William P. Devereaux

William P. Devereaux is a Principal with Pannone Lopes Devereaux & O'Gara LLC and leads the firm's Criminal Defense Team. Attorney Devereaux is a prominent and highly respected criminal and civil litigator, whose practice spans over 35 years representing high-profile clients, including CEOs, doctors, lawyers, and leading political figures in state and federal court. He routinely appears before the Rhode Island Supreme Court and the First Circuit Court of Appeals, and has represented individuals and agencies before the Department of Justice and the HHS Office of Inspector General and Office of Civil Rights with respect to Medicaid and Medicaid fraud, enforcement actions and agency audits.

In addition to representing individuals in criminal defense matters, Attorney Devereaux represents for-profit and nonprofit organizations with respect to health care fraud, money laundering, securities disputes and product liability issues. He is the original author of "Rhode Island's Guide to Grand Jury Service" and is highly regarded for his ability to manage grand jury and other governmental investigations to avoid indictments or actions by regulators. He has also represented casino developers, municipalities and Native American Tribes with respect to gaming, licensing, permitting and contracting issues involving the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

After graduating from Suffolk University Law School, Attorney Devereaux was selected by the United States Navy’s Judge Advocate Office during which time he acted as Senior Defense Counsel for the Naval Base at Pearl Harbor and as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawaii. He later served as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Rhode Island and prosecuted organized crime and major felony cases, as well as environmental criminal offenses, and served as supervising attorney for statewide Grand Jury matters. Attorney Devereaux has been recognized with the AV Preeminent rating from Martindale Hubbell, which is the highest rating based on both legal ability and ethics, and he is annually selected by clients and peers to the list of Best Lawyers in America® and Super Lawyers in his practice area.

He earned his J.D from Suffolk University School of Law and his undergraduate degree from Wesleyan University. He is admitted to practice law in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, the U.S. District Courts for the Districts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts, the First Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Court of Military Appeals for the Armed Forces. Attorney Devereaux is a retired Captain in the United States Naval Reserve.