Larry McDevitt is a senior principal and Past President of The Van Winkle Law Firm. He has more than 47 years of experience in civil litigation in federal and state trial and appellate courts. He is also admitted to practice in the U.S. Supreme Court. His trial practice places special emphasis on patent and trademark infringement and antitrust matters. A Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers and International Society of Barristers, he has successfully pursued class-action suits against worldwide companies and handled numerous patent infringement cases from both the plaintiffs’ and defendants’ sides. In addition, his practice has included the representation of businesses in the utility, development, communication, and healthcare industries with respect to regulatory, employment, zoning, construction, and general corporate matters.

A former Mayor and Councilmember of the Asheville City Council, McDevitt also gives his time and support to a variety of civic, professional, and community organizations. He has been instrumental in providing pro bono legal services to those in need on local, state and national levels; he helped co-found Pisgah Legal Services, served on the Board of Legal Services of North Carolina, and chaired the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service following a term on the ABA Board of Governors.

Practice Areas

Awards & Honors

  • Lawyer of the Year, Asheville Area – The Best Lawyers in America® 2020 –  Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants
  • The Best Lawyers in America® 2020, Asheville Area –
    • Antitrust Law, Commercial Litigation
    • Litigation – Patent
    • Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants
    • Medical Malpractice Law – Plaintiffs
    • Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs
    • American Bar Foundation, Fellow
  • North Carolina Bar Association Centennial Award
  • The Best Lawyers In America 2025
  • American College of Trial Lawyers, Fellow
  • Best Lawyers in America
  • Business North Carolina Legal Elite
  • International Society of Barristers, Fellow
  • North Carolina Super Lawyers 2024
  • Pisgah Legal Services, “Roy Davis Award” honoree for legal services to the poor
  • North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys, “Themis Award” honoree for work on behalf of women attorneys
  • Elected to the North Carolina Bar Association’s Hall of Fame, 2023.
  • Recipient of the Buncombe County Bar’s Lifetime Achievement Award, 2023.
  • 2024 North Carolina Super Lawyers

Practice Highlights

  • With other counsel, successfully defended satellite programming services provider against patent infringement claims.
  • With other counsel successfully pursued and settled class-action antitrust litigation against several worldwide suppliers of textile product.
  • On behalf of the utility company, successfully challenged the municipality’s attempt to annex a power plant. The decision by N.C. Supreme Court was a case of the first impression.
  • With other counsel, successfully pursued manufacturer against another in a patent infringement case, which resulted in a multi-million dollar settlement for client on the eve of trial.

Education

  • University of North Carolina, Juris Doctor, 1968, and Bachelor’s Degree in English, 1964

Professional Affiliations

  • United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina Patent Rules Committee
  • North Carolina Bar Association, Past President
  • North Carolina State Bar IOLTA Board, Immediate-Past Chair
  • University of North Carolina Law School Alumni Association, Past President
  • American Bar Association, North Carolina State Delegate, House of Delegates
  • Harry C. Martin American Inns of Court
  • Federal Bar Association
  • Buncombe County Bar
  • Legal Services Corporation, National Pro Bono Task Force
  • Pisgah Legal Services, Co-Founder
  • Permanent Member, Judicial Conference, United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

Community Involvement

  • HomeTrust Bank, Vice-Chair and Lead Director
  • Buncombe County, County Attorney
  • City of Asheville, Former Mayor and City Council Member
  • North Carolina Center for Public Policy Research, Founding Board Member
  • Western North Carolina Regional Mental Health Board, Former Chair

Together with his wife, Dershie, a writer, Larry has three children: Brandon, a speech pathologist with three children of her own; Trenton, who works in the film industry; and, Kendal, Associate Director of Admissions at Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C.

Larry enjoys spending time at his second home on Dewees Island, where he is past-president of the Deedee Paschal Barrier Island Trust, a 501(c)(3) foundation he co-founded to encourage the study and preservation of barrier islands like Dewees on the eastern seaboard.

A skier and avid fly fisherman, Larry is known to be AWOL during a western snowstorm or the mayfly hatch. Since his three children have (allegedly) flown the coop, he and his wife enjoy travel but are always seduced back home to be near their grandchildren.

  • Philosophy: “During my 40 years of law practice, I’ve taken my work seriously, but seldom myself.”
  • Favorite Places to Visit: New Zealand, Europe, and Alaska
  • Guilty Pleasures: “I don’t do guilt; it’s counterproductive!”