Derek D. McLeod

Derek is a partner in Taft’s Commercial Litigation and Aviation and Aerospace practices. He has successfully resolved a wide array of complex business, franchise, and employment litigation matters in Michigan and beyond. 

Among Derek’s areas of expertise are contract claims, business torts, member and shareholder conflicts, non-compete agreements, and a myriad other dispute resolution matters. He regularly practices before state and federal trial courts and appellate courts, as well as in private arbitration and mediation proceedings. In addition to his active litigation practice, Derek frequently advises clients and in-house counsel on a variety of pre-suit litigation and strategy issues.

• “Uncertainty Abounds: The Joint Employer Doctrine and the Franchise Business Model,” Michigan Bar Journal, Vol. 96, No. 5 (May 2017) 
• “Preemption and the Michigan Franchise Investment Law,” Michigan Bar Journal, Vol. 93, No. 12 (December 2014) 
• “Who Can Sue and Be Sued Under the Michigan Franchise Investment Law?,” Attorney at Law Magazine, Vol. 2, No. 6 (2013) 
• “A Call For Clarity: Forum-Selection Provisions and Michigan’s Summary Disposition Rule,” The Litigation Newsletter (Fall 2010) 
• “Campbell v DHS: The Michigan Court of Appeals Resolves Garg‘s Open Question And The Result Is ‘Mmm Mmm Good’ For Plaintiffs,” Labor and Employment Law Notes, Vol. 19, No. 4 (Winter 2010)