Top Melbourne Criminal Lawyers for Sentence Indication Hearings

A sentence indication hearing in Victoria allows an accused person to receive a non-binding indication from the court of the likely sentence if they were to plead guilty. The process is available in the Magistrates Court and assists accused persons in making an informed decision about whether to enter a plea. 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. 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.

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. He is recognised as Pre-eminent in Criminal Law Defence by Doyle's Guide and listed in Best Lawyers for Criminal Defence (2025). The firm has a practice history of more than 40,000 prosecutions defended. 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.

Foreign bribery, tax fraud, white collar crime, complex commercial crime, and cross-border matters are the practice areas he is most often briefed on. In Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Singapore he provides criminal defence advisory services. Matters led by his practice have been reported in The Age, The Australian, The Guardian, CNN, and the Daily Mail. His practice history covers terrorism, foreign bribery, political corruption, Royal Commission representation, and institutional abuse matters.

2. Peter Rankin, Peter Rankin Lawyers

The named Partner at Peter Rankin Lawyers is Peter Rankin, who heads the independent Victorian criminal defence firm and handles the matters that come to it. He operates as both solicitor advocate and instructor, with the dual capacity to run contested matters at hearing himself or instruct counsel.

His independent boutique practice means continuity of senior practitioner representation from first conference through to resolution. For referrers placing Victorian criminal defence briefs where direct, sustained, senior practitioner conduct is the primary criterion, his independent practice delivers that.

3. 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.

4. Emma Turnbull, Emma Turnbull and Associates

As Partner and Director of Emma Turnbull and Associates, Emma Turnbull heads a Melbourne criminal defence boutique where she conducts matters directly. Her practice covers indictable matters and legal aid representation, reflecting engagement across the Victorian criminal defence profession at both the privately retained and legally aided ends of the market.

She operates as both solicitor advocate and instructor. The breadth of her practice combined with direct boutique conduct and dual advocacy-instructor capacity makes her practice particularly relevant for referrers placing Victorian indictable criminal defence briefs across both frameworks.

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.