Ian Gray completed his Bachelor of Laws at Monash University in 1972 then was admitted to the bar of the High Court of Australia, Supreme Court of Victoria and the Northern Territory.

Early in his career he worked in private practice, was the community lawyer in a Community Legal Service and for three years was a solicitor with the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service. For four years in the early 1980s, he specialised in criminal defence work at the Victorian Bar.

Between 1987 and 1990 he was the Principal Legal Advisor for the Northern Land Council in Darwin where he negotiated with mining companies over exploration and mining proposals, advised on contractual matters over access to land for commercial purposes and conducted litigation arising out of land claims in the Northern Territory Supreme Court, the Federal and High Courts.

In 1990 he was appointed a Northern Territory magistrate. In 1992 he was appointed the Chief Magistrate for the Northern Territory and between 1995 1997 was a member of the national Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation.

In 1998, Mr Gray returned to the Victorian Bar where he practised in criminal law, administrative law and employment law. During this period he also worked as a mediator in native title.

In the year 2000, Mr Gray was head of the Land & Property Unit of the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor and has for the past few years has been a Vice President of the Victorian branch of the International Commission of Jurists.

In March 2001, Mr Gray was appointed Chief Magistrate of Victoria where he leads a court of 100 magistrates covering 52 court locations throughout the state. The Magistrates' Court of Victoria has seen major innovation and change in recent years, including the creation of a Drug Court, Koori Court and Family Violence Court.

Magistrates' Court of Victoria website