William L. Summers is an American criminal defense lawyer who served as lead defense counsel for Larry Mahoney in the Carrollton, Kentucky bus collision case. He was admitted to the practice of law in the State of Ohio in 1969, the State of Kentucky in 1988, and has also been admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, ten of the eleven U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal, as well as numerous United States District Courts in the State of Alabama, Kansas, Kentucky, Ohio, and Oklahoma.

Beginning in July 1990, he served as counsel for Jimmie Dean Stohler with regard to the Tulsa, Oklahoma Crossbow murder case.

In 1982, he received the Robert C. Heeney award. He received the award as a result of his work in defending inmates prosecuted with regard to the New Mexico State Penitentiary riot

New Mexico State Penitentiary Riot

The New Mexico Penitentiary Riot, which took place on February 2 and 3, 1980, in the state's maximum security prison south of Santa Fe, was one of the most violent prison riots in the history of the American correctional system: 33 inmates died and more than 200 inmates were treated for injuries...

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He has also been selected to membership in the American Board of Criminal Lawyers.

In 1986, he argued before the U.S. Supreme Court in Firefighters v. Cleveland, 478 U.S. 501 (1986).

He is currently the Managing Partner of the Cleveland, Ohio law firm, Summers & Associates Co., L.P.A.