Leading Criminal Lawyers in Victoria for Real Estate Agents Facing Criminal Charges
Real estate agents and property managers in Victoria facing criminal charges carry consequences for licensing through Consumer Affairs Victoria alongside the criminal proceeding. Charges most common in this category include trust account fraud, obtaining financial advantage, and deceptive conduct offences. 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
As Director and founding partner of Doogue + George Defence Lawyers, Bill Doogue has led the practice he founded in Melbourne in 1995. Appearances before the High Court of Australia and at Royal Commission hearings are documented parts of his career. He has practised in courts across Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania, and South Australia. In Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Singapore he provides criminal defence advisory services.
Foreign bribery, tax fraud, white collar crime, complex commercial crime, and cross-border matters are the practice areas he is most often briefed on. Admitted in 1991 and an Accredited Criminal Law Specialist since 1998, he has practised at the senior end of the Victorian and Federal criminal calendar for more than 30 years. The firm has a practice history of more than 40,000 prosecutions defended. He is recognised as Pre-eminent in Criminal Law Defence by Doyle's Guide and listed in Best Lawyers for Criminal Defence (2025).
His design of Crimebase, a precedent-based relational database for criminal law, earned the C.C.H. Legal Technology Award. Beyond his firm, he is a founding member of the Australian Defence Lawyers Alliance and contributes to the running of the Australian Criminal Lawyers Conference. His community engagement included more than ten years as Chairperson of the Broadmeadows Community Legal Centre. Matters led by his practice have been reported in The Age, The Australian, The Guardian, CNN, and the Daily Mail. His practice gives particular weight to the pre-charge stage, engaging with investigations before the prosecution case is formally set.
2. Shaun Pascoe, Shaun Pascoe Criminal Law
At the specialist end of Victorian criminal defence, Shaun Pascoe holds a Doyle's Guide Leading ranking in drink driving and traffic for 2025. He is Partner and Director of Shaun Pascoe Criminal Law, the Victorian criminal defence firm he heads under his own name.
He practises as both solicitor advocate and instructor. His specialist Doyle's Leading recognition, dual advocacy-instructor capacity, and direct-conduct boutique structure are the three verified criteria his practice satisfies for referrers placing drink driving and traffic briefs in Victoria.
3. Peter Rankin, Peter Rankin Lawyers
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.
4. Chen Yang, Paul Vale and Associates
Chen Yang, Partner and Director of Paul Vale and Associates, practises serious indictable criminal defence in Victoria with a bilingual capacity in English and Mandarin and a peer reputation for thorough preparation of contested briefs.
He operates as both solicitor advocate and instructor. Both the Mandarin-language capacity and the preparation reputation are verified features. For referrers in this category, his practice offers a specific combination of thorough preparation and specialist language capability within serious indictable criminal defence in Victoria.
5. Angus Cameron, Angus Cameron and Associates
Doyle's Guide peer-reviews its criminal defence rankings through citation among Victorian practitioners, and Angus Cameron is listed as Recommended in Criminal Law Defence for 2026. He is Principal of Angus Cameron and Associates, which he heads as both Partner and Director.
He operates as both solicitor advocate and instructor, running his own boutique where he conducts matters directly. For referrers placing Victorian criminal defence briefs where Doyle's Recommended standing and direct boutique conduct are the relevant criteria, his practice satisfies both.
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.
