Derek practices in the Creditors' Rights & Bankruptcy group in primarily the Birmingham office, but also the Montgomery office. He has participated in large and small bankruptcy cases nationally. In 2010, Chambers USA selected Derek as among the "Up and Coming" group of attorneys in the area of Bankruptcy/Restructuring, quoting market observers as saying "Looking to the future, he will be a real leader in Alabama bankruptcy." He was also selected for inclusion in the Alabama Super Lawyers listing as a "Rising Star" in 2010 and 2011. In 2005, Derek was selected by the Birmingham Business Journal as one of its "Top 40 Under 40" and is also included in The Best Lawyers In America in the area of Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights Law. In 2006, he was honored as part of the 2006 Birmingham Multiple Sclerosis Leadership Class. He is a member of the Turnaround Management Association and the American Bankruptcy Institute. Derek is also admitted to practice in the United States Court of Federal Claims. He served several years on the Executive Board of the Young Lawyers Division of the Birmingham Bar Association and served on the Alabama State Bar's Editorial Board for its publication, The Alabama Lawyer. Derek has also served for several years as counsel to the Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce and served as the Board President in 2009. He frequently teaches CLE and instructional courses on bankruptcy to lawyers, paralegals and others. He is a graduate of the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce's Project Corporate Leadership. Derek received his B.S. in International Business with a minor in German from Auburn University. He received his J.D. degree from Cumberland School of Law, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Cumberland Law Review and was on the Student Bar Association's Honor Court. During law school, Derek published "Telemedicine: How an Apple (or Any Other Computer) a Day May Bring Your Doctor Even Closer," in the Cumberland Law Review, 29 CUMB. L. REV. 173 (1998). He most recently co-authored "A 'Discriminating' Look at Two Section 525(b) Issues", published in the November, 2007 edition of The ABI Journal. Martindale Hubbell has rated Derek as "AV Preeminent." Memberships & Bar Associations American Bar Association Birmingham Bar Association |