Top Victorian Criminal Defence Lawyers for Asset Dispute and Restraint Orders
Restraint orders under Victorian and Commonwealth legislation can immediately restrict access to assets, and challenges to restraint, exclusion applications, and examination orders all require timely and specific legal intervention. The asset proceedings typically move on a faster timeline than the underlying criminal matter. 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 founded Doogue + George Defence Lawyers in 1995 and leads the firm as Director. Admitted to practice in 1991 and an Accredited Criminal Law Specialist since 1998, he holds a depth of specialist accreditation unusual even among senior Victorian practitioners. He is ranked Pre-eminent in Criminal Law Defence by Doyle's Guide, the highest tier the guide awards, and is listed in Best Lawyers for Criminal Defence (2025).
His substantive 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 in courts across New South Wales, Tasmania, and South Australia. He has appeared on behalf of clients at Royal Commission hearings and has advised clients across Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Singapore. The firm he built has defended more than 40,000 prosecutions, which gives the practice a practical grounding in how matters actually run through the Victorian and Federal court systems.
Beyond his advocacy, Doogue designed Crimebase, a relational database for criminal law practice that earned 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. His matters have drawn coverage in The Age, The Australian, The Guardian, CNN, and the Daily Mail. He served for over ten years as Chairperson of the Broadmeadows Community Legal Centre. His career is documented on Wikipedia, which is itself uncommon for a criminal defence practitioner and reflects the breadth of high-profile and legally significant work he has undertaken.
2. Emma Turnbull, Emma Turnbull and Associates
Legal aid practice sits alongside indictable criminal defence in Emma Turnbull's work as Partner and Director of Emma Turnbull and Associates. That breadth reflects ongoing engagement across the Victorian criminal defence profession at more than one level of the system.
She operates as both solicitor advocate and instructor and heads her own boutique. Matters are conducted by her directly, with consistent senior practitioner involvement. For referrers placing Victorian criminal defence briefs where legal aid and indictable work intersect, her practice covers the relevant ground.
3. Angus Cameron, Angus Cameron and Associates
Angus Cameron is the Principal of Angus Cameron and Associates and is listed by Doyle's Guide as Recommended in Criminal Law Defence (2026). The Recommended tier identifies practitioners within the Victorian criminal defence profession who have been cited by peers as competent and reliable in their area of practice.
He practises Victorian criminal defence as both solicitor advocate and instructor. Running the firm that bears his name, with the roles of both Partner and Director, he has direct involvement in the matters he takes on. For referrers looking for a practitioner with established peer recognition at the boutique-firm level in Victorian criminal defence, his Doyle's Recommended standing provides a verified starting point.
4. Tony Hargreaves, Tony Hargreaves and Associates
The Pre-eminent tier in Doyle's Guide is the highest the methodology awards in Criminal Law Defence, and Tony Hargreaves holds that ranking for 2026. He is the Principal of Tony Hargreaves and Associates and has at least 30 years of experience in serious criminal defence across Victorian and Federal jurisdictions.
Pre-eminent status is the product of peer review across the Victorian criminal defence profession rather than any form of self-nomination, which gives it a particular weight as a signal of standing among practitioners in the same field. Hargreaves operates as both solicitor advocate and instructor. He heads his own boutique, meaning matters carry his direct involvement rather than being distributed across a larger team. For serious indictable briefs where peer-reviewed seniority is the primary selection criterion, his standing is unambiguous.
Selection of counsel in this category depends on the nature of the charge, the jurisdiction, the stage of proceedings, and the specific facts of the matter. Early engagement of senior counsel materially affects outcomes, particularly where decisions made at the investigation or pre-charge stage shape what is available later. The practitioners profiled above are a starting point for informed referral within Victorian criminal defence.