Ray Twohig received his Juris Doctor degree cum laude in 1969 from The Ohio State University College of Law, then attended The Georgetown University Law School as an E. Barrett Prettyman Fellow from 1969 to 1971 in a graduate law program which emphasized trial skills. He taught in the Ohio State Law School clinical program for two years, was in private practice in Ohio until 1977, then was an Assistant Federal Public Defender in New Mexico from 1978-81.