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Vartabedian & Hester Announces New Name Partner, New Offices, 2 More Additions

February 5, 2024 Michelle Casady

A group of 10 former Alston & Bird energy litigators who launched a new firm late last month have added to their ranks, bringing in Craig Haynes from Holland & Knight and two other attorneys.

Haynes will be the firm’s third name partner, joining Rob Vartabedian and Conrad Hester. The firm will now be called Vartabedian, Hester & Haynes.

“A couple of years ago I had a client call me about a case where I had a conflict and I had to turn it down, and the client asked me to be straight with him. He asked who’s the person you lease want to see on the other side in an oil and gas dispute. And I told the client Craig Haynes,” Vartabedian told The Lawbook Monday. 

Haynes is a 1985 graduate of the University of Texas School of Law.

Vartabedian and Haynes have worked as co-counsel on cases previously, including a major case in Borden County, he said.

Also joining is Rachelle “Shelley” Glazer from Holland & Knight. Vartadebian praised her “extensive experience” in insurance and royalty disputes.

“She’ll be a huge asset to the firm,” he said.

Glazer is a 1983 graduate of the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law.

Haynes and Glazer will be practicing primarily out of the firm’s new Dallas office.

“It’s an exciting opportunity for me to create a firm with Rob, Conrad, and the stellar team they brought over,” Haynes said. “Shelley and I think that the combination of our practice with theirs positions us to be a premier oil and gas litigation boutique in the State of Texas.”

A solo practitioner in Monahans, Texas, Greg Holly, has also joined the firm and will be taking on the role of managing partner of the firm’s office in the Delaware Basin, which is in the western portion of the Permian Basin.

“Greg for many years has been a go-to attorney for people with disputes in the Delaware Basin,” Vartabedian said. “That’s a major growth area for us and for our clients.”

Holly is a 1993 graduate of the Texas Tech University School of Law.

The Alston & Bird team that launched Vartabedian, Hester & Haynes stayed in the same Fort Worth office they had occupied.

So far, the client response to the move has been “overwhelmingly positive,” Vartabedian said.

“We managed to bring all of our existing clients with us and have picked up new clients,” he said. 

Other attorneys who have joined the firm include Nick Davis, Alix Allison, Gaye Lentz, Connor Bourland, Meaghan Nowell, Christian Sweeney, Rory Smith, and Georgina St. Johns.

Last month, Vartabedian cited consolidation in the oil and gas industry and the related conflicts that has created as the reason for launching the new firm.

“It became too difficult to navigate at a large, international firm,” he said.

Michelle Casady

Michelle Casady is based in Houston and covers litigation and appeals — including trials, breaking news and industry trends — for The Texas Lawbook.

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