Derek Anthony West (born August 12, 1965) is an American attorney, former government official, and the senior vice president and chief legal officer of Uber.

[5] During his time at the Department of Justice, West played a role in the administration's decision to stop defending the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) after concluding that the statute was unconstitutional.

[15][18] He attended Bellarmine College Preparatory, a Catholic, all-male, private secondary school, where he served as freshman class president, before graduating in 1983.

[26] West serves on the Board of Directors for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.[27] West began his career at the Justice Department when he joined the Clinton administration in 1993, as a Special Assistant under Philip Heymann, the Deputy Attorney General of the United States Department of Justice,[28] until 1994, when he was appointed as an Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) for the Northern District of California.

[23] As an Assistant U.S. Attorney, West prosecuted child sexual exploitation, fraud, narcotics distribution, interstate theft, and high tech crime.

[34] On the consumer protection front, West oversaw cases that resulted in more than 115 criminal convictions, as well as recoveries of more than $3.5 billion, during his three-year tenure.

[38][39][40] As Associate Attorney General, West led the department's efforts against financial institutions in connection with their roles in precipitating the Great Recession.

[44] West also oversaw constitutional policing enforcement actions by the Civil Rights Division and led the department's negotiations with Puerto Rico to reach a historic agreement that requires the Commonwealth's police department to implement and sustain a wide range of constitutional policies and procedures, including those that address use of force, equal protection and non-discrimination, and community engagement.

[46] In June 2014, West represented the United States at the U.N.'s International Conference on Access to Legal Aid in the Criminal Justice Systems in South Africa.

[47] In 2013, West oversaw the department's filing of a statement of interest in Wilbur v. City of Mount Vernon (WD Wash.), a class action lawsuit alleging that accused defendants were systemically denied effective assistance of counsel.

Without taking a position on the merits of the case, the filing requested that if the court found constitutional violations, it consider workload controls for public defenders and appointment of an independent monitor to ensure compliance.

[54][55] On October 7, 2014, PepsiCo, Inc. announced that West had joined the company as executive vice president of government affairs, general counsel, and corporate secretary, effective November 24, 2014.

This announcement shortly followed the completion of an investigation by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder into allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination at Uber.

[19] After incumbent Mike Honda ran for the U.S. House of Representatives, leaving a vacancy, West was one of six Democrats to run for the open seat.