Overview
Erica Summan is a partner in WSHB’s Northern California office. She focuses her practice on complex habitability, products liability, personal injury, employment, and intellectual property matters. Ms. Summan is a seasoned defense attorney who represents clients at every stage of state and federal litigation, including discovery, dispositive and law-and-motion practice, settlement negotiations, and trial. She second-chaired multiple successful trials and is known for her strategic, detail-oriented approach to high-exposure cases. She is a graduate of CLM’s Litigation Management Institute, an intensive, invitation-only program that selects fewer than 100 experienced practitioners nationwide to receive advanced training in litigation strategy, risk assessment, and case management from leading industry professionals.
Ms. Summan is deeply engaged in the legal community. She previously served as Vice President of the Women Lawyers of the Alameda County Bar Association. As a member of the Alameda County Bar Association’s Trial Practice Executive Committee, she organized and moderated programs featuring prominent attorneys and judges, including a panel on best practices for jury selection.
Ms. Summan earned her Juris Doctor from Southwestern Law School where she interned for Vice Dean Anahid Gharakhanian. Ms. Summan was the Founder and President of the South Asian Law Students Association at Southwestern. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and French from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Credentials
Education
- Southwestern Law School (J.D., 2016)
- University of California, Santa Barbara (B.A., 2013)
Licensed to Practice in
- California
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California
- U.S. District Court, Central District of California
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of California
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
Newsroom
News
Events, Seminars & Speaking Engagements
- "Coffee with Women Judges – Judge Toni Mims-Cochran," Women Lawyers of Alameda County Bar Association, Host, August 2023
- "New(er) Lawyer Bootcamp," Alameda County Bar Association, Panel Host, June 2023
- "Best Practices for Jury Selection," Alameda County Bar Association, Panel Host, October 2022
Publications
- Co-Author, "The California Supreme Court Refines Unconscionability Analysis in Employment Arbitration Agreements," WSHB Case Update, March 17, 2026
Community
Memberships
- Women Lawyers of Alameda County Bar Association, Vice President (2023 - 2024)
- Alameda County Bar Association, Executive Committee Member for the Trial Practice Section (2022 - 2023)
