After undergrad, Derek attended South Texas College of Law Houston and graduated with honors at age 23. During law school, he completed multiple internships, gaining hands-on legal experience under a supervised bar card.

As a student, Derek competed on the National Moot Court Team and earned recognition for an appellate brief he wrote while competing in an international competition in Washington, D.C. At South Texas, he was a three-time Cali Award recipient and a member of the Personal Injury Law Society. In his free time, Derek enjoys traveling and golf.