Attorney Profiles

James P. Leonard was born and raised in St. Louis .  He attended St. Louis Priory High School and obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from the University of Notre Dame.  He returned home to St. Louis for law school, graduating from Washington University School of Law in 1981.  He and his wife, Donna, have been married more than 25 years and have four children.

Jim began the practice of law in Belleville, Illinois , primarily representing defendants in civil actions involving automobile and truck collisions, automobile defects, railroad injuries, medical negligence, legal malpractice, and defective prescription drugs.  In 1986 he joined the St. Louis law firm of Padberg, McSweeney, Slater, & Merz, primarily representing injured people.

Jim joined Devereaux, Stokes, Nolan, Fernandez & Leonard in 2005 and has continued to represent injured people throughout Missouri and Illinois .  He is a member of the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys and the American Association for Justice.

During his career, Jim has obtained numerous million dollar settlements and jury awards in cases arising from truck collisions, medical negligence, defective products, and industrial accidents.  In addition, he has successfully handled dozens of appeals before the Missouri Supreme Court and various Courts of Appeal in Missouri and Illinois .  He is a frequent lecturer on trial techniques, negligence law, and appellate practice.