Law: DANIEL C. SUMMERLIN III

Summerlin joined Woods Rogers immediately after his graduation from William & Mary School of Law in 1997, and he now leads the nearly 130-year-old firm, which grew significantly larger this year after the Roanoke firm’s merger with Norfolk-based Vandeventer Black.

Finalized on July 1, the merger formed what Summerlin calls “a powerhouse Virginia law firm,” with more than 130 attorneys and offices in Roanoke, Norfolk, Richmond, Lynchburg and Charlottesville, as well as locations in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, and Hamburg, Germany. The combined firm has the fifth-largest law footprint in Virginia. Woods Rogers Vandeventer Black attorneys are admitted to practice in 20 states and federal courts, and the new firm will serve local, national and international clients.

Summerlin’s practice focuses on administrative and regulatory law, with an emphasis on environmental issues, labor and employment. He also handles government investigations and white-collar criminal defense.

A Roanoke native, Summerlin serves on the executive board for the Council of Community Services, was chancellor of St. John’s Episcopal Church, and was president of Roanoke Valley Swimming Inc. In 2019, Summerlin was part of a team that won the Subaru Ironman Mont-Tremblant relay in Quebec, riding a bicycle 112 miles.