Our People

• Bachelor of Laws (LLB), University of Otago, New Zealand
• Admitted in New Zealand (1989); Northern Territory (1992; Victoria (1995)
• Accredited Criminal Law Specialist (1998); Admitted to the High Court of Australia (2003)

Bill is the founding partner of Doogue + George Defence Lawyers, a Melbourne-based criminal defence firm ranked one of the 5 pre-eminent Criminal Lawyers in Australia by the Doyle’s Guide. He has over 30 years’ experience as a criminal defence lawyer, has been an Accredited Criminal Law Specialist since 1998, and is a founding member of the Australian Defence Lawyers Alliance. Bill is based at the Melbourne and Sydney offices of Doogue + George.

Bill’s practice spans the full spectrum of criminal and quasi-criminal law. He has appeared in matters involving terrorism, foreign bribery, homicide, political corruption, and institutional abuse. He has represented church officials at Royal Commission hearings and advised politicians from both major parties at state and federal levels on matters intersecting with criminal law. Additionally, he has worked alongside King’s Counsel and Chief Corporate Counsel for major Australian corporations, providing strategic advice on criminal exposure and regulatory risk.

Bill began his career with the Aboriginal Legal Service in the Northern Territory, representing individuals in remote Indigenous communities. He established his own criminal defence practice in 1995, which grew through successive mergers to become Doogue + George. His firm conducts jury trials in the County and Supreme Courts, and Bill is known for his involvement in matters before charges are laid, working to resolve investigations before they escalate into prosecutions. Moreover, he designed Crimebase, a legal database for criminal practitioners that won the CCH Legal Technology Award. He is recognised in The Best Lawyers in Australia 2026™ for Criminal Defence.

• Securency / Reserve Bank Prosecutions – Defended former senior executives of Reserve Bank of Australia subsidiaries in Australia’s inaugural major foreign bribery prosecution. The matter set critical precedents regarding corporate liability and the reach of international investigations.
• R v Benbrika (High Court of Australia) – Acted for Abdul Nacer Benbrika in high-stakes terrorism proceedings and subsequent constitutional litigation. Secured a landmark High Court victory challenging the revocation of citizenship, successfully redefining the limits of executive power under the Australian Citizenship Act.
• Royal Commissions and Inquests – Counsel for former Governor-General Peter Hollingworth before the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and subsequent disciplinary inquiries. Represented Cesar Melhem at the Trade Union Royal Commission and appeared for the Warlpiri community at the inquest into the death of Kumanjayi Walker.
• White-Collar Crime & Corporate Investigations – Strategically advises individuals when personal and corporate interests diverge. Leads internal investigations for top-tier firms and corporations, managing sensitive, cross-border legal risks.

• Broadmeadows Community Legal Centre (former Chairperson)
• Australian Defence Lawyers Alliance (founding member)

• Criminal Law Committee, Law Institute of Victoria