Doug Macfarlane has been practicing law in Victoria for 40 years, the last 12 years as Associate Counsel with Wilson Marshall. His focus of practice is civil litigation, and he has been involved for many years doing personal injury litigation, and estate litigation. He is also involved in dealing with commercial disputes, and with real estate issues.  Doug has regularly been counsel on mortgage cases, and has a specialty working with foreclosures involving both residential and commercial properties.

Doug also works in the field of wills and estates, and will provide advice in and about the preparation of wills, powers of attorney, and representation agreements, and will deal with the administration of estates on behalf of executors, be they uncontentious or contentious matters.

Doug has been actively involved in taking disputes to mediation and very much believes in finding solutions to difficult problems through the route of alternate dispute resolution. His approach to litigation is to try and deal with matters in a civil way, looking for a consensus and an expeditious cost effective conclusion, without having to force cases all the way through to the courts by an over-commitment to the adversary process.

In respect to serving the profession, Doug is a former member of the Programme Committee of the Continuing Legal Education Society, and for many years served on the executive of the Victoria Bar Association, culminating in being its President in 1999.

In the community, Doug has been involved in a number of ways. Originally, with his two children, it was a devotion to sport and coaching, and now more to charitable organizations.  Most recently, Doug has been involved with the Regional Council of Red Cross (ending in 2006), and now with the United Way. Doug has been married to Penny for 44 years, and his children are now adults, with the eldest having two children of her own.  Grandfather Doug is a third generation Victoria lawyer, who is still energized in serving the needs of his clients.