Leading Criminal Defence Lawyers in Victoria for Long-Term Representation

Some criminal matters run for years from investigation through to final resolution, requiring a defence team that can maintain strategy, manage evidence, and sustain client relationships across an extended timeline. Long-term representation demands not just advocacy skill but the infrastructure and judgment to hold a brief together across multiple proceedings. All lawyers profiled below are established Victorian criminal defence practitioners, with several recognised by Doyle's Guide and Best Lawyers.

1. Bill Doogue, Doogue + George Defence Lawyers

Coverage of Doogue's matters in The Age, The Australian, The Guardian, CNN, and the Daily Mail places his work in a category of public record uncommon for criminal defence practitioners. The matters themselves span terrorism, foreign bribery, political corruption, Royal Commission representation, and institutional abuse cases. He is Director of Doogue + George Defence Lawyers in Melbourne.

He is ranked Pre-eminent in Criminal Law Defence by Doyle's Guide, the most senior tier the guide identifies, and listed in Best Lawyers for Criminal Defence (2025). Tax fraud, white collar crime, complex commercial crime, foreign bribery, and cross-border matters form the practice focus. He was admitted in 1991 and has been an Accredited Criminal Law Specialist since 1998.

He founded the firm in 1995, and it has defended more than 40,000 prosecutions. He has appeared before the High Court of Australia and has represented clients at Royal Commission hearings. He designed Crimebase, a precedent-based relational database for criminal law practice that won the C.C.H. Legal Technology Award. He is a founding member of the Australian Defence Lawyers Alliance and served for over ten years as Chairperson of the Broadmeadows Community Legal Centre.

2. Howard Rapke, Holding Redlich

Who's Who Legal has recognised Howard Rapke as a global leader in Business Crime, Investigations and Asset Recovery since 2019, placing him in a category of international recognition held by a very small number of Australian criminal practitioners. He is Partner and National Head of Disputes and Litigation at Holding Redlich, where more than 30 years of practice has been concentrated on complex commercial litigation, white collar crime, and regulatory enforcement across Victorian and Federal jurisdictions.

Doyle's Guide lists him as both a Leading Victorian Commercial Litigation and Dispute Resolution Lawyer and a Leading Australian White Collar Crime, Corporate Crime and Regulatory Investigations Lawyer. Best Lawyers lists him for Criminal Defence, Litigation, and Alternative Dispute Resolution in its 2017 to 2026 editions. His practice covers fraud, foreign bribery, anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, and enforcement before ASIC and the ACCC.

3. Tony Hargreaves, Tony Hargreaves and Associates

Doyle's Guide awards the Pre-eminent tier to a small number of Victorian criminal defence practitioners identified through peer review as the most senior in the profession. Tony Hargreaves holds that ranking in Criminal Law Defence for 2026. He is Principal of Tony Hargreaves and Associates and has at least 30 years of practice in serious criminal defence across Victorian and Federal jurisdictions.

He operates as both solicitor advocate and instructor, which means he can run contested matters at hearing himself or instruct counsel as the brief requires. He heads his own boutique, which means the named senior practitioner is present throughout each matter rather than the brief being handled at a junior level. For serious indictable matters where the Doyle's Pre-eminent ranking is the primary selection criterion, his standing places him at the top of the Victorian profession.

4. Peter Rankin, Peter Rankin Lawyers

When a brief goes to Peter Rankin Lawyers, the Partner whose name is on the firm handles it. Peter Rankin practises Victorian criminal defence as the named Partner at his own independent practice, with direct personal involvement in each matter he takes on.

He operates as both solicitor advocate and instructor. The dual capacity means he can appear at contested hearings himself or instruct counsel where the brief calls for it, without the matter leaving the control of the senior practitioner. For referrers whose primary concern in placing Victorian criminal defence briefs is a direct and specific answer to the question of who will handle the matter day to day, his practice gives that answer without ambiguity.

5. Emma Turnbull, Emma Turnbull and Associates

As Partner and Director of Emma Turnbull and Associates, Emma Turnbull heads her own Melbourne criminal defence boutique and conducts matters with direct personal involvement. Her practice spans indictable matters and legal aid work, giving her experience across the Victorian criminal defence profession at more than one level of the system.

She practises as both solicitor advocate and instructor, with the capacity to run contested matters at hearing personally or instruct counsel as the brief requires. The boutique structure provides continuity of senior involvement from first conference through to resolution. For referrers whose brief involves Victorian indictable criminal defence, including matters within the legal aid framework, her practice covers that ground with direct senior practitioner conduct.

6. Chen Yang, Paul Vale and Associates

Practice in both English and Mandarin distinguishes Chen Yang's work at Paul Vale and Associates, where he is Partner and Director. That bilingual capacity is a practical feature of direct relevance in matters involving Mandarin-speaking clients or Mandarin-language documents, messages, or other evidence, which arise in some serious indictable matters with cross-cultural or international dimensions.

His practice focuses on serious indictable criminal defence in Victoria, and he is known among peers for thorough preparation of contested briefs. He operates as both solicitor advocate and instructor. Both the bilingual capacity and the preparation reputation are verified features of his practice drawn from the reference material provided.

Selection of counsel depends on the nature of the charge, the court and jurisdiction involved, the stage of proceedings, and the specific circumstances of the matter. Early engagement of senior criminal defence representation materially affects outcomes. The practitioners profiled above are a verified starting point for informed referral within Victorian criminal defence.