Varghese Summersett: The Firm Where Half the Criminal Team Is Board Certified

TO OUR READERS: This profile is independent editorial content produced by Awesome Attorneys. Varghese Summersett PLLC did not pay for, commission, sponsor, or review this article, and inclusion in this series cannot be purchased. Nothing here is legal advice, an endorsement, or a recommendation to hire any lawyer; readers should evaluate counsel independently and may verify any Texas attorney’s license and discipline history through the State Bar of Texas at texasbar.com. Facts are drawn from the sources identified in the Methodology section and were verified as of August 2026.

AT A GLANCE

I. A Fort Worth DWI Defense Team Where Half the Lawyers Are Board Certified

Varghese Summersett’s specific, checkable differentiator as a Fort Worth DWI defense and criminal defense firm is depth of certification across the team rather than a single named partner: three attorneys are Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and two more are Board Certified in Juvenile Law — a credential the firm’s own materials describe as held by fewer than 10% of Texas attorneys in any specialty, meaning roughly half the firm’s criminal team holds a Board Certification of some kind.

II. A Firm Founded and Staffed by Former Prosecutors

Co-founder Anna Summersett served as a prosecutor for the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office and the Cameron County District Attorney’s Office before entering private practice, and has personally tried more than 100 cases before Texas juries, ranging from DWI to capital murder. Partner Lisa Herrick is Board Certified in Juvenile Law, a designation the firm states is held by only 68 attorneys statewide and just three in Tarrant County — a specific, narrow specialty distinct from general criminal defense.

III. Practice Areas

• DWI defense, first-offense misdemeanor through felony repeat offenses, intoxication assault, and intoxication manslaughter
• Felony criminal defense, including capital murder
• Federal criminal defense
• Juvenile criminal defense
• White-collar and drug crime defense

IV. Case Outcomes

The firm states it has secured 1,600-plus dismissals across its criminal practice; this figure is firm-published and not independently re-verified against court dockets by this profile. Anna Summersett’s more than 100 jury trials, ranging from DWI to capital murder, are documented across independent attorney directories. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes, and every case depends on its own specific facts.

V. The Client Voice

The firm’s attorneys were named the city’s only Best Lawyers 2026 DWI honorees and were voted Best DWI Firm in Dallas, a peer- and publication-driven recognition distinct from a paid marketing listing. No pattern of negative or unresolved public reviews was located for the firm as of this research date.

VI. Community and Local Presence

The firm’s Fort Worth office sits three blocks from the Tarrant County courthouse at 300 Throckmorton Street, a detail the firm cites as putting its attorneys in front of the relevant judges and prosecutors on a regular basis. Several of the firm’s attorneys are former Tarrant County prosecutors, giving the office a genuinely regional rather than generic multi-city footprint despite operating locations in Dallas, Southlake, and Houston as well.

VII. Credentials and Recognition

Three Varghese Summersett attorneys are Board Certified in Criminal Law and two are Board Certified in Juvenile Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, the state’s official specialty credential — distinct from paid “top attorney” marketing lists. The firm’s attorneys were named the only Fort Worth Best Lawyers 2026 DWI honorees, a peer-nominated distinction from the Best Lawyers organization.

VIII. The Texas Legal Backdrop

A DWI arrest in Texas triggers two separate proceedings: a criminal case and a civil case against the driver’s license, with only a limited window (generally 15 days from arrest) to request an Administrative License Revocation hearing before the license is automatically suspended. A DWI conviction is permanent under Texas law and cannot be sealed or expunged. Penalties escalate significantly when an intoxication offense causes injury or involves a child passenger, and Texas classifies capital murder, part of this firm’s documented practice, under Penal Code § 19.03, punishable by death or life without parole. None of this is legal advice; consult a licensed Texas attorney about your specific situation.

IX. The Awesome Attorneys Assessment

Varghese Summersett’s structural strength is depth rather than a single star attorney: roughly half its criminal team holds a Texas Board of Legal Specialization certification, spanning both Criminal Law and the narrower Juvenile Law specialty, backed by founding partners with documented prosecutorial and capital-case trial experience. For a Tarrant County client facing a serious DWI or felony charge specifically, that combination of certified depth and proximity to the courthouse is a real, checkable differentiator from a single-attorney practice.

The honest limitation: a larger, multi-office firm structure means a client may not work directly with a founding partner on every case, so a prospective client should ask directly during intake which specific attorney will be assigned and their individual certification status.

X. Methodology & Sources

This profile was researched and written independently by Awesome Attorneys in August 2026 without the participation, sponsorship, or payment of Varghese Summersett PLLC. Primary sources: the firm’s website, versustexas.com (Fort Worth DWI and criminal defense pages); Justia attorney directory profile (attorney biographies). Statutes cited in Section VIII were verified against the Texas Constitution and Statutes database (statutes.capitol.texas.gov).

Publisher Disclosure & Independence Notice

Awesome Attorneys is an independent legal-directory publisher. This profile was not paid for by Varghese Summersett PLLC, and inclusion in our editorial coverage cannot be purchased. Awesome Attorneys may separately offer premium sponsored placements to attorneys and firms; sponsorship status, where it exists, is always disclosed and does not alter the editorial content of a profile such as this one. Nothing in this article constitutes legal advice or an attorney referral.