In a career spanning more than 40 years, Ray has developed a rare practice combining environmental law and law concerning art and architecture. He has also played a major role in the Milwaukee and national art worlds, as well as in local government and conservation efforts.
Ray was one of the early environmental law practitioners in the 1970s and has continued his practice since that time focusing on contaminated property issues in the context of state and federal site clean ups, brownfield development, environmental insurance recovery, and contribution claims. The founder of the firm’s Climate Change practice and the leader of a sub-group focused on commercial solar developments, Ray has counseled clients, negotiated settlements, litigated cases, and lectured on a wide range of topics relating to the environment.
His renewable energy practice has focused on solar and biomass projects. He has represented developers of solar projects in the Midwest and the West, including the Jemez Pueblo nation in its development of one of the first commercial-scale solar-project proposals on Indian land. He takes a highly active role in every project, providing his clients with strategic legal counsel throughout the development process on everything from power-purchase agreements to finance, regulatory matters, real estate and legislative issues, and other business-related concerns.
Ray’s practice also includes a focus on architecture, museum development and sustainability, which has immersed him in local, national, and international art law issues.
He served as Chairman of the Georgia O’Keeffe Foundation in Abiquiu, New Mexico, for 20 years, a foundation dedicated to perpetuating the legacy of one of America’s great artists. He served as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Milwaukee Art Museum for 12 years, including three years as president and three years as chairman. He was on its Building Committee for the acclaimed addition to the Museum by the renowned architect Santiago Calatrava, as well as for the current Kahler addition. In this role, he was responsible for restructuring the Museum’s real estate relationships with the City of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County, and has been involved in the renovation of the buildings housing the Museum’s permanent collection.
Ray also represented Santiago Calatrava in other projects.
In the areas of public service, Ray served as Chairman, by appointment of several Governors, of the Milwaukee River Revitalization Council. He continues as a director of the River Revitalization Foundation, which he helped found 25 years ago, and which is establishing an urban parkway along the Milwaukee River connecting the down town to the park system in the northern part of Milwaukee County.
His 14 years as an elected Village Trustee has provided insight into the operation of local government. For many years, Mr. Krueger has served as Chairman of the Whitefish Bay Community Development Authority which has produced and implemented a business district master plan.