About Thomas C
Thomas C DeVoto began his academic path at Fairfield University, where he completed a Bachelor of Arts in 1972, studying history, English, political science and Spanish. He went on to earn a Juris Doctor from Saint Louis University. The combination of a broad undergraduate curriculum and law school training framed an interest in courtroom work and appellate practice.
He entered private practice in the mid-1970s. In 1975 he joined Gray & Ritter as an associate and rose to junior partner. That early period sharpened his trial skills and introduced him to the procedural demands of both state and federal litigation. He served on the Executive Committee of the Lawyers Association of St. Louis from 1981 to 1982, an early leadership role that helped shape his civic professional ties.
In 1985 he became senior partner at Wuestling, James & DeVoto. That phase of his career saw him take on larger matters and manage teams of lawyers on complex cases. He also joined the American Association for Justice in 1985, a membership he has maintained since then. His professional affiliations expanded in this period to include the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis and the Missouri Association of Trial Lawyers.
In 1996 he established The DeVoto Law Office. He has maintained that practice since, handling litigation, client counseling and appellate filings. His name appears on filings in trial courts and in appeals before several federal courts of appeal. He became a Fellow of The Missouri Bar Foundation in 2005 and continues in that role.
He is admitted to practice in Missouri and before a number of federal venues. His admissions include the Sixth, Seventh and Eighth U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals, as well as the U.S. Supreme Court. Memberships in the Missouri Bar and the American Bar Association date to 1975. Other long-standing associations include the Lawyers Association of St. Louis (sustaining member since 1982) and the American Association for Justice.
Colleagues describe him as steady at the lectern and careful in preparation. He has balanced courtroom work with the administrative demands of running a small firm. Over several decades he moved from associate to partner and then to solo practitioner, and that arc shows in how he manages cases and client relationships.
He continues to practice from The DeVoto Law Office, maintaining a civil litigation practice that includes trial representation and appellate work in state and federal courts.
