Law 2024: DANIEL C. SUMMERLIN III

For more than 25 years, Summerlin has advised businesses — from sole proprietorships to Fortune 500 names — in environmental matters. Summerlin also assists employers with employment laws and regulations, including investigations with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. 

A Roanoke native, Summerlin returned to the Star City in 1997 to work at Woods Rogers after graduating from William & Mary Law School. The firm named him president in 2015. In 2022, Woods Rogers merged with Norfolk-based Vandeventer Black, becoming Woods Rogers Vandeventer Black, the state’s fifth largest firm. In May, the law firm shortened its name back to Woods Rogers.

An 11-time Atlantic Coast Conference swimming champion at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Summerlin competed in the 1992 U.S. Olympic Trials.  

Summerlin’s family shares his enthusiasm for being in the water. His wife, Laura Summerlin, is a two-time qualifier for the Ironman World Championships. His daughter Callie surfed at San Diego State University and competed in the Women’s Longboard Tour. Two other daughters, Taylor and Caroline, both swam for club teams in college. A stepdaughter, Cabell Whitlow, swam for Duke and competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials.