Industries

LEGISLATIVE/REGULATORY/ADMINISTRATIVE

2011 Legal Elite profile

• November 30, 2011
•  | 

Dan Summerlin
Woods Rogers PLC
Roanoke

Title: Principal 
Other legal specialties:  Employment     
Birthplace:  Chapel Hill, N.C. 
Education: Bachelor’s degree, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill; law degree, College William & Mary
Wife:   Shannon 
Children:   Daughters Taylor Marie, 11; Callie Rae, 10; and Caroline Anne, 8 
Hobbies:   Swimming; surfing, ACC sports     
First job as a lawyer:  “Woods Rogers PLC.  First and only legal job I have ever had.”
Favorite vacation spot: A tie between Topsail Island, N.C., and Bath County, Va. 
Recently read book: “Crazy for the Storm:  A Memoir of Survival” by Norman Ollestad 
Career mentor:  Several individuals including Linwood Wells, Bill Poff, Judge Mike Urbanski and Paul Thomson Jr.     

What sort of cases do you handle?  
“In the environmental area the majority of the cases are hazardous-waste related or water.  The types of cases are varied: leaking underground tanks, to brownfields to EPA/DEQ  civil and criminal investigations.  On the employment side, I deal with EEOC charges and employment litigation as well as compliance assistance.”  

What was your most memorable case?  
“Two stand out for their subject matter and unique locations in Virginia: Working on the wind turbine case in Highland County and a coal slurry release case in Lee County in far Southwest Virginia.”