Woods Rogers, Interlaw’s partner firm in Virginia, USA, has announced it has merged with fellow Virginian firm, Vandeventer Black, to create a ‘state powerhouse’ legal firm. Woods Rogers Vandeventer Black will have five offices in the state and 130 attorneys, covering more than 60 practices and industries, making it one of the largest firms in Virginia.

Woods Rogers was established in 1893 and has advised on several high-profile matters including representing nine plaintiffs who were awarded $26 million in the Charlottesville Unite the Right Rally case, Sines v. Kessler. It is also representing actor Amber Heard in a defamation case against her former husband, Johnny Depp.

Vandeventer Black, founded in 1883, is a well-established corporate firm providing commercial and labor law services across a broad spectrum of industries. It represented a marine terminal operator in high-profile leases related to offshore wind development promoted by the U.S. Secretary of Energy and the Governor of Virginia.

Leaders of the two original firms say the combination bolsters each firm’s capability in key areas, such as corporate transactions, litigation, construction, transportation, energy, labor and employment, cybersecurity and intellectual property.

“Vandeventer brings a lot of depth in some of our core areas, like labor, employment and business and corporate transactions,” said Woods Rogers president Daniel Summerlin. “These are areas where you can’t have too much depth these days.”

Daniel will become the new firm’s president, and Woods Rogers board chair Victor Cardwell will continue as chair of the expanded business. Deborah Casey, a member Vandeventer Black's executive board, will be the new board's vice chair. Woods Rogers CFO, Autumn Visser, will remain as firmwide CFO, while Vandeventer Black executive director Paul Julius becomes executive director of the new firm. Michael Sterling, current managing partner of Vandeventer, will remain a partner at the combined firm.