Douglas (“Dugie”) Baron guides clients through all phases of a real estate transaction, from development and financing to acquisition and construction. He also assists with zoning and land use issues.

Dugie has led major real estate transactions for multifamily housing, continuum of care campuses, office buildings, manufacturing facilities, public utility facilities, schools, shopping centers, and conservation areas.
For over two decades, Dugie has developed a special focus on the legal, real estate, and regulatory issues associated with continuum of care campuses (i.e., independent living, assisted living, and skilled nursing facilities). He represents the owner-operators of the region’s leading luxury continuum of care facilities in real estate, corporate, and private wealth management matters.

Dugie frequently serves as outside general counsel to companies in various industries. Whether leading a $100 million development project or the creation of conservation areas (including a 145,000-acre sustainable timber management forest, state parks and a U.S. Wild and Scenic Riverway), Dugie excels at developing an overarching strategy for a successful transaction and skillfully assembling all the pieces.

As a client CEO said, “More than being an excellent attorney, Dugie is a great strategic thinker who has a keen understanding of the technical details of a transaction and is very skilled at negotiating material concerns. When structuring complex transactions, he employs valuable tax, accounting, financing, and, when appropriate, estate planning concepts. As an excellent communicator with acute political awareness, he is adept at representing us in matters before governmental and non-governmental bodies and agencies. By knowing the issues most important to our company and leadership, he is able to address our company’s short and long-term needs. I truly respect Dugie’s counsel, his values, and his commitment to the community. I look up to him.”

  • Washington University School of Law, J.D., 1985
    • Associate Editor, Washington University Law Quarterly, 1983-1985
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison, B.A., Economics and History, 1980
    • Honors Program, 1978-1980
    • Member, Omicron Delta Epsilon (international honors society in economics)

Admissions

Bar Admissions

  • Missouri

  • Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis
  • The Missouri Bar
  • American Bar Association

  • Listed in “The Best Lawyers in America” (by BL Rankings) Real Estate Law, 2016-2025

  • “Securities; Controlling Imprudent Lockups: The Necessity for Federal Legislation”
    63 Washington University Law Quarterly 91, 1985
  • Contributing Author “Federal Mortgage Lending Regulation and State Law Preemption”
    Secondary Mortgage Market Guide, Matthew Bender, 1987

When not spending time with my wife and family, I enjoy playing racket sports, hiking, skiing, reading, traveling, and engaging in charitable activities.