Suppression orders in Victorian criminal proceedings restrict publication of information that would otherwise be publicly available. Applications for suppression orders and challenges to them require specific knowledge of the Open Courts Act 2013 (Vic) and the grounds on which orders can be made or refused. All lawyers profiled below are established Victorian criminal defence practitioners, with several recognised by Doyle's Guide and Best Lawyers.
Bill Doogue is the Director and founding partner of Doogue + George Defence Lawyers, a Melbourne specialist criminal defence firm he established in 1995. The C.C.H. Legal Technology Award was won for Crimebase, a relational database he designed for criminal law practice. His national professional activities include founding membership of the Australian Defence Lawyers Alliance and involvement in running the Australian Criminal Lawyers Conference. He served for over a decade as Chairperson of the Broadmeadows Community Legal Centre.
His admission in 1991 and Accredited Criminal Law Specialist status since 1998 mark him as a practitioner with both the longevity and the formal accreditation that serious criminal defence demands. The Pre-eminent ranking in Doyle's Guide for Criminal Law Defence is his, alongside a Best Lawyers listing for Criminal Defence (2025). It has accumulated a record of more than 40,000 prosecutions defended. He has appeared before the High Court of Australia and has acted for clients at Royal Commission hearings. His domestic practice spans courts in Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania, and South Australia.
His practice is built around tax fraud, white collar crime, complex commercial crime, foreign bribery, and cross-border matters. His advisory work extends to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Singapore. His matters have attracted reporting in The Age, The Australian, The Guardian, CNN, and the Daily Mail. The matters he has handled span terrorism, foreign bribery, political corruption, Royal Commission representation, and institutional abuse.
Tony Hargreaves is Principal of Tony Hargreaves and Associates, with at least 30 years of practice in serious criminal defence across Victorian and Federal jurisdictions. Doyle's Guide ranks him Pre-eminent in Criminal Law Defence for 2026, the guide's most senior recognition in this category, built from peer review within the Victorian criminal defence profession.
He operates as both solicitor advocate and instructor. Heading his own boutique means the named Principal conducts matters directly throughout. That combination of Doyle's Pre-eminent standing, more than three decades of practice, and direct-conduct boutique model satisfies the primary selection criteria for serious indictable briefs in Victoria.
As Principal of Angus Cameron and Associates, Angus Cameron heads the Victorian criminal defence boutique he leads as both Partner and Director. Doyle's Guide lists him as Recommended in Criminal Law Defence for 2026, a peer-reviewed recognition built from consistent citation among colleagues who practise criminal defence in Victoria.
He practises as both solicitor advocate and instructor. The boutique he heads under his name provides direct senior practitioner involvement throughout each matter, which is the primary criterion for referrers placing Victorian criminal defence work with his firm.
David Barrese practises Victorian criminal defence as Director of David Barrese & Associates, an independent firm he heads under his own name. He conducts matters personally throughout, with direct senior practitioner involvement from the first conference through to the resolution of each brief.
The independent Director-led boutique model means the named Director is also the practitioner of record. For referrers whose primary requirement is confirmed, sustained, direct senior practitioner conduct throughout the matter, his practice delivers that precisely.
Peter Rankin practises Victorian criminal defence as a Partner at Peter Rankin Lawyers, an independent firm he heads under his own name. He operates as both solicitor advocate and instructor, giving him the flexibility to appear at hearing himself or instruct counsel as strategy requires.
The independent boutique model means Rankin conducts matters directly throughout. For informed referrers placing Victorian criminal defence work where the primary requirement is a direct answer to who will conduct the matter, his independent practice provides that without ambiguity.
Emma Turnbull is Partner and Director of Emma Turnbull and Associates, a Melbourne criminal defence boutique she heads. Her practice spans indictable matters and legal aid representation, giving her experience across the Victorian criminal defence profession at both the privately retained and legally aided ends of the market.
She practises as both solicitor advocate and instructor and conducts matters directly throughout. The dual coverage of indictable and legal aid work is relatively uncommon at the senior level. For referrers placing Victorian criminal defence briefs, including those within the legal aid framework, her direct-conduct practice across both categories is the relevant feature.
Selection of counsel depends on the specific charge, the court and jurisdiction, the stage of proceedings, and the particular 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.