W. Thomas Chappell is a civil litigation and appellate attorney at Woods Rogers Vandeventer Black PLC in Norfolk. Thomas grew up in the Richmond area. He received a B.A. from the College of William & Mary magna cum laude in government and economics. He attended the University of Richmond School of Law where he earned a J.D. magna cum laude, was inducted into the Order of the Coif, and was on Law Review. His first job after law school was as a judicial law clerk with Justice S. Bernard Goodwyn of the Supreme Court of Virginia for two years. That position brought him to Chesapeake where he now lives with his wife and son. After clerking, he entered private practice. Thomas’s litigation practice focuses on appellate advocacy, trust and estates litigation, real estate and land use litigation, and commercial litigation. In his free time, Thomas plays volleyball and is an avid William & Mary sports fan.