D. Ryan McCray

D. Ryan McCray is an associate with the firm’s Litigation Practice Group. Ryan concentrates his practice in the areas of intellectual property, real estate, and sports law.
 
He and colleague Becca Saksefski are leading Seiller Waterman’s Sports Law Practice Group providing individual, entity, and team guidance on issues and in disputes affecting athletes and athletics. Ryan and Becca are coauthors of “Athletes Need a Coach (Attorney) to Compete in the NIL Landscape,” an article published by Legal Netlink Alliance (LNA), an international association of lawyers. Ryan is also a credited contributor to “Fundamental of Copyright Law in the Data Era- Enforcing Copyrights,” which was presented at Practicing Law Institute in 2022 and 2023.
 
Ryan was graduated, cum laude, from University of Louisville Louis D. Brandeis School of Law in May 2023. While in law school, he focused on litigation and intellectual property. Ryan competed in the Saul Lefkowitz Trademark Moot Court Competition and won the CALI Award of Excellence in Trial Practice. Ryan started as a Law Clerk at Seiller Waterman during law school and quickly gained experience in intellectual property, litigation, and real property matters.
 
Ryan received his Bachelor of Arts in History in 2014 from Earlham College (Richmond, Indiana) where he played collegiate football and baseball. Ryan received his Master of Arts of in Teaching from Earlham College in 2015. This career path led to six years as a middle and high school social studies teacher and baseball coach in both Lexington and Louisville before beginning law school in 2020. Ryan was born and raised in Lexington, KY, and is an alumnus of Henry Clay High School.
 
Though new to the practice of law, Ryan has already had broad exposure to litigation, and transactions relating to intellectual property, real estate, and sports law. Notable litigation experience includes copyright and trademark infringement, Trademark Trials and Appeals Board proceedings, disputes pertaining to the sale of real property, employment, and contracts, as well as collections, and criminal defense. Notable transactional experience includes copyright and trademark applications, intellectual property assignment and licensing agreements, waivers, releases, user terms and conditions contracts, artist commission agreements, and endorsements.
 
When not at the office, Ryan enjoys sports, horses, and bourbon, and even more, spending time with his beautiful wife and daughter.