Alex Chernov, (born 12 May 1938) is an Australian lawyer, judge and barrister who served as the 28th

Governor of Victoria The governor of Victoria is the representative of the monarch, King Charles III, in the Australian state of Victoria. The governor is one of seven viceregal representatives in the country, analogous to the governors of the other states, and ...

, from 2011 to 2015. Chernov also served as Vice-President of the Australian Bar Association, from 1986 to 1987, President of the

Law Council of Australia The Law Council of Australia, founded in 1933, is an association of law societies and bar associations from the states and territories of Australia, and the peak body representing the legal profession in Australia. The Law Council represents ...

, from 1990 to 1991, and the 20th Chancellor of

Melbourne University The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb no ...

, from 2009 to 2011.

Early life

Chernov was born in

Wilno Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urba ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...

(now Vilnius, Lithuania) in 1938 to Russian parents, and migrated with his family to

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Austro-Bavarian) is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the Roman settlement of ''Iuvavum''. Salzburg was founded ...

, Austria, after the Soviet invasion, where he commenced his schooling. In 1949 his family migrated to Australia and he completed his education at

Melbourne High School Melbourne High School is a Education in Australia#Government schools, government-funded Single-sex education, single-sex Selective school, academically selective secondary school, secondary day school for boys, located in the Melbourne suburb o ...

. He graduated as a

Bachelor of Commerce A Bachelor of Commerce (abbreviated BComm or BCom; also, ''baccalaureates commercii'') is an undergraduate degree in business, usually awarded in Canada, Australia, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Ireland, New Zealand, Ghana, South Africa, M ...

and a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of ...

(with Honours) from the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb n ...

in 1961 and 1968 respectively.

Career

Chernov was admitted to practise and signed the Roll of Counsel as a barrister in 1968, practising mostly in

commercial law Commercial law, also known as mercantile law or trade law, is the body of law that applies to the rights, relations, and conduct of persons and business engaged in commerce, merchandising, trade, and sales. It is often considered to be a bra ...

and equity. He was appointed

Queen's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister or ...

in 1980 and later in a majority of other states. He was Chairman of the

Victorian Bar The Victorian Bar is the bar association of the Australian State of Victoria. The current President of the Bar is Roisin Annesley KC. Its members are barristers registered to practice in Victoria. On 30 June 2020, there were 2,179 counsels ...

(1985–86), Vice-President of the Australian Bar Association (1986–87) and President of the

(1990–91). He was Vice President of LawAsia (1995–97). Chernov was the co-author with Robert Brooking of ''Tenancy Law and Practice: Victoria'' (1972) and the editor of its second edition (1980). In May 1997 Chernov was appointed to the Trial Division of the

Supreme Court of Victoria The Supreme Court of Victoria is the highest court in the Australian state of Victoria. Founded in 1852, it is a superior court of common law and equity, with unlimited and inherent jurisdiction within the state. The Supreme Court compr ...

, and in October 1998 to the Court of Appeal of that Court. He retired from the bench in February 2008. Chernov was elected the 20th

Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

of the

in January 2009, serving in that office until he resigned to take up the office of

Vice-regal office

On 21 February 2011, it was announced that Chernov would become the 28th Governor of Victoria. He assumed that office on 8 April 2011. On the retirement of Dame Marie Bashir as

Governor of New South Wales The governor of New South Wales is the viceregal representative of the Australian monarch, King Charles III, in the state of New South Wales. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia at the national level, the governors of the ...

on 1 October 2014, Chernov became the longest-serving governor of an Australian state and by custom assumed the additional office of Administrator of the Commonwealth, which exercises the powers of the

Governor-General of Australia The governor-general of Australia is the representative of the monarch, currently King Charles III, in Australia.Linda Dessau Linda Marion Dessau (born 8 May 1953) is an Australian jurist, barrister, and the 29th and current governor of Victoria since 1 July 2015. She is the first female and the first Jewish holder of the office. She was a judge of the Family Court ...

was appointed as his replacement.

Personal life

Chernov is married and has three children.

Honours

Chernov was appointed Queen's Counsel in and for the State of Victoria in 1980. He was created an

Officer of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Go ...

in the 2007 Queen's Birthday Honours list for service to the law and education. On 26 January 2012, Chernov was named a

Companion of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Go ...

. On 14 May 2014, Chernov was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws by

Monash University Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university h ...

References

External links

University of Melbourne biographyGovernor of Victoria biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chernov, Alex 1938 births Living people Governors of Victoria (Australia) Judges of the Supreme Court of Victoria Chancellors of the University of Melbourne Melbourne Law School alumni 20th-century King's Counsel Australian King's Counsel Companions of the Order of Australia Lithuanian emigrants to Australia Australian people of Russian descent Naturalised citizens of Australia