Derick earned his Bachelor of Arts in History and in Political Science in 2005 from Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. While at Furman, Derick spent a term in Washington, D.C., interning for the Consumer Trade and Protection division of the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia. After graduating college, he was selected as one of eleven honorary fellows to participate in a nine-month program for emerging leaders where he studied the intersection of faith, service, community, and law. Derick went on to earn his Juris Doctor in 2009 from Regent University School of Law in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Regent enabled Derick to gain valuable experience in the fields of economic development and human rights. While interning for the Center for Global Strategies, Derick helped build the bridge between Western businessman and developing economies by negotiating manufacturing contracts in Vietnam. Furthermore, Regent’s partnership with the European Center for Law and Justice presented Derick with the opportunity to study International Human Rights in Strasbourg, France. Finally, Derick had the distinct honors of serving on the Moot Court Board and interning for the Honorable Robert J. Humphreys of the Virginia Court of Appeals as well as for the former Capital Defender of Virginia, Judge Joseph Migliozzi.
Since graduating from law school, Derick has practiced solely in the field of consumer bankruptcy law. He had the privilege of gaining invaluable experience advocating for the rights of consumer debtors as an attorney at Leavengood & Nash, P.A., in St. Petersburg, Florida, from 2009 to 2011. Derick then accepted the honor of working with one of the most experienced and accomplished bankruptcy attorneys in the field, Wayne Sigmon. Derick and his wife moved to Gastonia in 2011, his wife’s hometown, and now the place Derick calls home and the community to which he is committed.
