Derek was born and bred to be a trial attorney.  The son of a successful attorney who died as a result of a negligently maintained airplane, Derek was raised by his mother on their ranch near Waco, Texas.  For obvious reasons, Derek is passionate about his work for the injured and those who have lost loved ones because of someone’s negligence.

Derek is a fearless litigator.  He has single-handedly recovered settlements and verdicts from some of the biggest companies in America and the world, including Union Pacific Railroad, Cooper Tire and Rubber Company, Nationwide Insurance Company and dozens of others.  Derek has represented injured people and surviving loved-ones all across the globe.  He has been recognized as Metropolitan Magazine’s “Who’s Who”, Texas Monthly Magazine’s “Texas Rising Star,” and “Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Texas” by ATLA.

Derek does whatever it takes to fully compensate his clients.  If that means taking the case to trial then Derek and his clients have the advantage.  Derek typically tries several cases a year to successful verdicts.  Not only does he win, but he wins big, including obtaining the largest individual civil rights verdict in Texas history – over $16 Million in January of 2011.  Again in March, 2012, Derek was co-lead in a trial against DuPont where the Jury returned a verdict for $11,965,000 for his clients.  Over his career, he has collected millions of dollars for his clients.