Raymond G. Areaux, a founding partner of Carver Darden in New Orleans, has been named The Lawyer of the Year in Litigation – Intellectual Property for the New Orleans area by Best Lawyers in America. This latest 2026 honor marks the third time Ray has received this distinction in the past six years (also in 2021 and 2024), underscoring consistent peer recognition of his deep expertise in a demanding and specialized field. This honor is given each year to only one lawyer in the New Orleans area.
Ray is an accomplished litigator and mediator for software, technology and other IP disputes. He also leads on technology, brand and IP centric business deals.
As chair and founder of Carver Darden’s IP Practice Group, Ray handles the full range of IP matters: securing, licensing, and litigating patents, trademarks, brands, copyrights, trade secrets, and associated commercial disputes. His work encompasses proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) and Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB), domain-name disputes under the UDRP and ACPA, large core-replacement software implementation contract negotiations and disputes for troubled implementations, technology-transfer and licensing agreements, and infringement litigation in federal courts—including claims against the U.S. government. Ray has a unique ability to bridge complex technical concepts and clear legal strategies, delivering protections aligned with business objectives.
Beyond traditional litigation and counseling, Ray has served as a mediator and arbitrator for decades. A member of the American Arbitration Association’s roster since 1994 (including its Large/Complex Case panel), he regularly resolves high-stakes disputes involving software, technology, and Intellectual Property outside the courtroom.
Ray’s career bridges more than four decades of experience at the intersection of technology and law. He earned dual bachelor’s degrees in Computer Science and in Electrical Engineering from Tulane University in 1978, then worked as a product development engineer at IBM and a systems engineer at Conoco. He received his J.D. from Loyola University College of Law in 1985, was a distinguished student as a member of the Law Review, and has been a Registered Patent Attorney with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office since 1989—a foundation that enables him to approach technically intricate matters with both engineering rigor and legal acumen.
For more than 25 years, Ray has taught Trademarks and Unfair Competition as an Adjunct Professor at Loyola University College of Law, and, for the last 11 years, has also taught Information Privacy Law. He previously directed Tulane Law School’s Trademark Clinic. These roles demonstrate his dedication to advancing the field and mentoring future lawyers amid evolving IP and privacy doctrines. Several of Ray’s students have served as Trademark Examiners with the US Patent and Trademark Office.
Consistent peer-reviewed accolades affirm Ray’s standing. In addition to The Lawyer of the Year recognitions, he has been listed in Best Lawyers in America since 2016 across Litigation – Intellectual Property, Commercial Litigation, Corporate Law, and Technology Law. He is recognized in Chambers USA for Intellectual Property, holds an AV Preeminent peer-review rating since 1995 from Martindale-Hubbell, and has been selected for Super Lawyers in Intellectual Property and IP litigation.
Through a sustained focus on the technical and legal intricacies of Intellectual Property, Ray Areaux has cultivated a practice built on profound expertise, enduring client trust, and meaningful contributions to the legal community.