DeVore Law Offices represents Illinois businesses, owners, and partners in commercial litigation — breach of contract, partnership and shareholder disputes, non-competes, trade secrets, fraud, collections, and the large complicated cases that involve all of them at once. Before law school, Tom DeVore spent years in accounting and finance. In commercial litigation, where damages, valuation, and lost profits decide most cases, that background is a real edge.
Most business owners come into a commercial dispute the same way: a customer stops paying, a partner stops communicating, a former employee shows up at a competitor with the customer list, a vendor delivers something that costs them more to fix than the contract was worth. The first instinct is to handle it themselves, or to send a strongly worded letter, or to "wait and see." By the time the lawyer gets called, the case is usually harder than it needed to be.
Once a case is filed, two things decide the outcome. First, the documents — the contract, the emails, the bank statements, the books, the texts. Second, the numbers — the damages calculation that says, with credibility, what this dispute is worth. The other side's lawyer will be working on both. The earlier our side is doing the same work, the better the outcome.
Where the dispute can be resolved short of trial, we resolve it. Where it cannot, the firm is comfortable in the courtroom and on appeal. The decision is made on the facts of the case, not on what is easier for the lawyer.
— The way the firm has approached commercial litigation in central and southern Illinois for more than fifteen years.
The firm represents Illinois businesses on both sides of commercial disputes — plaintiff and defendant, large and small, transactional follow-on and standalone matters. Below is the day-to-day.
The core of commercial practice. Performance disputes, payment disputes, warranty and representation breaches, anticipatory repudiation, and the damages analysis that decides what the breach is worth. UCC and common-law cases both.
Closely-held company fights — minority oppression, freeze-outs, deadlock, breach of fiduciary duty, and the buyouts that often resolve them. Derivative actions where appropriate.
When co-owners can no longer work together, dissolution, judicial buyout, or negotiated separation under the LLC Act and the operating agreement. Often paired with a valuation fight that the accounting background helps us win.
Enforcement and defense of non-competes, non-solicits, and confidentiality agreements under the Illinois Freedom to Work Act and the developing case law. TROs and preliminary injunctions where the timing demands.
Claims under the Illinois Trade Secrets Act and the federal Defend Trade Secrets Act — misappropriation by departing employees, vendors, and competitors. Forensic preservation and the injunctive relief these cases usually require.
Common-law fraud, fraudulent inducement, negligent misrepresentation, and consumer-fraud claims. Often the difference between a contract case and a fraud case is a few specific facts — and significantly different remedies.
Interference with contract, interference with prospective economic advantage, commercial defamation, conversion, and unfair competition. The torts that show up alongside contract disputes when a competitor is involved.
Large-receivable enforcement, judgment collection, citations to discover assets, garnishments, and post-judgment work that actually gets the money. Available on hourly, hybrid, or — for the right case — contingency.
Workouts, forbearance, guarantor liability, loan defenses, and commercial-foreclosure litigation. Representing borrowers and lenders both, depending on the matter.
Contractor and owner disputes over performance, payment, change orders, and delay. Mechanic's lien claims and defenses under the Illinois statute, with attention to the strict notice and timing rules that decide the case.
TROs and preliminary injunctions where the case will not wait — trade secrets walking out the door, a non-compete violation in progress, a vendor about to ship to a competitor. The first 72 hours are where these cases are won or lost.
Appellate-level review of trial-court rulings on contract, business-tort, and equitable matters. The firm has appellate experience and is comfortable taking the right case up the chain.
Tom DeVore has spent more than fifteen years representing Illinois businesses and their owners, including in large and complicated commercial cases. The work has taken him into courtrooms across central and southern Illinois — and, in the right cases, all the way up the appellate chain. He has gone toe-to-toe with lawyers from major firms and from the Illinois Attorney General's Office. That experience is part of every case the firm takes.
Before law school, Tom worked in accounting and finance. In commercial litigation, where damages calculations, business valuations, and the careful reading of someone else's books often decide the case, that background changes what the firm can do. We do not need to call the accountant to understand the spreadsheet. We are reading the spreadsheet.
Damages, valuation, and forensic analysis done in-house by the lawyer running the case — not outsourced and then translated back.
Files built for the courtroom from day one. Settlement, when it comes, comes from preparation, not pressure.
Cases taken up the chain when the trial-court ruling needs review. The right cases get tried — and, when needed, appealed.
Tom DeVore handles your case personally. You are not handed off to an associate the day you sign.
An initial conversation, in person or by phone, to understand the dispute, the documents, and what you are trying to accomplish. You will leave knowing whether the firm is the right fit, what the case is likely to involve, and what to do in the next few days to preserve the position.
Before any filing, we work through the controlling documents and put a defensible damages number on the case. Lawyers who skip this step end up litigating disputes that are not worth the cost — or settling cases that should have been pushed harder. We do the analysis up front because it changes every later decision.
Some commercial disputes resolve on a well-built demand letter and a meeting. Some need a complaint filed before anyone takes them seriously. We make that call based on the facts of the case, the other side, and the timeline — not on what generates more billing.
