Douglas is an experienced IP/IT lawyer. He regularly advises private and public sector clients in relation to the purchase of ICT solutions and exploitation and licensing of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) and. In addition Douglas gives advice in relation to Data Protection and Freedom of Information Issues.

Prior to becoming a lawyer Douglas trained as a software engineer and spent time doing academic research in the field of artificial intelligence and the law (trying to make computers think like judges) at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.

Douglas' technical background allows him to quickly understand the technical aspects of an ICT project and translate between the technical and the legal. It also gives him an insight into where things can go wrong.

Douglas is also Brodies' expert on telecommunications procurement. In particular he has helped both public and private sector entities to purchase complex, and occasionally groundbreaking, telecoms services from a wide range of suppliers.

Recently Douglas has been doing a lot of work in relation to health and IT. In particular he has been involved in ICT procurement deals where Foundation Trusts have opted out of the central (and much criticised) National Programme for IT (NPfIT).

As an affiliate member of the Chartered Institute of Purchase and Supply (CIPS) Douglas is up to date on the non-legal issues that affect and influence procurement professionals. This allows him to give holistic advice (as opposed to a narrow legal view) to procurement teams.