Couch White LLP

Education, Not-for-Profit, Corporate and Commercial Transactions, Real Estate, Litigation

Of Counsel

Ralph specializes in advising not-for-profit corporations, including charter schools, on all aspects of formation, governance, facilities, operations, merger, and dissolution, as well as general education-related legal matters. Ralph served over 18 years as General Counsel to the State University of New York’s Charter Schools Institute.  As the former Counsel to the New York State Inspector General, Ralph has an extensive background in government and corporate investigations, compliance and ethics programs, risk analysis, governing board fiduciary obligations under case law and statutory standards, and white collar defense.  Ralph has handled many matters related to tax-exempt and taxable bond financing when he served as Director of Industrial Finance at the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation.

Prior to joining New York State government, Ralph was an attorney with Chadbourne & Parke, a full-service business law firm in New York City where he focused on complex commercial litigation, corporate matters, and white collar criminal defense. Ralph speaks and writes on charter school-related issues at national and New York State conferences and other events.

Alliance of Public Charter School Attorneys

Columbia College, A.B., 1986; Rutgers School of Law, J.D., 1992