Derek frequently serves in national and coordinating counsel roles in multijurisdictional litigation, where he helps develop and execute defense strategies across large and evolving dockets. His experience spans individual, mass, and class actions, as well as claims brought by state and federal agencies, including those involving environmental remediation and natural resource damages.

His practice is particularly focused on matters involving alleged exposures to chemicals and pharmaceuticals, and he regularly works with scientific, medical and technical experts to make complex issues relatable to judges and juries alike. Derek is also adept at placing alleged client liability in context with the relevant scientific, medical and technical literature in existence at the time of all relevant events, eschewing hindsight in favor of state-of-the-art.

In addition to his litigation work, Derek regularly advises clients on environmental, health, and safety (EHS) risks and on issues related to electronically stored information (ESI). He helps clients develop practical, defensible approaches to their most pressing issues, with an emphasis on anticipating risk and positioning those clients to respond effectively when disputes arise.