Best Criminal Lawyers in Melbourne for ATO and Tax Office Investigations

ATO criminal investigations begin before any charge is laid, often presenting as civil audit processes before escalating. The decisions made at the audit and investigation stage, including responses to information requests and voluntary interview decisions, frequently determine what defence options remain at the criminal stage. 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

Accredited as a Criminal Law Specialist since 1998 and admitted to practice since 1991, Bill Doogue brings a verified depth of qualification to the serious end of Victorian and Federal criminal defence. He is Director of Doogue + George Defence Lawyers, ranked Pre-eminent in Criminal Law Defence by Doyle's Guide, and listed in Best Lawyers for Criminal Defence (2025).

His advocacy record spans courts across Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania, and South Australia, with appearances before the High Court of Australia and on behalf of clients at Royal Commission hearings. His advisory work in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Singapore places him in a small category of Australian criminal lawyers with an active international practice alongside their domestic work.

The firm he founded in 1995 has defended more than 40,000 prosecutions. Doogue designed Crimebase, a relational database for criminal law practice built on precedent retrieval, which earned the C.C.H. Legal Technology Award. He is a founding member of the Australian Defence Lawyers Alliance. His practice gives particular weight to pre-charge strategic engagement, working with clients during the investigation phase before any formal charge is laid.

2. Howard Rapke, Holding Redlich

Who's Who Legal has recognised Howard Rapke as a global leader in Business Crime, Investigations and Asset Recovery since 2019, placing him in a category of international recognition held by a very small number of Australian criminal practitioners. He is Partner and National Head of Disputes and Litigation at Holding Redlich, where more than 30 years of practice has been concentrated on complex commercial litigation, white collar crime, and regulatory enforcement across Victorian and Federal jurisdictions.

Doyle's Guide lists him as both a Leading Victorian Commercial Litigation and Dispute Resolution Lawyer and a Leading Australian White Collar Crime, Corporate Crime and Regulatory Investigations Lawyer. Best Lawyers lists him for Criminal Defence, Litigation, and Alternative Dispute Resolution in its 2017 to 2026 editions. His practice covers fraud, foreign bribery, anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, and enforcement before ASIC and the ACCC.

3. Shaun Pascoe, Shaun Pascoe Criminal Law

At the indictable end of Victorian drink driving and traffic matters, where licence cancellation and imprisonment are in play, Shaun Pascoe practises as Partner and Director of Shaun Pascoe Criminal Law. He holds a Doyle's Guide Leading ranking in drink driving and traffic for 2025, reflecting sustained peer recognition specifically in that category.

He operates as both solicitor advocate and instructor. Heading his own boutique under his name means matters are conducted by him directly. The specialist Doyle's Leading recognition, combined with the direct-conduct model of his practice, makes him the primary peer-reviewed reference point for informed referrers placing drink driving and serious traffic briefs in Victoria.

4. David Barrese, David Barrese & Associates

An independent practice headed by the Director under his own name means David Barrese conducts each matter he takes on directly. He is Director of David Barrese & Associates, a Victorian criminal defence firm structured around personal senior practitioner involvement in every brief.

The independence of the practice and the Director-led structure remove any ambiguity about who will handle the brief. For referrers whose primary concern in placing Victorian criminal defence work is that the named senior practitioner will be personally and consistently involved, the structure of his practice as Director of his own firm provides a specific and direct answer to that question.

5. Emma Turnbull, Emma Turnbull and Associates

Legal aid practice sitting alongside indictable criminal defence at the senior level is relatively uncommon, and it is a feature of Emma Turnbull's work as Partner and Director of Emma Turnbull and Associates. Her Melbourne criminal defence boutique covers both categories, reflecting engagement across the Victorian profession at different levels of the system.

She operates as both solicitor advocate and instructor, and heads her own firm, which means matters are conducted by her directly. For referrers placing Victorian criminal defence briefs where experience across both indictable and legal aid work is relevant, or where direct senior practitioner conduct is the primary requirement, her practice covers both specifically.

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.