DEREK T. GILLILAND serves as a United States Magistrate Judge for the Western District of Texas in the Waco Division. In that role he oversees federal civil and criminal cases, with a significant number of patent cases on his docket.

He also handles the divisions central violations bureau cases and the VETS (Veterans Endeavor for Treatment and Support) Court that assists active and former military personnel who are charged with crimes and struggling with mental health issues.

For twenty-four years before taking the bench, he worked in private practice as a trial lawyer primarily handling patent cases throughout the country.

He is a 1998 graduate of Baylor Law School, where he graduated magna cum laude, and was ranked second in his graduating class.

Before law school he worked as an engineer for a defense contract after graduating magna cum laude from Texas A&M University with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.