About Derek
Derek Diemer earned his law degree from California Western School of Law in 2021. He completed the J.D. program with a business concentration and graduated with honors. Before law school he studied philosophy at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, receiving a B.A. in 2014 with a concentration in ethics and society. Those academic choices gave him a blend of practical business training and a grounding in ethical reasoning.
His earliest recorded legal work came while he was still in school. In 2019 he served as a student lawyer with the Legal Aid Society of San Diego’s Low Income Taxpayer Clinic. That role placed him in front of clients who needed hands-on assistance, and it provided courtroom and client-contact opportunities uncommon for students.
After earning his J.D. he obtained provisional licensing in 2021 and took on roles at two firms that year. He worked as a provisionally licensed lawyer at David D.L. Horton, Esq. & Associates, APC and at Kuznetsky Law Group, P.C. Those positions bridged the gap from student practice to full associate work. In 2022 he returned to David D.L. Horton, Esq. & Associates, APC as an associate lawyer. His resume shows steady movement into traditional associate roles rather than into in-house or public sector practice.
In 2024 Diemer joined Thompson & Colegate LLP as an associate. The listing of jurisdictions shows he is licensed to practice in California. His path through student clinics, provisional licensing and successive associate posts suggests a lawyer familiar with the rhythms of civil practice in the state and comfortable working under supervisory arrangements that are typical for early-career attorneys.
Diemer’s academic profile — business-centered law studies combined with undergraduate ethics work — indicates the kinds of questions he is prepared to handle: transactional issues, client counseling and the ethical dimensions of representation. His practice history includes public-interest clinic work on tax matters and multiple assignments at small to mid-sized firms, giving him exposure to client intake, research, motion practice and courtroom appearances when required.
He has maintained active roles in California law firms since graduation and continues to build his practice. As of 2024 he is an associate at Thompson & Colegate LLP and his current practice focuses on representing clients in matters before California state forums.
