Greg D. Derin

Greg Derin brings more than forty-five years of legal experience and over two decades of dispute resolution work to his role as a mediator and arbitrator. Known for his intellectual curiosity, patience, and ability to connect with people from all backgrounds, he has guided parties through more than a thousand complex disputes. His approach reflects both deep substantive knowledge and a genuine interest in the human stories behind cases.

Greg is recognized for his persistence, creativity, and ability to resolve matters that have resisted settlement in earlier attempts. Parties describe him as a thoughtful and pragmatic problem solver who understands how to balance legal analysis with the interpersonal dynamics that influence negotiation. He draws on a rich understanding of history, literature, and social science to help participants reframe conflict, evaluate risk, and identify opportunities for resolution that may not have been apparent at the outset.

Greg’s work as a mediator is shaped by decades of experience handling sophisticated litigation across a wide range of industries and subject areas. He has represented clients in federal and state trial and appellate courts in California, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and other jurisdictions, and has appeared before entertainment industry tribunals including the Screen Actors Guild, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, the Directors Guild of America, and the Writers Guild of America, as well as the Major League Baseball Players Association, the National Association of Securities Dealers, the California Regional Water Quality Control Board and the California State Water Resources Board. His litigation background spans contract and fraud disputes, entertainment and intellectual property matters, partnership conflicts, employment and class actions, real estate and construction issues, and legal malpractice claims. This breadth allows him to quickly understand the technical, commercial, and relational elements of complex cases.

For eight years, Greg assisted mediation pioneers Professor Frank E. A. Sander, Linda Singer and Michael Lewis in teaching the prestigious Mediation Workshop at the Harvard Negotiation Institute. This work deepened his commitment to principled negotiation and reinforced his reputation as a practitioner who blends analytical rigor with a practical understanding of how people make decisions under pressure.

Greg has also earned recognition for his leadership in the dispute resolution community. A Phi Beta Kappy graduate of UC Berkeley and its law school, where he served on the Editorial Board of the California Law Review, Greg is a Distinguished Fellow of the International Academy of Mediators, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, a member of numerous national and international arbitration panels, and a past chair of the California State Bar Standing Committee on Alternative Dispute Resolution. His work has been repeatedly honored by Best Lawyers in America, Southern California Super Lawyers, Who’s Who Legal (now Lexology), and the Hollywood Reporter, which honored him as a “Power Mediator.”

Greg has chaired tripartite arbitration panels and served as a sole arbitrator in numerous high-stakes matters involving diverse industries and subject matters. He serves on prestigious domestic and international arbitration panels, and is a designated arbitrator in the Writers Guild of America collective bargaining agreement.

Throughout his career, Greg has remained dedicated to helping parties move beyond impasse with clarity and confidence. His ability to combine preparation, insight, and authentic engagement makes him a trusted neutral for highly complex matters.