Christine L. Derr

Christine L. Derr has been Board Certified as an Expert in Marital and Family Law since 2013. While Ms. Derr is recognized as a skilled litigator, she is equally adept at fashioning creative, mutually beneficial resolutions in mediation and through her collaborative divorce practice.

While she is proud of her success in the courtroom, Ms. Derr’s experience has taught her that the most advantageous way to resolve a case is usually at the negotiation table. Ms. Derr believes that the collaborative process is suited for cases where the parties seek a confidential, less contentious solution. Regardless of whether a case is collaborative or contested, Ms. Derr puts the same efforts to analyze each case, get the right answers, and allow clients to make informed decisions. Ms. Derr believes that clients are in the best position to make decisions about their families and finances, and an attorney’s role is to use her training, analysis and experience to help navigate those decisions. Ms. Derr is also a skilled litigator, with extensive trial experience in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, and Polk Counties.

Christine was born in San Francisco, raised in California and has lived in Tampa since 1999. Christine received her B.A. with honors in history from the University of California at Berkeley and her J.D. from the University of Florida. In law school, Christine served as a judicial intern to the late Honorable Alexander L. Paskay. Chief United States Bankruptcy Judge Emeritus for the Middle District of Florida, and as a research assistant to Professor Barbara Bennett Woodhouse. Christine began her legal career at Harris & Hunt, P.A., formed her own firm, Derr Law Firm for nine years, and then merged her firm to form Harris, Hunt & Derr, P.A. in 2018.

Ms. Derr is active in voluntary bar associations including currently serving on the Board of Directors of the Hillsborough County Bar Association, Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers, and the Executive Council of the Stann Givens American Family Law Inn of Court. She served as Past Chair of the Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers, Hillsborough County Bar Association Family Law Section and the Hillsborough County Bar Association Collaborative Law Section. She has been recognized as one of the Top 100 Florida Super Lawyers®, Florida Trend’s Legal Elite, and received professionalism awards from her peers from Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers (2018), and the Theodore Millison Professionalism Award (2013) by the Family Law Inn of Tampa. Ms. Derr has served as a Guardian Ad Litem on dozens of Hillsborough County family law matters. Ms. Derr completed Family Mediation Certification training, has served as a family law mediator, and speaks regularly on family law matters.

Ms. Derr is active in service and civic organizations including currently serving as a member of the Board of Directors of Bay Area Legal Services and as Past President on the Board of Directors of The Rotary Club of Tampa. She served as a commissioner on the Thirteenth Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission from 2018 - 2022, as Chair in 2022. She has also served as a volunteer with Lawyers for Literacy for over ten years.