Derek F. Dean is a partner at the Charleston law firm of Simons & Dean, Attorneys at Law, where he engages in business and corporate litigation in eastern South Carolina, including breach of contract and homeowner association (HOA/POA) disputes, as well as corporate and commercial law, consumer law, and more.

Mr. Dean earned his law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law, where he was a member of the Student Bar Association and Palmetto Law Society, and the recipient of the Brailsford-Rosen Scholarship and the Roy Webster Law School Scholarship. Upon graduation he served as Judicial Law Clerk for Chief Administrative Judge Charles W. Whetstone, Jr. of the First Judicial Circuit in St. Matthews. He then practiced for several years with a plaintiff-oriented firm in Summerville before teaming with future partner Keating Simons in 1996. His practice since that time has become centered around litigation at the state and federal level, most often from the insurance defense perspective, with increasing involvement in representation of homeowners' associations and property management companies, often in small claims or magistrate's court. Currently, Mr. Dean represents approximately 75 homeowners’ associations in a tri-county area handling all collection activities, covenant interpretation, drafting and amendment, and internal governance.

Mr. Dean maintains an active litigation practice in many key areas, including defending individual clients in lender foreclosure actions. In addition, he also represents many contractors and subcontractors and actively assists them with their business or contractual disputes, including the filing of mechanic's liens and post-filing litigation associated therewith.

In addition to his litigation experience, Mr. Dean serves as general counsel for a short line railroad located in Charleston, South Carolina known as the South Carolina Division of Public Railways, a division of the State of South Carolina’s Department of Commerce. Mr. Dean handles all aspects of the railroad’s legal matters, including labor negotiations, commercial transactions, contractual disputes, and all litigation for this entity.

Mr. Dean is also very involved in corporate transactional work and general business litigation, including: the formation of corporations, limited liability companies and partnerships; commercial closings; contractual negotiations; business dispute resolutions; dissolutions; and more.

An active member of the legal community, Mr. Dean was for many years very involved in the South Carolina Young Lawyers Division, having served as Past Chairman of the Mock Trial Committee, Community Law Week Committee, and the New Admittee Committee. He is also the former vice president of the Dorchester County Bar Association. He is listed in Best's Directory of Recommended Insurance Attorneys.

Education:

J.D., University of South Carolina School of Law, Columbia (1992)
B.A., Wofford College, Spartanburg (1989)

Admissions:

South Carolina State Courts
U.S. District Court, District of South Carolina
U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit

Professional Associations/Memberships:

Charleston County Bar Association
Dorchester County Bar Association (Vice-President, 1996-1997)
South Carolina Bar Association (Member, Employment and Labor Law section)
American Bar Association (Member, Products Liability section)
American Trial Lawyers Association
South Carolina Trial Lawyers Association
South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys Association
South Carolina Young Lawyers Division (Past Chairman: Mock Trial Committee, 1997-1998; Community Law Week, 1998-1999; New Admittee Committee, 1999-2000)