By Justin HAGER

Altadena resident and Eco-Rapid Transit Attorney Matthew Summers was named to the prestigious “Top 40 Under 40” of California lawyers by the Daily Journal Corporation, publisher of California’s leading legal trade paper. The annual list honors just 40 leading lawyers of the nearly 6,000 practicing attorneys under the age of 40 in California. Honorees are selected from hundreds of nominees in all legal fields across the state and, at 34 years old, Summers was among the youngest.

The Daily Journal highlighted Summers’ work as the city attorney for Barstow, Calabasas and Ojai, including successfully helping those cities manage and recover from the Great Recession; navigate the rapidly shifting, federal, state and county regulations related to the COVID-19 pandemic; and implement complex cannabis regulations in the wake of Proposition 64, the 2016 voter initiative that legalized adult use of recreational marijuana. More locally, Summers represents the Eco-Rapid Transit Authority whose members include the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority. Eco-Rapid Transit (formerly known as the Orangeline Development Authority) is a joint powers authority created to increase transportation options for riders of this region utilizing safe, energy-efficient, environmentally friendly, advanced transit technology.

Summers is a 2011 graduate of California’s oldest law school, the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. Raised in the Bay Area, he relocated to Los Angeles in 2012 to pursue a career at the Pasadena-offices of Colantuono, Highsmith & Whatley, PC (CHW). CHW helps smaller cities, counties, special districts and government entities receive expert legal representation at a fraction of the cost by serving multiple cities simultaneously, sharing time and costs, and creating opportunities for innovative solutions to challenges faced by multiple cities, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The COVID pandemic of the past year has posed real challenges for local governments, including the people, businesses and schools that help these communities thrive,” said Summers. “We dusted off 100-year-old case law and used templates from wildfire emergency declarations to try and bring some sense of calm and order to the chaos. Eventually we realized that we didn’t have ready-made solutions and that we were going to be forced to be creative and adaptive and build the ship while we were sailing it.”

As an active leader and executive committee member for several League of California Cities committees, Summers used the divided structure of his position as an advantage by learning from the best and most effective practices in each city he and his colleagues represent, helping them make progressively better decisions to weather the pandemic and earning him the 40-under-40 title.

“It’s an honor to be recognized for my work on behalf of local government and local communities across California,” he said. “Every city I work with has a rich history, diverse culture and an inspirational population of residents and elected officials who believe whole-heartedly in serving their community. I’m proud to work with these great leaders and serve cities that tirelessly pursue a better future for the next generation while respecting and preserving important pieces of the past.”

More information on the Daily Journal’s “Top 40 Under 40” list can be found at https://www.dailyjournal.com/. More information about Summers and his firm can be found at https://chwlaw.us/.