Derek Goff

Derek J. Goff is an associate attorney in Swift Currie’s Atlanta office. He focuses his practice on first- and third-party coverage opinions and litigation and bad faith insurance litigation.

Prior to joining Swift Currie, Derek represented numerous clients in multiple practice areas against multi-million-dollar lawsuits. Throughout the pandemic, Derek counseled insurers through personal injury and loss of business claims arising from COVID-19 infections. He analyzed the various approaches across jurisdictions with regard to key policy language. He also previously completed an internship for the United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) for the Northern District of Mississippi. This experience gave Derek valuable insight on how the USAO and other related agencies function.

In his work, Derek prioritizes answering the difficult legal questions regarding coverage, and when necessary, brings those questions before the court for resolution. Derek works to ensure that the insurers’ determinations are well-informed, and when jurisprudence does not permit certainty on a specific question, he indicates the likelihood of the potential outcomes.

Derek earned his J.D., summa cum laude, from the University of Mississippi School of Law. He received his B.A. from the University of Southern Mississippi, where he graduated with highest honors.

Awards/Recognitions

• Daniel-Coker Moot Court Competition Best Brief Award - University of Mississippi, August 2014
• Best Brief Award and Semifinalist in Gabrielli Moot Court Competition - Albany Law School, March 2015
• Selected as designated brief writer in National Moot Court Competition - University of Mississippi, September 2016
• Outstanding Student Award: Conflict of Laws - University of Mississippi, December 2014
• Outstanding Student Award - University of Mississippi Criminal Appeals Clinic, December 2015

Memberships

• State Bar of Georgia
• The Mississippi Bar
• Alabama State Bar

• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi

• U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi

• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

Interests

Derek has taken a special interest in raising money for children’s cancer research charities such as St. Jude Children’s Hospital and providing special experiences for children suffering from serious illnesses. He also works to raise money for multiple environmental and animal welfare causes. In his free time, Derek enjoys playing guitar and creating art projects with his teenage daughter.

Speaking Engagements

Publications

Thought Leadership

• New Life in the First Amendment: Funeral Protest Statutes after McCullen v. Coakley, 13 Dartmouth L.J. 4 (May 2016)
• Mechanics’ Liens and Right to Payment: Getting What is Owed, Sterling Educational
• Services Continuing Legal Education (Spring 2018)
• Insurance Law Review (April 2020, February 2020, etc.)
• Florida District Court Finds Virus Exclusion Arguably Ambiguous as Applied to COVID-19 Business Losses (November 2020)
• Florida’s New “Combatting Public Disorder Act” and Its Impact on Insurers of Florida Local Governments (May 2021)
• Mississippi Property Owners Not Required to Exhaust Administrative Remedies Before the Mississippi State Oil and Gas Board Prior to Bringing Suit (September 2021)
• Eleventh Circuit Resolves Forty-Year-Old Battle to Restore the Ocklawaha River by Concluding It Lacks Subject-Matter Jurisdiction to Review Agency Enforcement Decisions (November 2021)