Doug is a graduate of the University of Toronto (B.A. 1973) and Osgoode Hall Law School (LL.B. 1977). He was admitted to the Ontario Bar in 1979. From 1981 he was a law partner in small law firms in Toronto before becoming a sole practitioner in 1994.

Doug has been a director and officer of a number of business corporations, and for many years has been a volunteer director and officer of a non-profit housing corporation for seniors and those of modest means. He is also a member of the Estate Planning Council of Mississauga.