College Chambers

Head of Civil

Derek was called to the Bar in 1980 and has practiced in Southampton ever since. He was a founder member of College Chambers in 1989.

Derek advising clients in conference and on paper, in Joint Settlement Meetings, formal and informal mediations and in negotiations, with less than half his time in Court in accordance with the current scheme of litigation which actively discourages the use of Court time.

He qualified as a Civil Dispute Mediator in 2006 and since then has carried out hundreds of mediations in England and abroad, both by private appointment and by Court direction as the nominated Mediator. The parties who attend his mediations are usually (but not always) represented by legal teams and he sees his role as being to actively guide them to a settlement, provide early neutral evaluation where needed and to supervise the recording of the agreement into the form of a binding Court order.

In 2012 Derek qualified as a Family Finance Arbitrator under the very recently set up IFLA scheme and has conducted several Arbitrations and Private Financial Dispute Resolution Meetings under this scheme. Since qualification as a Family Finance Arbitrator he has been admitted as a Member of Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

Derek also sits as the Legally Qualified Chair of the Police Conduct Panel. Derek hears the most serious cases of police misconduct and has the power to dismiss, reduce in the ranks or give written or final written warnings to officers against whom allegations of misconduct are proved. It is a judicial appointment though it falls outside the court system. Hearings are in public and are usually reported in the press.

English

Member of the Standing Conference of Mediation Advocates Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Member of the Forum of Family Arbitrators Professional Negligence Bar Association Association of Personal Injury Practitioners Resolution

(2019) Legally Qualified Chair of Police Misconduct Hearings (2012) Family Finance Arbitrator (Chartered Institute of Arbitrators) (2006) Civil Dispute Meditator (Regents College of Psychotherapy) (1979) LLB (Hons) Southampton)