Derek Witte

Derek Witte has extensive work experience in the legal field. Derek is currently working as the General Counsel at Protecht. Derek is highly skilled in contract law, litigation management, and corporate legal strategy. Derek has expertise in designing and implementing data privacy programs and is a certified CIPP-US professional.

Before joining Protecht, Derek worked as a Legal Consultant and Strategic Advisor during their sabbatical. Derek provided interim general counsel services to a start-up leave management and HR Tech company (Tilt) and fractional general counsel services to multiple companies in various industries. Derek offered high-level legal advice on regulatory matters, corporate governance, and compliance processes.

Prior to their sabbatical, Derek worked at International Medical Group (IMG) as the Chief Compliance Officer and Deputy General Counsel. Here, they implemented enterprise-wide compliance systems, advised executives and board members on compliance issues, and managed the Department of Insurance, Regulatory, and Attorney Complaints. Derek also served as the Assistant General Counsel at IMG, where they provided legal guidance on compliance, employment law, contracts, and litigation management.

Before joining IMG, Derek worked as an Attorney and Of Counsel at Witte Law PLLC and Talcott Franklin. Derek co-founded the Law Office of Jordan C. in 2014.

Derek also has experience in academia. Derek worked as a Professor at Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, where they taught classes on contracts and e-discovery. Derek was also involved in moot court coaching and published several articles on law, technology, privacy, and consumer rights.

Early in their career, Derek worked as a Litigation Associate at Miller Johnson, where they successfully vacated wrongful convictions and argued for default judgments based on the spoliation of evidence. Derek also worked as a Litigation Associate at Jenner & Block, where they handled nationwide consumer fraud class actions, trade secret disputes, and insurance coverage lawsuits.

Overall, Derek Witte has a diverse and extensive background in the legal field, with expertise in contract law, litigation management, compliance, and corporate legal strategy.

Derek Witte obtained a J.D. degree in Law from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law from 1999 to 2002. Prior to that, they completed their Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in English from Marian University Indianapolis between 1992 and 1999. In addition to their formal education, Derek Witte obtained a certification in The Certified Information Privacy Professional - United States (CIPP/US) from the IAPP - International Association of Privacy Professionals in September 2021.