Derek is the Managing Partner of Gardner Leader since 2011.
Derek has been a solicitor since 1993 and joined Gardner Leader in 2005 as a partner in the firm’s Corporate and Commercial team. He became Managing Partner in May 2011, which is now a full-time role but one in which he is able to draw on his previous experience of helping other business owners to achieve their objectives.
As Managing Partner, Derek takes the lead in developing and implementing our strategy. The firm has grown from around 70 people in two offices in 2011 to nearly 200 across seven offices in 2023. One of Derek’s key priorities has been to ensure that our values and culture have been protected and strengthened throughout that growth. He chairs our board and partners meetings, as well as being the firm’s Training Principal and acting as a mentor for several of our younger lawyers.
Since 2016, Derek has also been a director of LawNet, a network of around 70 quality independent law firms across the country which Gardner Leader has been a member of for over 30 years. Since 2022, he has had the additional honour of being LawNet’s Chair.
Corporate & Commercial Law
Derek has experience in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, general company and commercial law and employment but is now full time in the role of managing partner of the firm.