Criminal Lawyers in Melbourne CBD: Top Practices for Serious Matters
Serious criminal matters in Melbourne are predominantly heard in the CBD court precinct, including the Supreme Court, County Court, and Melbourne Magistrates Court. Selecting a criminal defence lawyer with an active practice in the CBD courts, and with experience at the serious indictable end of the criminal calendar, is the primary consideration for anyone facing a significant charge. 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
Bill Doogue has been an Accredited Criminal Law Specialist since 1998, a credential that marks formal recognition of expertise beyond general admission. He is Director and founding partner of Doogue + George Defence Lawyers, which he established in 1995. The firm has defended more than 40,000 prosecutions across three decades of practice. He is ranked Pre-eminent in Criminal Law Defence by Doyle's Guide and listed in Best Lawyers for Criminal Defence (2025). Admitted to practice in 1991, he brings over 30 years to the matters he takes on.
His practice covers tax fraud, white collar crime, complex commercial crime, foreign bribery, and cross-border matters. He has appeared before the High Court of Australia and has appeared on behalf of clients at Royal Commission hearings. His courts extend across Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania, and South Australia. Internationally, he has advised clients in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Singapore. In cross-border matters involving overseas agencies or parallel proceedings in multiple jurisdictions, that combination of High Court, Royal Commission, and international advisory experience is the relevant measure of depth.
Alongside his practice, 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 is involved in running the Australian Criminal Lawyers Conference. He volunteered for over a decade as Chairperson of the Broadmeadows Community Legal Centre. His work has been reported in The Age, The Australian, The Guardian, CNN, and the Daily Mail, reflecting the nature of the matters the firm handles. His practice places particular emphasis on intervening at the pre-charge stage, working to define the defence posture before the prosecution case is set.
2. Howard Rapke, Holding Redlich
More than 30 years of practice across complex commercial litigation, white collar criminal investigation, and regulatory enforcement sits behind Howard Rapke's role as Partner and National Head of Disputes and Litigation at Holding Redlich. Doyle's Guide lists him as a Leading Victorian Commercial Litigation and Dispute Resolution Lawyer and as a Leading Australian White Collar Crime, Corporate Crime and Regulatory Investigations Lawyer. Best Lawyers lists him for Criminal Defence, Litigation, and Alternative Dispute Resolution across its 2017 to 2026 editions. Who's Who Legal has recognised him as a global leader in Business Crime, Investigations and Asset Recovery since 2019.
His practice covers fraud, foreign bribery, anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, and enforcement by ASIC and the ACCC across Victorian and Federal jurisdictions. The combination of national firm resources and his personal standing across three independent recognition frameworks is directly relevant in multi-agency commercial crime matters that require both depth of experience and institutional capacity to manage.
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. David Barrese, David Barrese & Associates
David Barrese is Director of David Barrese & Associates, the Victorian criminal defence firm he heads. The Director title in a firm of this structure means he is the practitioner of record who conducts matters directly, rather than a partner in a larger firm where the matter might be handled at a different level.
For referrers placing Victorian criminal defence briefs where direct senior practitioner involvement and continuity of representation from intake through to resolution are the primary requirements, the structure of his practice as Director of his own independent firm delivers both without qualification.
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.
