“I love people, and bring that passion, years of mediation experience, and a rich understanding of history, literature, and social science to helping them resolve even the most intractable disputes.”
Case Administrator
Practice Areas
- Business and Commercial Contracts
- Civil Rights
- Class Action
- Copyright and Trademark
- Corporations and Partnerships
- Cryptocurrency/Blockchain/NFT
- Damages Disputes
- Defamation
- Employment
- Entertainment
- First Amendment
- Fraud
- Intellectual Property
- Invasion of Privacy
- Inverse Condemnation
- Legal Malpractice
- Patent
- Professional Liability
- Real Estate
- Right of Publicity
- Trade Secrets
Education
- J.D., University of California, Berkeley School of Law, California Law Review, Research and Book Review Editor
- A.B., University of California, Berkeley, Phi Beta Kappa
Biography
Greg David Derin, Esq. brings more than 40 years in the legal industry to his practice at Signature Resolution as a mediator and arbitrator. For more than 20 years, Mr. Derin has successfully assisted parties in resolving more than a thousand complex matters. He is often called upon to resolve disputes after previous attempts have failed. In his role at Signature, he continues to concentrate on matters involving complex business matters, including, contract, fraud, entertainment, intellectual property (copyright, trademark, patent, idea submission), trade secret, right of publicity, unfair business practices, employment, class actions, partnership, real estate, and legal malpractice disputes.
He is experienced in all phases of litigation and has handled matters before federal and state trial or appellate courts in California, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and other jurisdictions. He has appeared before the California Labor Commissioner, the tribunals of the Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, Directors Guild of America, Writers Guild of America, Major League Baseball Players Association, California Regional Water Quality Control Board, California State Water Resources Control Board, and the National Association of Securities Dealers. Mr. Derin has tried cases as varied as a four-month construction defect jury trial, talent agency disputes, and a Los Angeles Superior Court class action jury trial.
Mr. Derin is a member of the dispute resolution sections of the Beverly Hills, Los Angeles County and American Bar Associations. He is a past chair of the California State Bar Standing Committee on Alternative Dispute Resolution.
Twice each year for eight years, Mr. Derin assisted mediation pioneer Harvard Law School Professor Frank E. A. Sander, and Washington, D.C. mediators Linda Singer and Michael Lewis in teaching the prestigious Mediation Workshop at the Harvard Negotiation Institute.
Parties consistently attribute their successful resolutions to Mr. Derin’s persistence, creative solutions, and his deep substantive knowledge and experience.
Experience
- Mediator and Arbitrator, Judicate West (2014–2019)
- Mediator and Arbitrator, gdd Mediation and Arbitration (2002–2014)
- Attorney at Law, Greg David Derin (1997–2002)
- Founding Partner, Del, Rubel, Shaw, Mason & Derin (1989–1997)
- Associate/Partner/Litigation Managing Partner, Dern, Mason & Floum (1979–1989)
Professional Achievements and Memberships
- Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers in Los Angeles for Mediation and Arbitration (2021-2025)
- Southern California SuperLawyer, Alternative Dispute Resolution (2006–2024)
- Best Lawyers in America, Arbitration, Litigation – Intellectual Property and Mediation (2023)
- USA Commercial Mediation Thought Leader, Who’s Who Legal
- Top 38 Commercial Mediators in California, Who’s Who Legal (2022)
- Recognized in Marquis Who’s Who
- “Power Mediator,” The Hollywood Reporter
- AV rating, Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory
- Distinguished Fellow, International Academy of Mediators
- Fellow, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb)
- Past Chair, Southern California Chapter, North American Branch, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
- Member, Federal Bar Association
- Member, California Lawyers Association, ADR Committee, Litigation Section
- Member, Association of Media and Entertainment Counsel
- Member, National and California Academies of Distinguished Neutrals
- Member, CPR Panel of Distinguished Neutrals (Entertainment and Employment Panels)
- Member, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Mediation and Arbitration Panels
- Member, Panel of Neutrals, London Court of International Arbitration
- Member, USCIB (International Chamber of Commerce USA) Panel of Arbitrators
- Member, Los Angeles Copyright Society
- Member, Copyright Society of the USA, Los Angeles Chapter
- Member, Los Angeles Intellectual Property Law Association
- Member, Sports Law Association
- Member, Association of Business Trial Lawyers
- Member, American Bar Association (Litigation, Dispute Resolution, Intellectual Property Sections, Forum on Entertainment and Sports Industry)
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
- “The ‘Intelligence’ of Artificial Intelligence,” Association of Corporate Counsel of Southern California, Oct. 26, 2023
- “Mediating the Strikes: Can Neutrals Help Resolve Hollywood’s Labor Strife?” Beverly Hills Bar Assoc., July 28, 2023
- “Recent Developments in Copyright Litigation,” Signature Resolution (October 13, 2022)
- “How to Build A Persuasive Damages Model For Business, Contract and Copyright Cases,” Signature Resolution, March 18, 2021
- “Negotiations in Mediations: What Happens When Your Partner Stops Dancing,” ABA Section on Dispute Resolution, Mediation Webinar Series, Part 4, May 5, 2015
- “Six Ways to Court Defeat On The Battlefield of Mediation: Lessons from Sun Tzu on the Art of Negotiation War,” American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution Annual Conference, April 16, 2015
- “My Kingdom For A Horse: Arbitration of Intellectual Property Disputes: A Delicate Balance,” California State Bar Intellectual Property Law Section, Licensing Interest Group Webinar, March 31, 2015
- “Game of Thorns: Gaining the Advantage in Intellectual Property Mediations,” 39th Annual Intellectual Property Institute, State Bar of California, November 7, 2014
- “Dial I for Infringement: Anatomy of An IP Dispute,” American Bar Association Annual Conference, Toronto, April 4, 2011
- “Admission Ticket: Who Is Coming To The Show?,” American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution Annual Conference, April 16, 2009
- “Effective Mediation Advocacy, or How To Let The Other Side Have Your Way,” California State Bar Annual Meeting, September 29, 2007, September 10, 2005, October 9, 2004
Press
- Finding your way to the exit in the labyrinth of mediation
- After Chevron The Future Of AI And Copyright Law
- Hitting the target no one else can see
- Doris Kearns Goodwin’s book explores missed opportunities in Cuban relations
- Mediation lessons from the backyard
- The eyes of an immigrant
- The power of words
- Prometheus Re-Bound? The Future of Copyright in the Time of AI
- Unraveling the Gordian Knot of damages
- Eppur si muove
- Tell your story, but to a mediator
- Can copyright infringement damages be recovered beyond three years?
- Occam’s Razor Unlocks Success in Mediation
- How Calif. Arbitrators Can Navigate Discovery Landscape
- Transactional mediation: facilitating negotiations without litigation
- Listening and seeing – perceiving reality
- Mediator’s Proposals: Value & Unintended Consequences
- Understanding Objectives
- Early neutral evaluation: The road less traveled
- The wisdom of kindness in negotiations
- Zooming to a brighter future
- The Willfulness Requirement in Trademark Damages and the Imagination of Counsel
- Sunk Costs: How your mediator can help you avoid eating liver and onions
- There’s No Crying in Baseball – Unless You’re Cheated
- A multi-door ADR future. A practical guide to unlocking the full potential of ADR in its many forms
- Put me in, coach. Coaching the stages of mediation in nine innings
- Death to Rambo: How focusing on your client’s interests can lower your blood pressure and make you a more effective problem solver
- Gimme 5: What Every Lawyer Should Know about Working with Mediators