When Derek Whitefield retired in 2023, after nearly 40 years as a corporate defense attorney, he didn't know he’d soon be practicing law again just two years later.

“After Southern California Edison announced its Wildfire Recovery Compensation Program and I found out it was designed by Ken Feinberg and Camille Biros — highly respected lawyers in this field — I thought it would be a fair program,” said Whitefield, who’s lived in Altadena for more than 20 years. “So, I decided to renew my law license so I could help my friends and neighbors go through the program.”

In the early stages of the program’s creation, he read the protocol, attended community meetings, gave written feedback and had open conversations with SCE’s lawyers throughout the entire process.

Once the program officially launched, Whitefield decided to first try it out with his own claim. After the Eaton Fire, his home was still standing — more than he could say for most of his neighbors — but it had soot etched into the walls, doors, windows, ceiling and floors. So, he submitted the necessary documentation and received an offer about 30 days later.

“I wanted to test it out so I knew what to expect,” he said. “I was really happy with the amount I was offered.”

After his claim was complete and his offer in hand, Whitefield began helping his friends and neighbors. Word spread quickly, and soon he was just as busy as he was before retirement.

While legal representation is not required to submit a claim, so far, hundreds of people have reached out to Whitefield for help, and more continue to call every day.

“When this all started, I thought ‘OK, I better get a few business cards and some manila folders,’ but I never expected to be helping this many people, so I've run out of both of those several times,” said Whitefield. “I’m still shocked at the number of people I come across who have not heard of the program or are skeptical of it.”

In just under nine months since SCE launched its Wildfire Recovery Compensation Program, more than 12,000 participants have turned to SCE for direct compensation and fast payments — many people receive the money in as little as 2-3 weeks after satisfying the settlement agreement. So far, more than $750 million in relief has been offered to the community, and there are still thousands of people and businesses that are eligible.

“When people ask my advice on whether or not they should apply for the program, my answer is that there is no downside to submitting a claim and finding out what your offer will be,” Whitefield said. “If you get an offer and you don't like it, there is no obligation — you just walk away.

“For the vast majority of people, litigation will be long and hard, and in many cases, it will not produce a better offer than what SCE’s program is offering in a much shorter period of time.”

For more information, visit sce.com/directclaims.