Document production, written discovery, depositions, and, where appropriate, forensic accounting work coordinated with experts. The discovery plan is built backward from the damages theory, so every deposition and every document request is asking a question that matters.
Most commercial cases settle when the record is built and the numbers are clear. Some need to be tried. The firm is comfortable in either lane and prepares both at once — settlement leverage and trial readiness are the same work.
A judgment is not the end of the case — collection is. Citations, garnishments, judgment liens, and post-judgment discovery to get the money. Where the trial court got it wrong, the firm takes the appeal.
Most commercial work is billed hourly against a retainer, with the rate disclosed in writing before any work begins. For collection matters and strong-merit plaintiff cases, hybrid or contingency arrangements are sometimes available.
You will receive itemized monthly invoices. No surprise bills.
A commercial case in Illinois state court typically runs twelve to twenty-four months from filing to trial, longer in federal court. Cases involving injunctions move faster on the front end. Many disputes resolve before trial once the case is built.
We will give you a realistic estimate after the initial call.
Phone calls returned within one business day. Major filings, court dates, and rulings explained in writing — in plain English — when they happen.
You will know what is going on in your case without having to chase it down.
"We brought Tom in on a partnership freeze-out that two prior lawyers had told us was too complicated. He read the operating agreement, ran the valuation himself, and built a buyout case the other side could not get past. We were bought out at a price that reflected the real value of the business."
"A former sales manager left with our customer list and our forecast model. Tom had a TRO drafted within 48 hours, took depositions inside of two weeks, and got the trade-secret claim resolved on terms that protected our business. He understood our books as well as our accountant did."
Any dispute between businesses, or between a business and its owners, employees, vendors, or customers, where the dispute ends up in court or arbitration. Contract claims, partnership and shareholder fights, non-competes and trade secrets, fraud, business torts, collections, and lender disputes are the most common. If money or business control is at stake and the other side is not cooperating, it is probably commercial litigation.
Sometimes yes. Many commercial disputes resolve on a well-built demand letter and a serious conversation. Others — especially where the other side is dragging their feet, where time is short, or where injunctive relief is needed — only get taken seriously after a complaint is filed. We make the call based on the facts of your case, not on what generates more billing.
State-court commercial cases in Illinois typically run twelve to twenty-four months from filing to trial. Federal cases run longer. Cases that need an injunction move faster on the front end. Many cases resolve well before trial once the record is built — but the timeline depends almost entirely on what the other side does.
It depends on what the other side does and how complicated the facts are. A demand-letter-only resolution can be modest. A fully litigated multi-year case with expert witnesses can be substantial. We will tell you in writing what we think your case is likely to cost before you sign anything, and we will revisit that estimate as the case develops.
In many cases, yes. Illinois recognizes claims for trade-secret misappropriation, breach of confidentiality agreements, and — under the Illinois Freedom to Work Act and the developing case law — enforcement of non-competes and non-solicits that meet the statutory requirements. The first 72 hours after the employee leaves are critical. If there is a problem, call before they take more.
Quite a lot. Illinois law provides remedies for minority oppression, freeze-outs, breach of fiduciary duty, and deadlock. Depending on the entity and the operating documents, the options include a judicial buyout, dissolution, derivative action, or an injunction against further unauthorized conduct. The earlier we are involved, the more leverage we have.
Do not respond on your own. Preserve every document and email related to the dispute. Tell us what the relationship has been and what changed. We will read the letter, read the underlying documents, and give you a straight read on the exposure and the right response — whether that is a substantive answer, a counter, or letting them file and meeting them in court.
Usually, yes — particularly if the debtor has assets to satisfy a judgment. We can handle commercial collections hourly, hybrid, or — for the right case — on contingency. The first question is not really "should we sue?" It is "what is collectable if we win?" We will tell you that before you spend money on litigation.
Yes. The firm regularly handles commercial matters across central and southern Illinois — from the Metro East counties (Madison, St. Clair, Bond, Clinton, Monroe, Macoupin) up through the I-55 and I-72 corridors (Montgomery, Christian, Sangamon, Macon) and south through Effingham, Marion, Jefferson, Williamson, and the rest of southern Illinois. Initial calls can be by phone or video.
The 15-minute call is no-cost and to the point. It is not a legal advice session — the only question on the table is whether having this firm represent you is likely to be in your interest. If it is, we will talk about what happens next. If you are better served by another lawyer, or by handling the matter without one, we will tell you so.
Everything you share is confidential. Submitting this form does not create an attorney-client relationship.
Tom DeVore is an Illinois trial attorney who has tried cases against some of the best lawyers in the state, including counsel from the Illinois Attorney General's Office. Commercial litigation is a financial fight, and Tom's accounting background means contracts, ledgers, and agency filings are where he tends to find what the other side wishes he hadn't.
More about how Tom works →In a commercial dispute, the first thirty days set the position you live with for the next year. The lawyer you choose — and how early — has more to do with the outcome than almost any other decision you will make.