Derek is a London-based Associate specialising in commercial litigation and arbitration.
Derek advises clients on complex disputes before the English courts and international arbitration tribunals. He has particular experience in relation to fraud claims, post-M&A disputes, cross-border litigation, and disputes arising from sanctions, and he has worked for clients across a range of industry sectors including banking, energy, and aviation.
A Mexican national, Derek is fully bilingual in Spanish and part of the firm's Latin America Group. He has also spent time on secondment to the firm's Paris office and works closely with the firm's Swiss Group.
Background
Derek graduated from Harvard University with a degree in History and Literature (focused on modern Iran and Central Asia), and he spent a year studying Persian at the University of Oxford as part of his degree. He completed the Postgraduate Diploma in Law and the Legal Practice Course at BPP Law School in London.
Experience & expertise
Selected matters
- a major international investor in an ICC arbitration arising from the collapse of Signa (the largest corporate insolvency in Austria's history)
- Hipgnosis in defending high profile High Court proceedings where there are allegations of dishonest assistance and knowing receipt
- a European aerospace company in High Court proceedings arising from a portfolio of aviation finance agreements
- a major investment bank in a EUR 500 million fraudulent misrepresentation claim arising from losses on structured products
- a leading cryptocurrency exchange in proceedings litigating novel issues on the duties that exchanges owe to third parties
- a Swiss energy company in a complex dispute spanning LCIA arbitration and litigation in England and two African jurisdictions
- a Chinese state-owned enterprise in a USD 5.5 billion SIAC arbitration arising from a joint investment in upstream oil and gas assets
- a US energy major in a UNCITRAL arbitration relating to a post-M&A dispute concerning an offshore oil field in the North Sea
- an aviation company in an ICC arbitration concerning offshore helicopter services in the Black Sea
Related insights
