Attorney Profiles

Attorney Douglas B. Dougherty ("Doug") has been practicing law for approximately twenty-five years. In 1980, he obtained his Ohio Law license. In his first ten years of practice, he handled many types of cases involving family, civil, criminal, and administrative matters.

In the last fifteen years, Attorney Dougherty has focused his practice exclusively in the area of family law. Attorney Dougherty received his specialist certification in family law in 2000 (the first year specialist certification became available).

Attorney Dougherty has handled hundreds of family law cases. He has argued before the Ohio Supreme Court and numerous courts of appeal. He has also represented clients at trials and hearings in numerous counties throughout the state of Ohio.

Attorney Dougherty's legal skills have been recognized by other attorneys and judges. In a private independent peer review survey conducted by the LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell organization, his legal skills were ranked as "high to very high" by attorneys and judges who were knowledgeable about his abilities.

At the present time, Attorney Dougherty serves as the Chairman of the Family Law Committee of the Columbus Bar Association. As Chairman of the Family Law Committee, he is responsible for various lawyer education projects including the presentation of two lawyer education seminars each year.

Attorney Dougherty is a frequent speaker at lawyer education seminars. He has given presentations and written articles for the Ohio State Bar Association, the Columbus Bar Association, and numerous other organizations. He has spoken and written on various topics. His presentations and articles include the following.

• The New "Property:" Dealing With Social Security Retirement Benefits in Divorce Cases, Columbus Bar Association, 2004
• Creeping Toward Rationality: Determining Child Support in High Income Cases, Columbus Bar Association, 2004
• Almost as Despicable as the Act Itself: Dealing With False Allegations of Child Abuse in Custody Cases, Columbus Bar Association, 2002
• Child Support: the Good, the Bad, and the Just Plain Weird, Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, Division of Domestic Relations, Office of Mediation Services, 2002
• When "Shared" Isn't Shared: Determination of Child Support in Shared Parenting Cases, Columbus Bar Association, 2001
• Protecting and Perfecting Your Family Law Case for Appeal, Ohio State Bar Association, Annual Convention, 2000
• Valuation of Businesses in Divorce and Dissolution Cases, National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts, 1999
• The Law of Parental Alienation in Ohio, Columbus Bar Association, 1999
• Handling Appeals in Domestic Relations Cases, Ohio Continuing Legal Education Institute, 1999
• Now You See It - Now You Don't: Transmutation and Tracing of Separate Property, Ohio Continuing Legal Education Institute, 1998
• The Rich Are Different: Computation of Child Support in High Income Cases, Ohio Continuing Legal Education Institute, 1996
• Preparation of the Initial Complaint, Motions, and Responsive Pleadings in a Divorce Action, Ohio Continuing Legal Education Institute, 1994, (included in the book Best of Family Law)
• How to Make High Quality Requests for Computer-Assisted Legal Research, Clearinghouse Review, 1982

Attorney Dougherty is also a member of the American Bar Association, Ohio State Bar Association, Franklin County Trial Lawyers Association, and the Columbus Bar Association.

In addition to working as an attorney, Attorney Dougherty also works as a mediator regarding family law matters. As a mediator, Attorney Dougherty works with both parties to attempt to reach an agreement and avoid further expenses and litigation.

Doug is married and has two children. He is a lifelong resident of Upper Arlington, Ohio. He enjoys reading and various sports including scuba diving and snow skiing.