Raymond M. Brown

Raymond M. Brown has decades of experience as a highly respected civil and criminal litigator. He focuses his practice in white collar criminal defense, international human rights compliance, internal investigations, and complex commercial litigation on behalf of individuals, corporations, and government entities. He counsels foreign and domestic multinationals on a broad range of corporate risk management, governance, and transactional issues. He has been active in the development of the practice of law concerning the regulation and enforcement of business requirements for human rights compliance, both domestically and on the international stage.

Raymond has extensive experience as a trial lawyer, including numerous high-profile cases. He represented U.S. Senator Robert Menendez as defense co-counsel in a public corruption and bribery case brought by the U.S. government, which ended in a hung jury, subsequent mistrial, and dismissal of charges against Senator Menendez. His other prominent cases have included the nine-month trial involving former U.S. Secretary of Labor Raymond J. Donovan and the successful eight-year defense of senior executives of a major multinational corporation charged with environmental violations. Raymond has also represented a large municipality in COVID-19 related litigation.

He has appeared twice before the N.J. Supreme Court in 2021 representing amicus curiae on important issues criminal law including in State v. Andujar, in which the Court held that improper peremptory jury strikes motivated by “implicit or unconscious bias” violate the N.J. Constitution.

Raymond has defended clients in state and federal courts and before administrative tribunals. He has appeared in courts in 12 U.S. states and conducted investigations throughout the country as well as in Kenya and elsewhere in East Africa, El Salvador, the Cayman Islands, Switzerland, the Bahamas, Colombia, and Sierra Leone. He also has significant international experience qualifying as counsel before the International Criminal Court in the Hague, where he represents victims in the Darfur genocide.

A devoted advocate for human rights, Raymond was a student activist and an important participant in the 1968 occupation of Columbia University. He and other participants contributed to “A Time to Stir,” a collection of essays written by participants. A documentary film is also in production.

Raymond is proud of the results he has achieved for clients, some of which are noted here. Of course, each legal matter is unique on many levels, and past successes are not a guarantee of results in any other pending or future matters.

Honors & Recognitions

• Recipeint of the Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers of New Jersey, Honorable Lawrence A. Whipple Memorial Award, 2022
• Recipeint of the New Jersey State Bar Foundation's Medal of Honor Award 2022
• Recipient of the Daniel J. O'Hern Award, 2022
• 2020 recipient of Lifetime Achievement Award from Essex County Bar Association
• Selected for inclusion in Chambers USA, Business Litigation, White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations, 2023
• Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America
• Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
• Fellow, American Board of Criminal Lawyers
• Receipt of a 2018 Professional Lawyer of the Year Award from the Federal Bar of New Jersey and the New Jersey Commission on Professionalism in the Law, in recognition of his exemplary character, competence and professional behavior.
• Recipient of the 2018 (inaugural) Francis X. Dee Award from the American College of Trial Lawyers, in recognition of outstanding trial and advocacy skills and exceptional professional conduct
• Recipient of the 2018 Gerald B. O’Connor Award from the New Jersey Association for Justice, in recognition of his skills as a trial lawyer and his professionalism within the legal community
• 2014 recipient of Litigation Counsel of America’s Peter Perlman Service Award
• 2013 recipient of the Jewish National Fund Tree of Life Award
• 2011 recipient of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund Award of Excellence
• 2009 recipient of the NJN Foundation NJN Legacy Award
• 2007 recipient of the NAACP Freedom Fund Award
• 2005 recipient of the National Council of Women of the USA Distinguished International Award
• 2005 recipient of the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender Champion Defender Award
• 1998 recipient of the Garden State Bar Association Van Y. Clinton Award
• 1998 recipient of the Macon B. Allen Black Bar Association Recognition Award
• Selected for inclusion in the list of Best Lawyers as 2013 Woodbridge “Lawyer of the Year” in the Criminal Defense: Non-White-Collar practice area
• Selected for inclusion in the list of Best Lawyers in the Corporate Governance and Compliance Law, Criminal Defense: Non-White-Collar, and Criminal Defense: White-Collar practice areas (1989 – 2025)
• Selected for inclusion in the list of New Jersey Super Lawyers in Criminal Defense: White Collar practice area (2007 – present)
• Selected for inclusion in the list of Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rated AV® Preeminent lawyers (1983 – present)

The Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings list is issued by Martindale-Hubbell. A description of the selection methodology can be found at https://www.martindale.com/ratings-and-reviews/.

The Super Lawyers list is issued by Thomson Reuters. A description of the selection methodology can be found at http://www.superlawyers.com/about/selection_process.html.

The Best Lawyers list is issued by BL Rankings, LLC of the selection methodology can be found at https://www.bestlawyers.com/About/MethodologyBasic.aspx.

The Chambers USA ranking list is published by Chambers & Partners. A description of the selection methodology can be found at https://chambers.com/about-us/methodology.

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Community & Professional

• Host of the Emmy Award-winning New Jersey Network public television program “Due Process”
• Member, Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers of New Jersey; past President
• Member, New Jersey State Bar Association, Criminal Law Section; member, Task Force on Judicial Independence
• Member, American Bar Association; Appointed member, Center for Human Rights; member, Sections of Criminal Justice and International Law
• Member, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers; former Board member and Parliamentarian
• Chosen to moderate a special Congressional Briefing hosted by the Senate Human Rights Caucus
• In conjunction with his role as co-founder of the International Justice Project, was interviewed by the South African Broadcasting Corporation on the legal and political implications of Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir’s recent travel to South Africa for the African Union (AU) Summit.
• Member, Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey