Bill Doogue
Australian criminal defence lawyer and founding director of Doogue + George, a Melbourne firm, who has represented clients in a number of high-profile Victorian criminal cases.
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- Country
- Australia
- Field
- Criminal defence law
- Firm
- Doogue + George Defence Lawyers, Melbourne (founding director)
- Accreditation
- Law Institute of Victoria Accredited Criminal Law Specialist since 1998stated by the subject
- Notable current matter
- Solicitor for Erin Patterson in her 2026 Court of Appeal proceedings
Overview
Bill Doogue is an Australian criminal defence lawyer and the founding director of Doogue + George Defence Lawyers, a Melbourne firm. According to the firm’s own materials, he has been an Accredited Criminal Law Specialist with the Law Institute of Victoria since 1998, and began his career with 2.5 years at the Aboriginal Legal Service in the Northern Territory before building the firm from a small office in Broadmeadows (Doogue + George; Lawyers Weekly). His stated areas of specialisation include major tax fraud, white-collar crime, bribery and corruption, and extradition matters (Doogue + George).
Case work reported independently
In December 2024, the Newcastle Herald reported Doogue as the defence lawyer for Perry Kouroumblis, a man accused in the Easey Street murders case in Melbourne, quoting him telling the court that his client “had no custody management issues” (Newcastle Herald).
From 2025, Doogue has been named in national and international press as part of the legal team representing Erin Patterson during her mushroom-poisoning murder trial and subsequent appeal in Victoria, including by NPR in the United States (NPR) and by ABC News, which reported in August 2026 that “Patterson has retained her solicitor, Bill Doogue, and senior associate Ophelia Hollway” for her Court of Appeal hearing (ABC News). As of writing, that appeal is ongoing and unresolved.
What this profile does not claim
This profile makes no assessment of, and draws no inference about, the guilt, innocence or legal merits of any client’s case; it documents only Doogue’s professional role as reported by independent press. Rankings listed on his firm’s own website (Doyle’s Guide, Best Lawyers) are not repeated here, since their methodologies were not disclosed on the pages read. A claim that he has represented “a former Governor-General,” made only in a trade-press interview attributed to him, is not independently corroborated and is not repeated here.
Timeline
- 1998
- Becomes an Accredited Criminal Law Specialist with the Law Institute of Victoria.
- 2024
- Represents Perry Kouroumblis, accused in the Easey Street murders case, in a Melbourne court hearing.
- 2025
- Named in national and international press as a lawyer for Erin Patterson during her mushroom-poisoning murder trial.
- 2025
- Discusses his firm's history and practice in an interview with the legal trade press.
- 2026
- Continues to represent Erin Patterson as her solicitor in Court of Appeal proceedings, alongside senior associate Ophelia Hollway.
What we could not verify
These claims came up in research and could not be confirmed. They are recorded here rather than published as fact or quietly dropped. If you hold a source that settles one, please tell us.
- Rankings cited on the firm's own site (Doyle's Guide, Best Lawyers) were not independently verified, since their methodologies were not disclosed on the pages read, and are not repeated as fact here.
- A claim of representing "a former Governor-General" appears only in a trade-press interview attributed to Doogue himself, without independent corroboration, and is not repeated here.
- No independent source for his date or place of birth, or early biographical details prior to his legal career, was found.
Sources
5 sources (2 tier 1, 2 tier 2, 1 first-party), each opened and read against the claim it supports. Statements the subject makes about itself are marked as such and are not treated as independent evidence. See the source policy.
Each source below was fetched and read against the claim it supports. This profile covers only Doogue's professional role as a lawyer named in press coverage of specific, ongoing or concluded matters; it makes no claim about the guilt, innocence or legal merits of any client's case, and the Patterson matter referenced here is, as of writing, an active and unresolved appeal.
- Erin Patterson mushroom murder appeal: what you need to know Supports: His current role as Erin Patterson's solicitor in her Court of Appeal proceedings, alongside Ophelia Hollway.
- Erin Patterson mushroom poisoning trial coverage Supports: Independent, international confirmation of his role on the Patterson legal team.
- Easey Street families stare down alleged double killer Supports: His role as defence lawyer for Perry Kouroumblis in the Easey Street murders case.
- Building a practice: in conversation with Bill Doogue and Perry Q Wood Supports: His account of the firm's history, growth from Broadmeadows, and his approach to practice.
- Lawyer Profile: Bill Doogue Supports: His 1998 accreditation, early career with the Aboriginal Legal Service in the Northern Territory, and his areas of specialisation.
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