Portrait of Raymond Agran

Raymond D. Agran

Principal

He/Him/His

Ray brings decades of experience guiding clients towards achieving their business objectives through practical solutions to their commercial issues. His meticulous approach ensures that documentation related to mergers and acquisitions, capital raising, and commercial contracts mitigates legal risks and complies with applicable laws. Ray's diverse clientele includes individual entrepreneurs, investors, family businesses, family offices (both large and small), venture capital and hedge funds, burgeoning technology startups, emerging growth companies, as well as established, thriving, substantial private and public enterprises.

Ray concentrates his practice on mergers and acquisitions, capital raising, entity formation, securities law compliance, employment and equity incentive agreements for C-suite executives, software licensing, and complex joint ventures involving equity in various sectors such as real estate development, industrial processes, life sciences, and software. Additionally, he adeptly handles general commercial matters, encompassing loan agreements, distribution agreements, and long-term supply arrangements.

In an interview discussing Ray's inclusion in the Chambers Guide to Leading U.S. Lawyers, a client expressed their satisfaction, stating that Ray "did a magnificent job; he produced a great work product efficiently, in a timely manner, and at an appropriate cost." He also has significant experience in industrial component production, defense contracting, mining, and real estate development. A substantial portion of Ray's practice involves representations of non-U.S. individuals and entities that do business or acquire assets in the United States, as well as transactions for U.S. companies that involve significant cross-border elements, with experience in M&A and securities work in the U.K., France, Germany, Japan, China, Poland, Ukraine, and South America.

    Education

    • Columbia Law School (J.D., with honors)
      • (Chancellor Kent Scholar ("highest honors") 3rd year, Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar 1st year and 2nd year ("very high honors")
    • Yale University (B.A., magna cum laude)

    State Bar Admissions

    • New Jersey
    • New York
    • Pennsylvania

    Court Admissions

    • United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
    • United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
    • United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
    • United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York
    • United States District Court for the Southern District of New York

    Professional Affiliations

    • Yale Club of Philadelphia, Council Member (Board of Directors)
    • American Bar Association, Business Law Section, Mergers and Acquisitions Committee, Member
    • American Bar Association, Business Law Section, International Business Law Committee, Member

    Recognitions

    • Legal 500 Philadelphia Elite for Corporate M&A, 2025
    • Leading lawyer for Corporate Mergers and Acquisitions for Securities Law for Pennsylvania, Chambers, USA, 2012-2019
    • Legal Elite Corporate Lawyer List, Smart CEO magazine, 2011-2012

    Languages

    • Russian
    • French
    • Spanish

Firm Highlights

  • Podcasts
    Artful Donations: Exploring Museum Exchange
    In this episode of The Legal Canvas, host Caryn Keppler welcomes Robert Wainstein and Michael Darling, co-founders of Museum Exchange, the first digital platform dedicated to facilitating art donations to museums and nonprofit institutions across North America. Together, they explore how technology is transforming the way collectors, artists, estates, and cultural organizations connect through charitable giving. Robert and Michael explain the inspiration behind Museum Exchange, the challenges they set out to solve, and how the platform has grown into a network of more than 400 museums. They walk listeners through the donation process—from evaluating artwork and matching donors with institutions to handling logistics, documentation, and tax considerations. Along the way, they discuss the realities of museum collecting, why many donations are declined, and how thoughtful placements can help preserve artists' legacies while expanding access to important works of art. The conversation also explores Museum Exchange's work with living artists, artist estates, hospitals, universities, and smaller regional museums, as well as the launch of the Charis Foundation for the Arts, a nonprofit designed to steward significant collections before placing them with institutions that can best benefit from them. Robert and Michael conclude by sharing their vision for the future of charitable art transactions and how Museum Exchange is helping reshape philanthropy in the arts for generations to come.