Derek Sugimura

Derek’s practice focuses in the areas of environmental litigation, including natural resource damages, products liability, and toxic torts litigation. Matters on which he currently works include lawsuits brought by public clients who have alleged significant contamination of groundwater and other natural resources by toxic and hazardous substances.

Prior to joining the firm, Derek worked at two Washington, D.C.-area litigation boutiques, specializing in complex commercial litigation, policyholder-side insurance coverage, bankruptcy, and interbank disputes, with extensive experience in both bench and jury trials in both support and lead roles. Using both zealous litigation tactics and a willingness to reach fair compromises, he served as lead counsel in assisting his clients in obtaining more than $100 million in judgments and settlements, while working as a part of teams that secured hundreds of millions of dollars in additional recoveries in highly complex international multiparty disputes.

Before entering private practice, Derek clerked for the Honorable Howell Cobb, and then the Honorable Marcia Crone, at the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas in Beaumont. He has served as an associate trustee for the Washington Lawyers Committee and co-chair of the Legal Aid Society’s Generous Associates fund-raising drive and is an avid fan of Texas A&M football.