Biography
Derek M. Newberry is a partner in Hall Booth Smith’s Charleston office, with a practice encompassing the full spectrum of construction defect, professional malpractice, medical malpractice, product defect, personal injury, wrongful death, and property damage litigation. Derek also assists professionals before state licensing boards and is a Certified Circuit Court Mediator.
Derek has received a number of professional recognition, including: (a) by Best Lawyers® as “One to Watch,” a recognition given to young lawyers for professional excellence in private practice; (b) as a Rising Star by South Carolina’s Super Lawyers magazine (2022 and 2023), and (c) as AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell for his legal knowledge, communication skills, and ethical standards. Derek is also actively involved in the South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys Association and previously served as the President of its Young Lawyers Division.
Experience
Derek’s experience includes:
- Architects, engineers, and contractors in design and construction defect litigation.
- Product manufacturers in product defect litigation, including serving as South Carolina litigation counsel for an international exterior cladding manufacturer.
- Medical professionals in malpractice litigation.
- Businesses of various sizes in serious personal injury litigation.
- Transportation companies in incidents involving personal injury and property damage.
Credentials
Admitted
State Courts:
- South Carolina
U.S. District Courts:
- U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina
Education
- J.D., Charleston School of Law
- B.A., Wofford College
Memberships
- South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys Association, Young Lawyers Division, Past President
Recognition
- Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America, Best Lawyers®, 2021-2025
- Awarded in: Construction Law, Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
- AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated™, High Ethical Standing; Martindale-Hubbell
- South Carolina Rising Star, Super Lawyers®, 2022-2024
- Legal Elite, Charleston Business Magazine, 2022
Presentations
- Hot Button Legal Issues for South Carolina Design Professionals
ACEC-SC/SCSPE Winter Meeting; Columbia, South Carolina; February 2015 - Hot Topics in Construction Law: Why the Economic Loss Rule is Alive for Residential Construction Product Manufacturers
Annual Meeting of the South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys Association, November 2014