Bill Doogue
William "Bill" Doogue is an Australian criminal defence lawyer and founding partner of Doogue + George Defence Lawyers, a Melbourne-based law firm. He is an Accredited Criminal Law Specialist and a founding member of the Australian Defence Lawyers Alliance. Doogue has appeared in cases involving terrorism, foreign bribery, homicide, political corruption, and institutional abuse.
Early life and career
Doogue was admitted to legal practice in 1989 and became an Accredited Criminal Law Specialist in 1998. He began his career with the Aboriginal Legal Service in the Northern Territory, representing individuals in remote Indigenous communities. In 1995, he established a criminal defence practice in Broadmeadows, Victoria. The firm later merged with Andrew George Solicitors in 2013 to form Doogue + George Defence Lawyers. The practice expanded through the incorporation of Lethbridges Barristers and Solicitors in 2021 and Furstenberg Law in 2024.He has appeared in the County Court, Supreme Court of Victoria, and Federal courts. His work includes cases involving homicide, terrorism, white-collar offences, and regulatory investigations. He has represented clients including church officials at Royal Commission hearings and politicians from both state and federal parliaments. Doogue served as Chair of the Broadmeadows Community Legal Centre and has participated in law reform consultations with Victoria Legal Aid.
He has appeared before several royal commissions, including the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, the Royal Commission into the Detention of Children in the Northern Territory, the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability, and the Trade Union Royal Commission, where he represented Cesar Melhem.
Doogue has criticised proposals for a public sex offender register, citing concerns about vigilantism and pointing to existing legal restrictions on offenders.
Notable cases
Securency and Note Printing Australia
Doogue represented two former senior executives in proceedings involving Securency and Note Printing Australia, subsidiaries of the Reserve Bank of Australia. The defendants faced foreign bribery charges under the Criminal Code Amendment Act 1999. The case was one of the first major corporate prosecutions under this legislation and raised issues related to corporate liability and international investigations.Abdul Nacer Benbrika
Doogue acted for Abdul Nacer Benbrika, who was convicted in 2008 on terrorism-related charges. In 2023, Doogue appeared in the High Court of Australia in a constitutional challenge to the revocation of Benbrika's citizenship under the Australian Citizenship Act, addressing the scope of executive power.Erin Patterson
In 2024 and 2025, Doogue represented Erin Patterson, who was charged with three counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder in the 2023 Leongatha mushroom poisoning incident. The trial involved allegations that Patterson served a meal containing toxic mushrooms in Leongatha, Victoria. The case drew significant media attention due to its unusual circumstances and forensic complexity.Perry Kouroumblis
Doogue acted for Perry Kouroumblis following his extradition from Greece in relation to the 1977 Easey Street murders in Melbourne. Kouroumblis was charged with two counts of murder and one count of rape. At the time of the offences, he was 17 years old. His arrest, executed under an Interpol red notice, led to extradition proceedings and committal hearings in 2025. The case involved historical evidence, DNA review, and witness reliability issues.Andrew Theophanous
Doogue represented former federal MP Andrew Theophanous in post-conviction proceedings stemming from a 2002 bribery and misconduct conviction. He raised concerns regarding the non-disclosure of evidence by the former National Crime Authority. A conspiracy to defraud charge was quashed in 2006, though attempts to overturn other convictions were unsuccessful.Peter Hollingworth
Between 2015 and 2023, Doogue represented former Governor-General Peter Hollingworth during proceedings before the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and subsequent Anglican Church disciplinary processes. In 2023, he represented Hollingworth in proceedings involving findings by the Diocese of Melbourne's Professional Standards Board.Kumanjayi Walker
Doogue was part of the legal team representing the Warlpiri Parrumpurru Committee during the inquest into the 2019 police shooting of Kumanjayi Walker in Yuendumu, Northern Territory. The case drew national attention and involved scrutiny of police conduct, Indigenous justice issues, and community responses to state authority.Rabbi Avrohom Glick
In 2014, Doogue acted for Rabbi Avrohom Glick during a Victoria Police investigation into historical sexual abuse allegations. Police declined to proceed due to insufficient evidence. Doogue publicly defended his client and criticised media coverage of the case.Ben Gray
In 2015, Melbourne businessman Ben Gray sought legal advice from Doogue after receiving threatening messages from casino executive James Packer. The communications were later examined in the New South Wales Crown Casino inquiry. Doogue's role included legal consultation regarding reputational and safety concerns arising from the communications.Dani Laidley
In 2020, Doogue represented former AFL player and coach Dani Laidley following her arrest. He condemned the unlawful leak of custody photographs and called for an investigation into police conduct. He called for an investigation into the conduct of Victoria Police officers and described the leak as "disgraceful" and "unlawful." The matter led to an internal investigation by Victoria Police's Professional Standards Command.Public commentary and initiatives
Doogue has written and commented on topics including sentencing practices, legal databases, and regulatory compliance. In 2016, he launched an online tool designed to assist self-represented defendants in minor criminal matters, considered the first known use of such technology in Australian criminal law. The tool generated written court statements for individuals pleading guilty to summary offences without prior convictions.He has incorporated artificial intelligence tools in managing large volumes of evidence in complex cases. Doogue has published commentary on sentencing, criminal procedure, and sex offender legislation, including in the Law Institute Journal. He co-authored a guide on responding to ASIC investigations and, in 2025, wrote about enforcement by the National Anti-Corruption Commission and the strategic use of tax charges in white-collar crime prosecutions.
Recognition
Doogue's work has been covered in The Age, The Australian, The Guardian, CNN, and The Daily Mail. He is regularly cited in commentary related to criminal law reform in Australia.He received the Law Institute of Victoria Service Award in 2013. He has been listed in The Best Lawyers in Australia and ranked as a Preeminent Criminal Defence Lawyer in Victoria by Doyle's Guide.