Doug McCarty is the owner and founder of the firm. Doug originally hails from Kinmundy, Illinois, a small town in the northeast part of Marion County; but before becoming a lawyer lived in a number of towns dotting southern and south-central Illinois. Doug is licensed to practice in both Illinois and Missouri. He is also authorized to practice in the following federal courts: Southern District of Illinois, Central District of Illinois, and the Eastern District of Missouri. He is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and the Missouri Bar Association.
Before starting his own law firm in 2010, Doug served a term as Chambers Counsel to the Chief Judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. Prior to holding that position, Doug practiced civil litigation at a large regional law firm in St. Louis and the Metro East, including the nationally known courts in Madison County and St. Clair County, Illinois. During law school, Doug clerked for the Federal Public Defender for the Southern District of Illinois.
While in the St. Louis area, Doug litigated dozens of civil cases in state and federal courts. Among those cases were matters involving environmental issues, complex construction cases, mineral and gas rights disputes, surface and subsurface property rights, employment discrimination matters, contract actions, consumer fraud actions, tortious interference claims, products liability, toxic tort, personal injury, and insurance coverage disputes. The clients were equally diverse and included Fortune 500 energy and natural resource companies as well as numerous smaller businesses. He also represented municipalities and state agencies in cases including employment matters, civil rights, RICO, personal injury/wrongful death, and insurance disputes.
Since starting his own firm, Doug has continued his primary focus on litigation. He has tried multiple cases, civil and criminal, to verdict. He also served as City Attorney for the City of Centralia, Illinois and continues to advise and serve as litigation counsel for that municipality.
Doug graduated cum laude from the Southern Illinois University School of Law in 2002. While in school, he was the Lead Articles Editor for the school’s Law Journal and on the school’s Moot Court Board. Doug served in the United States Army from 1989 through 1995, including a tour of duty with the 24th Infantry Division in the Persian Gulf War.
Doug is twice published. In 2001, his review and analysis of of the landmark Supreme Court case, Apprendi v. New Jersey, was published by the Southern Illinois University Law Journal. In 2004, Doug coauthored a review and analysis of the Illinois Supreme Court’s forum non conveniens opinion, Dawdy v. Union Pacific Railroad Company, which appeared in the Illinois Defense Trial Counsel’s Civil Practice and Procedure Update.