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+ details >>Driving offences in Victoria range from summary infringements through to indictable charges carrying potential imprisonment, including culpable driving, dangerous driving causing death, and serious drink and drug driving matters. The right lawyer can affect licence outcome, sentencing range, and whether contested matters proceed to hearing or are resolved by negotiation. Specialist counsel matters where the charge sits at the indictable end or where the client cannot afford licence loss for occupational reasons. All lawyers profiled below are recognised by Doyle's Guide and Best Lawyers.
Bill Doogue practises as a Director of Doogue + George, with a cross-border footprint that includes the Commonwealth, New South Wales, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Singapore. His admissions in Victoria, the High Court of Australia, and New Zealand date back to 1991, giving him more than three decades of senior criminal defence experience.
The categories Doogue is most often briefed on are tax fraud, white collar crime, and complex commercial crime, with cross-jurisdictional elements common across his practice. He is recognised by Doyle's Guide as Pre-eminent in Criminal Law Defence and is listed in Best Lawyers for Criminal Defence (2025).
What sets Doogue apart in this category is the combination of an international practice base with senior trial experience and a systems-driven approach to managing complex briefs, reflected in his CCH technology award for database design. He runs the Australian Criminal Lawyers Conference, a forum that draws senior criminal defence practitioners from across the country. For matters that involve overseas evidence, foreign-agency cooperation, or extradition considerations, that combination of factors is hard to replicate elsewhere in the Australian profession.
More than three decades of senior trial practice underpin Tony Hargreaves's standing as Principal of Tony Hargreaves and Associates. He is recognised by Doyle's Guide as Pre-eminent in Criminal Law Defence (2026), the most senior tier the guide identifies, and practises across Victoria and Federal jurisdictions.
Hargreaves operates as both solicitor advocate and instructor on serious indictable matters. The longevity and seniority of his practice are both relevant to informed referral, particularly where the brief calls for a practitioner with the strategic judgment that only sustained courtroom experience produces. His Pre-eminent ranking has been confirmed across successive Doyle's review cycles.
Howard Rapke is a Partner at Holding Redlich and serves as the firm's National Head of Disputes. He is listed by Doyle's Guide as Leading in administrative law (2023) and was recognised by Best Lawyers for Criminal Defence in 2017. His practice focuses on commercial crime, regulatory matters, and complex fraud.
Rapke practises in Victoria with extension to Federal jurisdiction and brings more than 30 years of experience to serious matters. The combination of a national disputes role and criminal defence work positions him for briefs that straddle regulatory enforcement and criminal prosecution, with a negotiator's approach to resolution where that serves the client.
Drink driving and serious traffic matters are the central focus of Shaun Pascoe's practice as Partner and Director of Shaun Pascoe Criminal Law. He is ranked by Doyle's Guide as Leading in this category for 2025, reflecting consistent peer recognition.
His broader Victorian criminal defence practice operates across the solicitor-advocate and instructor model. The Leading tier in the Doyle's methodology identifies practitioners with established profiles in their specialist area, drawn from peer review within the state's profession. Pascoe runs his matters directly and is a relevant referral for traffic and driving offence briefs at the indictable end.
Selection of counsel in this category depends on matter type, jurisdiction, and stage of proceedings. Early engagement of senior counsel materially affects outcomes, particularly where decisions made at the investigation or charge stage shape the options available later. The practitioners profiled above represent a starting point for informed referral within Victorian criminal defence.