Biography
Derek Chaiken is an experienced trial attorney who tirelessly advocates for justice on behalf of his clients. He has dedicated his practice to representing home and business owners in recovering compensation from their insurers and third parties when their property has been damaged. He has had significant success litigating on behalf of his clients at mediation, appraisals, arbitration, and trial. As a result of his professional accomplishments, Derek was named a Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers “Rising Star” from 2019-2022 and a “Super Lawyer” in 2024.
Derek attended the University of Michigan and the University of Detroit-Mercy School of Law. In law school, he served as a clerk for the Honorable Bernard A. Friedman in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Derek is licensed to practice law in all of the state and federal courts in California. Derek is a member of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA), Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC), and the Beverly Hills Bar Association.
To learn more about insurance claim disputes from Derek, read his valuable contributions on the Merlin Law Group Blog here.
Highlights
Verdicts/Settlements (Case Results):
- Represented e-cigarette distributor in commercial fire loss and recovered over $8 million
- Recovered millions of dollars for clients who lost their homes during the Woolsey wildfire in Malibu
- Represented former NFL athlete in residential theft loss
- Represented veterinary clinic following commercial vandalism and theft loss
- Insurance Bad Faith Settlement with Mercury (California Automobile Insurance Company) involving minors. Contractual dispute $40,000, but carrier paid $420,000 to resolve bad faith claims.
Scholarly Lectures/Writings:
- Presenter of CLE Program, Handling and Litigating Wildfire Claims in California, Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB), Attorneys, Insurance, 2022
- Speaker regarding the topic of insurance claims for property contents claims, Keynote Speaker at 2023 CAPIA Spring Conference, Litigating Contents Claims in California, Insurance, 2023
- Speaker on topic of Appraisal Under Insurance Policies in California , Speaker, Appraisal in California at NAPIA First Party Claims Conference, 2023
- Speaker on the Use of Drones in Property Claim Adjustment , Speaker, Speaker/Lecturer at American Bar Association, Property Division, Insurance, Legal, 2019
- Discussion of drone usage and liability during claim adjustment and preparation for litigation, Speaker, Speaker at First Party Claims Conference Annual Convention (Warwick, Rhode Island), Insurance, Legal, 2019
Education
University of Detroit, Mercy School of Law
Juris Doctor
University of Michigan
Bachelor of Arts, Communication Studies