Best Criminal Lawyers in Melbourne for Carjacking and Aggravated Vehicle Theft
Carjacking and aggravated vehicle theft in Victoria are serious indictable offences involving the taking of a motor vehicle by force, threat, or deception. The presence of violence or a weapon significantly affects both the charge and the potential penalty. 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 Director of Doogue + George Defence Lawyers, the Melbourne specialist criminal defence firm he founded in 1995. The firm has defended more than 40,000 prosecutions in Victorian and Federal courts. Admitted in 1991 and credentialled as an Accredited Criminal Law Specialist since 1998, he brings the full range of formal qualifications available to an Australian criminal defence practitioner. He holds Doyle's Guide Pre-eminent recognition in Criminal Law Defence and a Best Lawyers listing for Criminal Defence (2025).
Tax fraud, white collar crime, complex commercial crime, foreign bribery, and cross-border matters are the categories at the centre of his practice. He has appeared before the High Court of Australia and represented clients at Royal Commission hearings as part of his verified advocacy record. His court practice runs across Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania, and South Australia. His international advisory work in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Singapore is a functioning part of his cross-border practice.
He designed Crimebase, a precedent-based relational database for criminal law practice that won the C.C.H. Legal Technology Award. His professional commitments include founding membership of the Australian Defence Lawyers Alliance and involvement in running the Australian Criminal Lawyers Conference. His tenure as Chairperson of the Broadmeadows Community Legal Centre extended for over ten years. Work from his practice has been reported in The Age, The Australian, The Guardian, CNN, and the Daily Mail. Pre-charge strategic intervention, working with clients during the investigation phase, is among the defining features of how he conducts complex briefs.
2. 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.
3. Chen Yang, Paul Vale and Associates
Two verified features distinguish Chen Yang's practice at Paul Vale and Associates, where he is Partner and Director: serious indictable criminal defence in Victoria with a peer reputation for thorough preparation; and a bilingual practice in English and Mandarin, directly relevant for matters involving Mandarin-speaking clients or Mandarin-language evidence.
He operates as both solicitor advocate and instructor. Both features are drawn from verified reference material. For referrers placing serious indictable Victorian criminal defence briefs where thorough preparation is the primary quality sought and Mandarin-language capacity may also be a practical requirement, his practice is the specific and verified referral.
4. Howard Rapke, Holding Redlich
Three independent recognition frameworks place Howard Rapke at the recognised top of commercial criminal and regulatory practice in Victoria. He is Partner and National Head of Disputes and Litigation at Holding Redlich, with more than 30 years of practice in fraud, foreign bribery, anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, and ASIC and ACCC enforcement across Victorian and Federal jurisdictions. 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 recognises him as a global leader in Business Crime, Investigations and Asset Recovery since 2019.
That combination of sustained recognition across three frameworks and a major national firm platform is the relevant measure for referrers placing serious commercial crime briefs in Victoria.
5. David Barrese, David Barrese & Associates
David Barrese practises Victorian criminal defence as Director of David Barrese & Associates, an independent firm he heads under his own name. He conducts matters personally throughout, with direct senior practitioner involvement from the first conference through to the resolution of each brief.
The independent Director-led boutique model means the named Director is also the practitioner of record. For referrers whose primary requirement is confirmed, sustained, direct senior practitioner conduct throughout the matter, his practice delivers that precisely.
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.