Archive

Daniel practises in common law. He appears in damages trials and mediations concerning Workcover, Transport Accidents, Medical Negligence, Public Liability and Institutional Abuse.

Daniel is a co-author of Civil Procedure Victoria, an authoritative guide to civil litigation in Victoria.

Prior to joining the Bar, he was the Class Actions Coordinator at the Supreme Court of Victoria and worked with Justice Jack Forrest in the Black Saturday Bushfire Class Actions. Daniel was previously Associate to Justice Tony Pagone (then Judge in Charge of the Commercial Court, Supreme Court of Victoria).

He read with Simon McGregor (now Coroner McGregor) and his senior mentor is Andrew Keogh SC (now Justice Keogh, Supreme Court of Victoria).

Examples of recent cases

• Secretary to the Department of Health v David Davis [2025] VSCA 40: Appeal from VCAT order to release document relied on by Department officers in making COVID-19 Stay at Home Directions (led by P Panayi)

• Tracy v Bishop Edwards [2025] VSC 94: Application to transfer VIC institutional abuse proceeding to NSW (led by D Seeman)

• C V & A V v L S [2025] VCC 285 and Wright (a pseudonym) & Anor v Foster (a pseudonym) [2024] VCC 1429: Section 85B Sentencing Act applications for compensation

• Davis v DP World Melbourne Ltd [2025] VCC: Workcover damages jury trial (settled, led by T Tobin SC)

• Horwood v Dr Aitken & Ors [2025] VSC: Medical negligence and transport accident claim (ongoing, led by J Brett KC)

• Manning v North Eastern Car Club & Anor [2025] VSC: Rally car race transport accident claim (ongoing, led by A Clements KC)

• Thrower v SA Power Networks & Ors [2025] Supreme Court of South Australia: Cudlee Creek bushfire class action (ongoing, led by T Tobin SC, G Dalton KC, with J Waters and W Mellor)

Memberships

• Committee member of the Common Law Bar Association
• From time to time Daniel teaches advocacy in the Victorian Bar Readers’ Course, the Legal Training Institute of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands Appellate Advocacy Course
• Past member of the Victorian Bar Council
• Past Victorian President and founding committee member of the Asian Australian Lawyers Association

Publications and presentations

• Co-author of Civil Procedure Victoria, published by LexisNexis
• Co-author of Practical Guidance Dispute Resolution in the Supreme Court and County Court, published by LexisNexis
• ‘The Advent of E-Litigation: The Paperless Trial‘ an article published in the Australian Lawyers Alliance, Precedent Journal, March/April 2017 Edition

Ray is an experienced lawyer, having practised as a barrister for more than ten years, and as a solicitor prior to coming to the Bar.  He works primarily in personal injury law, but also appears regularly in a variety of other matters, particularly administrative law and employment law matters.

Ray has particular experience in claims for psychiatric injury, and acts for clients in statutory entitlement schemes and the common law area including historical abuse matters.  He has significant expertise in handling all types of claims under the Commonwealth workers’ compensation system (‘Comcare’ work).

Ray was awarded the Public Interest / Justice Innovation Pro Bono Award in 2016, as part of team of three barristers, for work on the Hazelwood Mine Fire Board of Inquiry.

Ray was the Treasurer of the Compensation Law Bar Association from 2015 to 2024.  He has acted as reviewing author for the LexisNexis legal publication Court Forms, Precedents and Pleadings Victoria.

Ray completed degrees in Arts and Law (with Honours) at Monash University and then undertook articles at Sparke Helmore Lawyers.  He practised at that firm for a number of years until he took up a position at one of Australia’s best-known companies, where he worked for several years before coming to the Bar.

Ray is pleased to accept e-briefs or conventional hard-copy briefs.

Some notable and recent cases in which Ray appeared include:

• Aguilar and Australian Postal Corporation [2015] AATA 420
  
• Goulburn Valley Suns FC, 2015 FFV Tribunal (TA15022)
• Tye and Tase 0508 P/L [2016] FWCFB 8733
• Arumugam and TNT Australia P/L [2017] AATA 2660
• Halliday v Pomare & Pazzan [2017] MCV (21/6/17, a bailment case)
• Gates v Robinson [2018] VCAT 40
• KR v BR & Anor [2018] VSCA 159 (led by I Fehring)
• Gropel v Comcare [2018] FCA 1146 (led by N Horner)
• Li v West Sands P/L & Gao [2018] MCV (20/11/18, a civil penalties case under the Fair Work Act 2009)
• Courtney v Ray & State of Victoria [2019] VSC 175
• Barnes and Victorian Building Authority [2019] AATA 4796
• Davis and Australian Postal Corporation [2021] AATA 30
• Chung and Secretary, Attorney-General’s Department [2021] AATA 4804
• Sestan v Hollow Core Concrete [2022] VCC (21/9/22, a jury trial, led by T Tobin)
• Palin and National Disability Insurance Agency [2023] AATA 94

For a full list of decisions in cases where Ray appeared, please contact him directly.