John Devaney

John Devaney is Of Counsel and Managing Partner Emeritus at Perkins Coie LLP, where he has played a pivotal leadership role for over a decade. A nationally recognized litigator, John focuses his practice on commercial, political law, regulatory, and pro bono matters. He has represented clients in complex proceedings before federal and state courts, as well as administrative agencies across the United States.

John’s litigation work includes high-profile political matters, notably serving as litigation counsel for President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris during the 2020 election recounts and contests in Michigan, Nevada, and Wisconsin. He also represented the Biden-Harris Campaign and the Democratic National Committee in pre-election litigation related to absentee voting procedures in Nevada and Wisconsin.

John’s regulatory practice includes decades of experience representing public utility clients in more than 20 appellate matters and numerous regulatory proceedings. Before joining Perkins Coie LLP, John began his career in public service as a trial attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice and clerked for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

John earned his J.D. from the Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law in 1983, where he served as an editor of the Catholic University Law Review. He also holds a B.A. in History, magna cum laude, from Boston College. John is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, several federal courts of appeals, and the District of Columbia.

Throughout his tenure at Perkins Coie LLP, John Devaney served as the firmwide managing partner (2015–2019), managing partner of the Washington, D.C. office, and a member of both the Executive and Management Committees. Deeply involved in public service, he serves as a guardian ad litem in D.C. and sits on the board of the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs. His accolades include recognition by Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers, and Thomson Reuters’ “Stand-out Lawyers.”

Law Office Affiliations

• Of Counsel & Managing Partner Emeritus, Perkins Coie LLP
• Member, Board of Trustees of the Washington Lawyers’ Committee

Licensed State

• District of Columbia

Education

• Catholic University, Columbus School of Law
  Juris Doctor (JD)
• Boston College
  BA in History with Magna Cum Laude

Awards & Badges