[3] He was a teacher at St. Mary's College from 1881 to 1883, and read law to enter the bar in 1885.
[3] He then served as a Democratic Party member of the California State Assembly from the San Benito County district from 1885 to 1887,[4] and as a Judge of the Superior Court of San Benito County from 1897 to 1913.
[3] In 1906, Dooling ran for election to the position of Associate Justice of the California Court of Appeal for the First District on the Democratic ticket but lost by a slim margin to Republicans Frank H. Kerrigan and S. P.
[3] Dooling was confirmed by the United States Senate on July 28, 1913, and received his commission the same day.
[3] Dooling served in that capacity until his death in San Francisco on November 4, 1924, from a relapse caused by overexertion, after suffering influenza the previous January.