Only a small number of young attorneys nationwide are recognized each year by the American Bar Association’s On the Rise: Top 40 Young Lawyers. In 2021, the list of honorees includes commercial real estate attorney and University of St. Thomas alumnus Derek Pershing, BBA/MBA ’10.

What It Takes to Make the List

Like Pershing, honorees are remarkable young lawyers who “exemplify a broad range of high achievement, innovation, vision, leadership and legal and community service.”

Pershing, who is a commercial real estate attorney and shareholder at the Wilson Cribbs + Goren law firm, said, “I’m very honored and grateful for this recognition. The list of honorees’ contributions to the legal community and society is extraordinary, so being selected to be among such a small group in the country was really a nice surprise.”

A Heart for Service and an Appreciation for UST

Before joining the legal community, Pershing, who was raised in Great Falls, Montana, served as an Army combat medic in Afghanistan. After his military service, he sought higher education and was attracted to UST’s veteran-friendly campus and small class sizes.

“UST was very welcoming to me when I transitioned out of the Army, and it was appealing to me to have a smaller class environment in order to interact with the top-notch faculty at the Cameron School of Business,” he said. “To this day, I am still friends with many of the professors who taught me when I was a student. In fact, several of them wrote recommendation letters for me to go to law school after finishing my MBA. They helped shape me into the person I am today.”

Constantly Striving

In addition to his robust real estate law practice, handling deals that range from $1M to $175M, the highly motivated legal expert is an adjunct professor at South Texas College of Law Houston. He teaches the capstone Real Estate Transactional Skills Course there.

“I constantly strive to be a better practitioner and leader,” he explained. “In keeping with that aim I have been focusing on training and developing future leaders by teaching third-year law students practical skills in real estate at South Texas College of Law Houston.”

Pershing also volunteers his expertise at several deserving organizations, including Houston Habitat for Humanity and mentoring programs at UST, South Texas College of Law Houston, Rice and Urban Land Institute.

Despite his drive to be all that he can be, Pershing remembers to create balance in his life.

“I have an insatiable appetite for adventure travel, so I will continue to explore the far reaches of the world.”