Raymond J. Batla, Jr., Attorney

YHS Class of 1965

Raymond grew up in Yarrellton, near the Czech-speaking farming community Marak. He excelled academically at YHS tying with Mike Perrin for 3rd place in their graduating class and being selected as the outstanding math and science student in the Class of 1965. He earned a BS degree in civil engineering at UT-Austin, ranking first in his civil engineering class and graduating with highest honors. Graduation with honors in 1973 at UT-Austin School of Law followed. Shortly he joined his present Washington, D.C., firm of Hogan & Hartson where he would represent a list of renowned oil, gas, telecommunication, and banking clients in multi-billion dollar projects. His Czech-Texan ancestry provided a language heritage qualifying him to represent the National Endowment for Democracy of Washington, D.C., when President Havel of Czechoslovakia invited a U.S. delegation to oversee the first free elections in his country in over 40 years. Raymond's rise to the highest levels of international business resulted in his role as a pioneer opening Central and Eastern Europe to U.S. investment beginning in international offices in London, Paris, Brussels, Berlin, Prague, Warsaw, Budapest, Moscow and Tokyo. Raymond was elected to Hogan & Hartson's five-partner governing Executive Committee in 2000.