representing a senior banking executive in an OFAC sanctions designation challenge.

· Representing an Israeli industrialist in an OFSI sanctions designation challenge.

· Representing one of the largest private banks in Myanmar in relation to a range of sanctions, export controls, and anti-money laundering issues.

·  Advising the National Bank of Uzbekistan on sanctions issues related to blocked wire payments.

· Advising a large Russian bank on issues related to its sanction designation.

· Advising a Cypriot holding company with respect to OFAC and OFSI licenses and the un-freezing of nearly a quarter billion dollars held in a Swiss bank.

· Advising a British petrochemicals service company with respect to US, UK, and EU sanctions on Russia.

· Advising an American real estate investment fund regarding US, UK, and EU sanctions issues surrounding the sale of a large commercial complex in Moscow.

· Advising a Greek/British cybersecurity business in relation to sanctions, export controls, and anti-bribery compliance issues.

Commercial Disputes

· Defending a British production company and its top officers in a $20 million copyright infringement lawsuit in the SDNY.

·  Representing one of Russia’s largest independent oil and gas producers in a $10 million ICC arbitration against a multinational engineering conglomerate.

· Defending an American entrepreneur in a breach of contract action in NY state court.

· Representing a multi-billionaire in a matrimonial appeal to the UK Supreme Court. 

Email: JRay@candey.com