Derek Lloyd Mergele-Rust

Derek is a very good attorney and is very good at what he does, he is okay with answering many questions and very patient at that. Me a 14 year old juvenile was charged with Assault with bodily injury(M.O.M) And at first it was my first ever conviction and it was going to be differed. However i caugh...t 2 Very Very serious felonies in a different county. And he had no reason to consult with me about it and give legal advice however he did just that and to be so honest i liked him a lot more then i liked my attorney for that case (47 years experience) He has only been an attorney for upwards of 4 years however i felt like he knew so much more than my other attorney and was much more helpful overall with advice and consultation. While my other attorney who was being paid by the state for this case, was very frustrated and got annoyed whenever i would ask lots of questions about my case (AGG ASSAULT W A DEADLY WEAPON(FIREARM) (AGG ROBBERY) and i was facing 40 years as they were trying to charge me as an adult. I practically stopped listening to my other attorney and focused on solely Derek's advice when i communicated this to my other attorney he was very upset. He thought the best deal he was going to get me 5 years however i ended up with 8 years of probation and 4 years probated. I could not reccomend derek anymore and i am forever grateful

Derek may be a new attorney, but he possesses maturity, instincts, and strategic intuition of an attorney with many years of practice under his belt. I worked with Derek when he was a law student - he was my student, my research assistant, and the president of the law school's Lavender Law organizati...on. He excelled in each of those arenas. He was an outstanding student - a quick study at learning the black-letter law coupled with an inherent understanding of legal strategy. He was a dependable and self-motivated research assistant - always gathering the materials that I needed and talking through complex legal issues with me. He was a conscientious and well-respected student leader - not just by his fellow students, but by faculty and staff alike. He is an outstanding person and attorney, and I recommend him without reservation.