Government Experience

  • Department of Veterans Affairs—Attorney Advisor, 2013-2014
  • Federal Aviation Administration—Attorney, Office of the Chief Counsel, 2014-2018

Education

  • Washington and Lee University, B.A. (2009) cum laude
  • Washington and Lee University School of Law, J.D. (2012)

Admissions

  • District of Columbia
  • Massachusetts
  • New York
  • U.S. Supreme Court

Languages

  • Mandarin (Intermediate)

Mary-Caitlin Ray

Counsel
mray@crowell.com
+1.202.688.3524

Mary-Caitlin Ray is a counsel in Crowell & Moring’s Aviation Group in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. Her practice focuses on complex regulatory and commercial concerns associated with the operation, sale, and acquisition of aircraft. Mary-Caitlin advises clients across multiple industries on safe, innovative integration of unmanned aircraft systems (aka UAS or drones) into their operations. Mary-Caitlin also advises clients on Federal Aviation Administration procurement issues, including  contract negotiation and administration, the Buy American Act, novation of contracts and compliance with the agency’s grant assurances. 

Prior to joining Crowell & Moring, Mary-Caitlin served as an attorney in the Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of the Chief Counsel, where she provided commercial and litigation risk advice on NextGen and UAS procurements. She also served as lead procurement counsel to the UAS Integration Pilot Program, a White House initiative allowing for state, local, and tribal governments to partner with private sector entities to accelerate safe integration of complex UAS operations.

Mary-Caitlin is an active member of the American Bar Association. She serves as the Young Lawyer Liaison to the Forum on Air and Space Law, and she previously served as a vice chair of the Public Contract Law Section’s Young Lawyers Committee.

In law school, she was an editor of the Journal of Civil Rights and Social Justice.

Affiliations

Professional Activities and Memberships

  • Chair, Young Lawyers Committee of the American Bar Association Forum on Air and Space Law
  • Young Lawyer Liaison to the American Bar Association Forum on Air and Space Law
  • Member, International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading
  • Member, Women in Aviation International
  • Vice Chair, ABA Section of Public Contract Law Young Lawyers Committee, August 2017-August 2018

Representative Matters

  • Performed aviation due diligence for acquisitions and sales of aircraft operators engaged in civil and military operations, Part 145 Repair Stations, Holders of Type Certificates, Parts Manufacturer Approvals and Supplemental Type Certificates . 
  • Advised a manufacturer on the regulatory requirements for manufacturing and operating small recreational drones. 
  • Advised small unmanned aircraft operators on obtaining FAA approval for complex operations, including operations beyond visual line of sight.
  • Advised a mining company on obtaining a release to use FAA-funded airport land for non-aeronautical purposes.
  • Assisted clients in structuring entities to ensure compliance with U.S. citizenship requirements under federal aviation statutes. 
  • Represented and advised airline and aerospace companies on compliance with Federal Aviation Administration grant assurances and Buy America Act requirements.  

Speeches & Presentations

  • "Charting the Course: Finding of Niche as a Burgeoning Lawyer," American Bar Association, Montreal, Canada. (September 16, 2022). Speaker: Mary-Caitlin Ray.
  • “How Different Will the Future Be?" Isle of Man Aviation Conference, Douglas, Isle of Man, 2022. (June 22, 2022). Speakers: Mary-Caitlin Ray
  • “The Public-Private Connection – The Policies You Need to Know to Plug Into Dual Use & Other Opportunities” Law-Tech-Connect Workshop, Orange County, FL. (April 25, 2022). Speaker: Mary-Caitlin Ray
  • “Airports of the Future: Legal Considerations for Sustainable and Safe Mobility of People and Goods,” Eighth Annual In-House Recovery Conference, Dana Point, CA (March 10, 2022). Panelists: Meagan Bachman, Lorraine Campos, Mary-Caitlin Ray and Chahira Solh.
  • "Drone Law & Policy in Commercial Operations," 2020 AZDroneFest & Education Expo (October 22, 2020). Panelist: Mary-Caitlin Ray.
  • "Public Safety Drone Regulation and Policy," InterDrone Webinar Series (August 19, 2020). Presenter: Mary-Caitlin Ray.
  • "Parsing the Preemption Puzzle: Where is the Line?" ABA Forum on Air and Space Law Drone Law Conference, Washington, D.C. (June 18, 2018). Moderator: Mary-Caitlin Ray.
  • "Not Your Average Bid Protest," ABA’s 24th Federal Procurement Institute, Annapolis, MD (March 14-17, 2018). Moderator: Mary-Caitlin Ray.

Publications


Client Alerts & Newsletters


Press Coverage