Member Profile

Derek is a partner in the Toronto office of Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP, a leading Canadian law firm that is regularly at the center of Canada’s most complex, high-stakes and high-profile business litigation. Davies regularly advises international blue-chip firms – including mining, financial, high-tech and telecom businesses – at all stages of fraud, misappropriation and asset recovery litigation.

Derek is a go-to litigator for clients involved in large and complex commercial disputes, including fraud, conspiracy and misappropriation claims, securities litigation, mining litigation and commercial contractual disputes. These have included numerous precedent-setting motions, trials and appeals for high-profile Canadian and multinational corporations.

Derek has appeared as lead counsel before a variety of courts across Canada and several tribunals, including the Ontario Securities Commission and the Canadian Competition Tribunal. He was recognized as a 2016 Lexpert Rising Star – Leading Lawyers Under 40, a “Future Leader” by Who’s Who Legal: Litigation, a “Next Generation Lawyer” for Dispute Resolution by The Legal 500 Canada, and a “Litigation Star” and 2018 “Emerging Talent of the Year” by Benchmark Canada. More recently, Derek was co-lead counsel for one of the world’s largest mining companies in Labrador Nickel Royalty Limited Partnership v. Vale Canada Limited et al., a complex commercial dispute that Benchmark Canada recognized as 2019 “Impact Case of the Year” for Canada.