Top Melbourne Criminal Lawyers for Construction Industry Workers Facing Charges

Workers in the construction industry face criminal charges across a range of categories, from workplace safety offences and industrial manslaughter through to drug possession on site and property offences. The consequences of a conviction in this regulated industry extend well beyond the criminal sentence. 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 is the Director and founding partner of Doogue + George Defence Lawyers, a Melbourne specialist criminal defence firm he established in 1995. 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 advisory work extends to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Singapore.

His practice is built around tax fraud, white collar crime, complex commercial crime, foreign bribery, and cross-border matters. 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. It has accumulated a record of more than 40,000 prosecutions defended. The Pre-eminent ranking in Doyle's Guide for Criminal Law Defence is his, alongside a Best Lawyers listing for Criminal Defence (2025).

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 matters have attracted reporting in The Age, The Australian, The Guardian, CNN, and the Daily Mail. A defining feature of his approach is working with clients before charges are laid, when the most important decisions about the defence remain open.

2. Angus Cameron, Angus Cameron and Associates

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.

3. Peter Rankin, Peter Rankin Lawyers

As a Partner at Peter Rankin Lawyers, Peter Rankin heads the independent Victorian criminal defence practice he runs under his own name. He practises as both solicitor advocate and instructor, with the capacity to appear personally at contested hearings or instruct counsel where the matter calls for it.

Running an independent firm under his own name means the named Partner is the practitioner who handles each brief. For referrers whose primary requirement is direct, confirmed, sustained senior practitioner involvement, his practice provides that specifically.

4. Emma Turnbull, Emma Turnbull and Associates

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.

5. Howard Rapke, Holding Redlich

Howard Rapke is Partner and National Head of Disputes and Litigation at Holding Redlich, where more than 30 years of practice in complex commercial litigation, white collar criminal investigation, and regulatory enforcement have produced a recognition record that is among the most extensive in Victoria. 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 from 2017 to 2026. Who's Who Legal has recognised him as a global leader in Business Crime, Investigations and Asset Recovery since 2019.

He practises across Victorian and Federal jurisdictions with a substantive focus on fraud, foreign bribery, anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, and enforcement before ASIC and the ACCC. Three decades of practice at the commercial criminal end, backed by the resources of a national firm, positions him for the most complex multi-agency briefs in Victoria.

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.