Derek Centola is an Atlanta-based associate experienced in managing all phases of high-stakes, complex commercial litigation and government investigations.

Derek’s representations include corporate officers and directors of a privately traded company in a sprawling trusts litigation and a national life insurance company in a putative class action lawsuit in federal district court in Maryland.

Prior to joining the firm, Derek represented publicly traded healthcare, finance and telecommunications companies – and their executives – before the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and state attorneys general (AGs) in government investigations and civil actions. This experience has developed Derek’s understanding of federal securities laws, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the False Claims Act and the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

During law school, Derek was the senior federal circuit editor for the American University Law Review and a member of the Mock Trial Honor Society. He also served as a judicial intern for the Honorable Barbara Rothstein of the US District Court for the District of Columbia and as a legal clerk for the US Senate Committee for Veterans Affairs.

Before law school, Derek served his country as a transportation officer in the US Army, where he achieved the rank of captain.

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  • Represented corporate officers and directors of a privately traded company in a dispute over the allocation of a complex trust scheme.
  • Defended a telecommunications corporation and its CEO in qui tam litigation against a relator’s False Claims Act allegations stemming from the outcome of a Federal Communications Commission auction.
  • Represented a pharmaceutical company under investigation by the DOJ, the SEC and both New York and Maryland AGs for alleged securities fraud and insider trading.
  • Defended an international food company against DOJ allegations of Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act violations resulting in a plea agreement avoiding imposition of any restitution or monitorship.
  • Represented a Fortune 500 company’s CEO in conjunction with a DOJ investigation into allegations of Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act violations by both the CEO and the company.

Education

  • American University, Washington College of Law, J.D., cum laude, 2020
  • University of Miami, B.A., 2013

Admissions

  • District of Columbia, 2021
  • Georgia, 2021

Courts

  • Supreme Court of Georgia
  • Ct. of App., Georgia
  • U.S. Dist. Ct., S. Dist of Georgia

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