Derek Stikeleather Email & Phone Number

I feel fortunate that I joined the legal profession after almost a decade as a high school teacher and coach. I still find that acting like a teacher usually serves me much better than acting like a lawyer. Acting like a lawyer often aggravates a situation that needs constructive problem-solving. An adversarial legal system too often brings out the worst in people, turning bright, hardworking men and women into inefficient, combative windbags. As a teacher, I was expected to always be optimistic, constructive, creative, direct, well prepared, clear, and honest. Working with adolescents, I also had to quickly solve problems and adjust to rapidly shifting dynamics. This has helped me immensely as an attorney.I love that my professional life is now reading, writing, and thinking. My practice focuses heavily on writing, and my favorite cases are appellate matters that require me to reduce complex facts and law down to a simple, logical, written story. The challenge of legal writing is – like life itself – simplifying without oversimplifying. Readers want to know what really matters and why. They want to understand it quickly and easily. And they do not want any deception or material omissions. Whether I am submitting a brief or presenting an oral argument, I find that people usually appreciate the style of an earnest, positive teacher over that of an edgy lawyer.I am happy to connect here with any current or aspiring legal writers, and I always appreciate the opportunity to serve clients who need a dedicated writer and legal problem-solver. You can easily reach me by email at dstikeleather@gdldlaw.com

Listed skills include Legal Writing, Appeals, Legal Research, Litigation, and 8 others.