Derek H. Davis

I have had two careers: one in law and one in academia. I am now practicing law part-time in Dallas, Texas. My legal background is varied, covering most aspects of the general law practice: business transactions and related work, including banking, taxation, contracts, corporate planning and finance; joint ventures and partnerships; mergers and acquisitions; oil and gas; litigation; financial services; debt collection; mortgages; secured transactions; bankruptcy; debt collection; law related to churches and nonprofit organizations; social security disability; and real estate. Over time, I have represented more than 100 nonprofit organizations. I also have extensive estate planning and probate experience and was previously certified by the State Bar of Texas as a specialist in Estate Planning and Probate. My academic background encompasses being a professor at two universities, serving as a Dean of the College of Humanities at one and also the Dean of the Graduate School at the same university; overseeing a major academic Institute at another university; publishing 18 books and more than 150 articles on various themes; and traveling and speaking worldwide as a scholar. For 15 years I edited, a major scholarly journal, Journal of Church and State, contributing to each issue an article-length editorial. I possess good leadership, writing, speaking, and relational skills; good critical and analytical thinking abilities; and operate well in fast-paced environments. I am proficient in strategic planning, documentation, administration, oversight, management, problem solving, and the like, either domestically or internationally (I have traveled to 33 countries, mostly as a speaker/scholar). I have an extensive law firm background in Dallas and Corsicana, Texas.