Profile
John Derrick is a California lawyer whose statewide practice is devoted exclusively to appeals and related matters. He is certified as a Specialist in Appellate Law by The State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. He litigates cases in both state and federal court. Based in Santa Barbara, he handles appeals in Los Angeles, Orange County, Riverside, San Diego, the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, Fresno, Ventura, and other parts of the state.
About John Derrick
Admitted: 2002, California
Professional Webpage: www.californiaappeals.com/lawyer/About_John_Derrick.html
Special Licenses/Certifications: Certified Appellate Specialist, The State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization.
Bar/Professional Activity: Member of the Board of Directors, Santa Barbara County Bar Foundation. Member of the Editorial Board, California Litigation, published by the Litigation Section of the State Bar of California. Member of the Editorial Board, Santa Barbara Lawyer, published by the Santa Barbara County Bar Association. Appointed member of the Second District Court of Appeal Mediation Panel.
Pro bono/Community Service: Member of the Advisory Board, Santa Barbara Teen Legal Clinic. Member of the Board of Directors, Aeromedicos (a nonprofit healthcare organization of volunteer medical personnel and pilots that flies monthly missions to remote regions of Mexico offering free medical and dental care to people with limited or no other access to care). Pro bono panel, US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Scholarly Lectures and Writings: Author of
Boo to Billable Hours: a lawyer's guide to better billing (Podia Press, 2007, available on
Amazon). Regular contributor to
California Litigation, the journal of the Litigation Section of the California State Bar.
Verdicts and Settlements: Recent wins on appeal: Ceder v. Breadhead, Inc. (California Court of Appeal, Second District); Collins v. McIlhany (California Court of Appeal, Second District); Colvin v. Handen, et al. (Estate of William Hay) (California Court of Appeal, Second District); Delwiche et al. v. The Wright Family H Limited Partnership (California Court of Appeal, Second District); Erwin v. Stewart, Humpherys, et al. (California Court of Appeal, Third District); Garber v. Garber (California Court of Appeal, Fourth District); Ghazaryan v. Gonzalez (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit); Groppe v. Spring (California Court of Appeal, Second District; Guzik v. King California Court of Appeal, First District); MacDonald v. Wheeler (California Court of Appeal, Second District); Menken v. Emm, et al. (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit); Rebar et al. v. Vanguard University of Southern CA (California Court of Appeal, Fourth District); Roland v. Nursing Home Solutions, Inc., et al. (California Court of Appeal, Second District); Samanta v. Barr Laboratories, et al. (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit); Thomas v. Coldwell Banker, et al. (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit); Van Slyke v. Gibson, et al. (California Court of Appeal, Second District); Yan et al. v. Chinese Daily News (California Court of Appeal, Second District).
Other Outstanding Achievements: Before entering the legal profession, John Derrick served as Special Adviser to the Energy Secretary in the British Cabinet, focusing on the political presentation of the government’s energy policy, and, in 1987, as a campaign “ghostwriter” for the British Prime Minister. He also founded, operated, and sold two specialized information publishing businesses in the US and UK, one of which was acquired by one of the world’s largest publishers.
Educational Background: University of Oxford (UK). BA, Philosophy, Politics & Economics (1978). Graduated with First Class Honors (highest class of undergraduate degree awarded by the University).