Prior to joining the firm in 2023, Derek was the Directing Attorney for the workers’ rights practice at Centro Legal de la Raza in Oakland, California, where he spent nearly a decade representing low-wage and immigrant workers in claims challenging wage theft, discrimination, and retaliation. Before Centro Legal, Derek served as a law clerk for Judge Anthony J. Scirica of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.

He also served as a legal fellow with Human Rights First’s Refugee Protection Program in Washington, D.C., supporting advocacy efforts to challenge abusive immigration detention practices and as an attorney with the Social Justice Law Project in Oakland, CA, advancing impact litigation aimed at removing barriers to employment for low-wage workers with criminal records.

Derek holds a Juris Doctor degree from U.C. Berkeley School of Law, and a Joint Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and International Development Studies from McGill University.