Benson Varghese, founder and managing partner of the law firm Varghese Summersett PLLC, has been named a 2017 Minority Leader in Business by the Fort Worth Business Press.
Varghese was recognized along with other North Texas business leaders on Dec. 14, during a luncheon at the Fort Worth Club.
“I am honored to have been recognized as a top business leader by the Fort Worth Business Press,” Varghese said. “The award recognizes that diverse backgrounds can enhance the strength of, and innovation within, our business community.”
A former prosecutor, Varghese started his criminal defense firm three years ago with two attorneys in a small office. Today, his firm is the largest criminal defense firm in Tarrant County. The firm’s 10 attorneys and support staff take up half of the 16th floor in the One City Place building in downtown Fort Worth.
“Benson built his business on the principles of hard work, dedication, education and integrity,” said firm partner Christy Jack. “His word is his bond. At age 35, he truly embodies the entrepreneurial spirit.”
A native of India, Varghese came to the United States when he was a year old after his mother accepted a job as a nurse in Dallas. He later returned to India as a young teen to manage the family’s rubber plantation, a difficult life that taught him the value of hard work and perseverance. Once he turned 18, he sought citizenship in the United States to return to his immediate family, pursue higher education, and live the “American Dream.”
After becoming a naturalized citizen and returning to the U.S., Varghese pursued and obtained his GED. He went on to graduate from Southern Methodist University and then attended law school at Texas Tech University to fulfill his goal of becoming an attorney. Upon graduation, he went to work for the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office, where he served as a prosecutor for four years.
In March 2014, at the age of 32, Varghese left his job as a prosecutor to launch his own criminal defense firm and acquired an all-star team of attorneys. To date, Varghese Summersett PLLC has helped more than 1000 clients, has an A+ business rating with the Better Business Bureau and has 130 five-star reviews on Google – more stellar reviews than any other criminal defense firm in Texas.
Varghese is a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation – only one-third of 1 percent of Texas lawyers are selected each year – and a member of the College of the State Bar of Texas, a distinction held by fewer than 10 percent of all licensed attorneys in Texas. He also was recently elected Vice President of the Tarrant County Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, among many other notable accomplishments.
“We all benefit when every person, regardless of race, ethnicity, background, or socioeconomic status, is given the opportunity to pursue their dreams,” said firm partner, Anna Summersett. “Benson has done just that, ambitiously. The lessons he learned from his parents, his culture, and other minority members along the way make him a well-rounded, intelligent leader for our diverse firm.”
Learn more about Benson Varghese on the firm’s website, www.versustexas.com.