Legal Practice Hall of Fame Class of 2023: Larry S. McDevitt
Larry McDevitt, who once thought he would practice law for just a few years, is now the Senior Principal and Past President of The Van Winkle Law Firm with 55 years of litigation experience in Federal and State Trial and Appellate Courts.
A Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers and International Society of Barristers, his current trial practice focuses on antitrust and intellectual property infringement matters.
While Mayor of Asheville, Larry played a key role in its revitalization. He has also been devoted to pro bono legal services: he helped co-found Pisgah Legal Services, served twice on the Board of Legal Services of North Carolina, and chaired the ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service, following a term on the ABA Board of Governors. For 11 years he was elected as NC’s sole State Delegate to the ABA.
While President of the North Carolina Bar Association, he initiated the effort leading to the establishment of the Commission on the Status of Women in the Legal Profession and proposed the establishment of our Senior Lawyers Division.
Larry attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a Morehead Scholar and serves as Permanent Vice President of the Class of ’64. After serving as Assistant Dean of Men, he entered UNC Law School, graduating in 1968; he is a Past President of the UNC Law Alumni Association.
Larry is married to Dershie, a writer. They have three children and four grandchildren – none of whom are lawyers, though his grandson is nibbling around the edges!