Born in the Eastern Cape, Raymond Tucker grew up in Johannesburg. He studied at Rhodes University and later did a law degree at the University of the Witwatersrand. He was active in the Liberal Party and devoted himself to human rights. He increasingly handled political trial cases and thus became a known South African Human Rights solicitor, presenting at high profile cases such as Winnie Mandela, the Very Rev Gonville ffrench-Beytagh, Robert Sobukwe and the trial of the 'Pretoria 12' (Sexwale and 11 Others) . He was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of the Witwatersrand in 2004.