About Derek
Derek is a Partner and Solicitor, and the Head of our Commercial Property team.
Having qualified as a Solicitor in 2000, Derek has vast experience in a number of disciplines.
These include:
- Buying, selling, leasing, developing and refinancing commercial property of all sizes for the purpose of generating income or holding as an investment
- The entire spectrum of commercial property; from a business’ first lease to multi-million-pound transactions
- Development properties ranging from a single property splitting into two, to sites with thousands of new dwellings and commercial units
Derek’s client list includes heavy industry businesses, such as:
- Mineral extraction
- Landfill
- Recycling
- Timber processing
- Supply of aggregates, including concrete production
Why A Career In Law?
Derek previously worked in a corporate environment and found himself drawn to the detail of contracts.
That led to the realisation that the legal system is the ultimate arbiter to commercial queries, disputes or discrepancies. So, Derek went back to school to study Law and qualify.
“In my early years I found that I shared the focus and mental agility that clients with interesting and complex property portfolios need to succeed. I still enjoy honing, developing and refining those attributes.”
A Successful Day
For Derek, a successful day is one where he can demonstrate having made progress in a client’s transaction(s), by using the law as a tool to persuade a transacting party or lender to agree something that they were not sure about, often with an alternative solution to the one that they had originally contemplated.
Rewarding Elements
For Derek, the most rewarding element of his role is seeing his team members develop and progress their careers.
Why Dutton Gregory?
Derek chooses to work at Dutton Gregory because he feels that the team is large enough to handle each client’s matters, but small enough to care.
Derek values the ability of the firm to deliver value created by using highly technical legal expertise with this delivered to clients by friendly down-to-earth pragmatic lawyers.
“The culture of going the extra mile, taking no shortcuts and leaving no stone unturned to achieve justice flourishes in Dutton Gregory. That is as inspirational to me today as it was when I first decided to be a lawyer.”