JOHN S. DERR

Attorney At Law

John S. Derr is the managing partner of the Tallahassee office at Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer, P.A. For over 25 years, Mr. Derr’s practice has been devoted to the areas of medical malpractice and legal professional liability. He has substantial experience in advocating for clients and regularly works with governmental agencies to resolve problems related to professional licensure issues. Mr. Derr appears in proceedings before the Department of Health and The Florida Bar. He also represents both private and public sector employers in employment law defense matters. Mr. Derr represents clients at trial and on appeal in state and federal courts, as well as before professional licensing boards.

Over the years, Mr. Derr has tried to jury verdict cases in such diverse fields as medical malpractice, legal malpractice, product liability, commercial litigation, personal injury, employment law, civil rights and negligence.

He holds the highest rating of “AV” from the Martindale Hubbell Law Directory.

Representative matters include:

Medical Malpractice – U.S. Department of Justice

• Retained shortly before trial in state medical malpractice case in which damages were accruing at the rate of $100,000 a month, engineered removal to federal court under the Federally Supported Health Centers Assistance Act and Federal Tort Claims Act, assisted with the bench trial and resolution of the case, which required negotiations with the U.S. Department of Justice.

Complex Litigation - U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida

• Counsel for third party defendant in complex litigation matter arising out of a corporate bankruptcy and shareholder derivative action, successfully resolved by negotiating a waiver of corporate bankruptcy protection and funding of third party settlement.

Medical Malpractice – Summary Judgment and Appeal

• Recently obtained summary judgment in a multi-party medical malpractice claim arising out of an alleged failure to timely diagnose hydrocephalus resulting in death, and successfully defended the summary judgment on appeal.

Insurance Coverage

• Successful negotiation of a number of significant excess judgment claims in Florida, Alabama and Louisiana.

In 2000, he founded his firm, John S. Derr, P.A., in Tallahassee, Fla. As a litigation attorney, he focused in the areas of general civil trials in state and federal courts, employment law, insurance and insurance defense, and legal malpractice. Previously, at Huey, Guilday & Tucker, P.A., he served the firm as Of Counsel, and practiced in the areas of professional liability and complex litigation.

As a shareholder at Bush & Derr, P.A., he was an exclusive representative of the legal malpractice insurer, Rumger Insurance Co. Mr. Derr defended lawyers and physicians; he lectured, instructed and trained lawyers in risk management and legal liability issues. Here, he continued his practice in the areas of insurance coverage, nursing home defense, and legal and medical malpractice. He also counseled clients with respect to risk management and compliance. Mr. Derr was also a name partner at Callahan, Dobbins & Derr, where he practiced in the areas of professional liability and commercial litigation. He was also a shareholder at Field, Granger, et al., in Tallahassee, Fla., where he handled numerous trials and appeals.

Mr. Derr is licensed to practice law in Florida. He is admitted in the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, the United States District Courts for the Northern, Middle and Southern Districts of Florida. He is a member of The Florida Bar Trial Lawyers Section and Health Law Section. He is also a member of the American Bar Association’s Torts and Insurance Practice Section; and the ABA’s Litigation Section, Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee.

Mr. Derr earned his J.D. in 1981 from Florida State College of Law and in 1976 received a B.A. from the University of Central Florida. Following graduation from law school, he clerked for the Honorable Larry Smith of the Florida First District Court of Appeal.

In his community, Mr. Derr is a participant and volunteer, and serves as the Prison Project Coordinator of the Bonsai Societies of Florida (BSF) Inc., a program which brings together bonsai enthusiasts and prison inmates to study the art of bonsai at the New River Correctional Institution, in Starke, Florida.

Mr. Derr lectures on various risk management issues, complex claims handling, and on topics of insurance coverage. His lectures include:

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

• American International Group, Complex Claims, New York, Florida Law Update (1999)
• American International Group, Complex Claims, Handling the Federally Supported Health Centers Assistance Act Case; New York, Atlanta and Dallas (1999)
• American International Group (Southeastern representative), Construction Law Department, Pleasanton, CA, Update on Construction and Coverage for Construction (1998)
• National Business Institute, Annual Continuing Legal Education Seminar, Tallahassee, FL, Insurance Coverage Law in Florida. A discussion of insurance and insurance litigation update in areas of general liability, environmental, automobile, fire, and professional liability insurance (1997)
• Florida Psychology Association Annual Meeting, Fort Lauderdale, FL, “How Confidential Is It?” A discussion of risk management issues with an emphasis on Florida Administrative Code (1997)
• Florida State University College of Law, Tallahassee, FL, Guest Lecturer, “Legal Malpractice Trial Procedure” (1997)
• Certified Legal Assistants’ Association, Tallahassee, FL, Continuing Legal Education “Why Bad Things Happen to Good Lawyers—What You Can Do To Help” (1997)

PUBLISHED ARTICLES

• Heir Property Problems in Florida,” co-author, Legislative and Training Manual for Legal Services of North Florida, Inc. (1980)
• County Attorney Newsletter, editor. (1979)

Mr. Derr is former president of the Tallahassee Bonsai Society, and the recipient of the 2008 District Trustee Award. He is the state record holder of the Florida Archery Association, FITA Senior Barebow and National Field Archery Association’s 2008 State Sectional Champion. Additionally, Mr. Derr is former president of the Tallahassee Tennis Association.