 He was a solicitor for the Federal Power Commission from 1933 to 1938.He returned to private practice in Orlando, Florida from 1938 to 1943.DeVane was nominated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on March 26, 1943, to a joint seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida and the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida vacated by Judge Curtis L. Waller.