About Derek Allen
Derek Allen Colvin earned his law degree from Pennsylvania State University in 2006 after completing undergraduate studies at Old Dominion University in 2002. He moved from classroom to courtroom in a steady progression. The education laid a clear path for public-sector work early in his career.
He began practicing in southeastern Virginia and by 2009 was working at the Commonwealth's Lawyer's Office in the City of Portsmouth. That early period gave him routine exposure to the practical demands of municipal legal work. In 2015 he took on the role of Deputy at the Commonwealth's Lawyer's Office in the City of Suffolk. The deputy role expanded his responsibilities and put him into more complex matters handled by a city legal office.
In 2022 Colvin shifted between public and private roles. That year he served as Assistant General Counsel for Loyalty Brands, a corporate in-house position. He also became a named partner at Waldrop & Colvin that same year. The twin moves reflect a professional arc that crosses municipal law and corporate counsel work.
He is certified as a lawyer by the Virginia State Bar and has maintained professional memberships since 2009. Those affiliations have accompanied a career that alternates public service and private practice. Colvin's background includes both courtroom work and in-house legal responsibilities, and his record shows experience in municipal legal offices as well as a corporate legal department.
Colvin practices from Waldrop & Colvin, a firm that lists offices including a presence at Hamtown Hub. As partner he contributes to the management and client-service sides of the practice. His experience as an assistant general counsel informs how the firm handles corporate clients and internal compliance questions, while his years in Commonwealth offices shape the way he approaches municipal and governmental matters.
Colvin's career path — law school to municipal work to in-house counsel and partnership — reflects a pattern of shifting responsibilities rather than a single narrow specialization. He has moved between roles that require litigation experience, advising public bodies, and working within corporate legal structures. He currently practices at Waldrop & Colvin, where his work focuses on matters tied to his municipal and corporate counsel experience.
