The 2025 Game Changers Summit has become known as a large-scale celebration of the accomplishments of the nation’s top law firm owners.
For the third consecutive year, Michael and Jessica Mogill took the stage throughout the two-day Summit to recognize the most committed Crisp Coach members for their incredible transformations and contributions this year.
This highly anticipated set of distinctions has become known as the Crisp Game Changer Awards.
Winners of these carefully vetted, highly prestigious awards were determined based on specific results each firm generated, each leader’s commitment to their goals, and more.
While Firm of the Year Awards at each level (ELITE, PREMIER, SELECT, and CrispX) were reserved for Day 2, four firm owners were celebrated on Day 1 for Excellence in the following categories:
- Excellence in Visionary Leadership
- Excellence in Client Experience
- Excellence in Community Impact
- Excellence in Firm Culture
While there were many worthy firms that applied, one firm stood out and truly earned the title of Excellence in Visionary Leadership: Benson Varghese and Anna Summersett of Varghese Summersett!
Meet Benson Varghese and Anna Summersett
Before founding their own firm, Benson Varghese and Anna Summersett were trial attorneys at the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office in Fort Worth, Texas. They met as fellow prosecutors, tried over 100 DWI cases each, and thought they would be lifers in their office. But after about four years, they realized something troubling.
“Seniority and kind of government red tape for us meant limiting our ambition and our opportunity,” Anna explains, “and we just didn’t want to live in that space where there was a glass ceiling.”
Starting their own law firm was about taking control. It meant choosing their future, making their own decisions about how to make an impact, and ensuring their potential remained limitless.
“We were both trial attorneys at the DA’s office, but we’d kind of hit that ceiling of ‘This is as far as we’re going to get in a great DA’s office,’ because no one’s leaving the office,” Benson recalls. “We knew we had more talents to offer the community, and we also saw there was a need, at the time, for great defense attorneys to be on the other side.”
When they launched Varghese Summersett 11 years ago, they started with almost nothing, just $9,000 Benson borrowed from his uncle. But they had time, and they knew there wasn’t anything they couldn’t learn.
“I spent a lot of time at the beginning just staring at the phone, waiting for it to ring,” Anna remembers with a laugh, “and then looking at Benson and being like, ‘Why can’t you get the phone to ring?'”
The challenge was real. They were five-year lawyers with no name recognition and no brand awareness in their region. Why would someone call an unknown attorney to represent them in their most critical moment of need?
“One of the things we knew very early is that we were going to be laying down our ego and our pride in order to better the collective — that being the firm,” Anna says.
Along with their partner, Ty Stimpson, and the support of Crisp Coach, Benson and Anna have built Varghese Summersett into a powerhouse firm with offices across Texas, nearly 50 team members, and a reputation for excellence in criminal defense, family law, and personal injury.
They’ve grown the firm’s revenue by more than 500% since joining Crisp. But more importantly, they’ve created something that goes far beyond legal wins.
“Legacy is all about the impact we make and the people we make it on,” Benson reflects. “It’s the people that work with us, the people we work for as lawyers, as members of the law firm, and the community we live in. I want Varghese Summersett to be a name that has done a lot of good in our community, and a name that we’re proud of as a community.”
Visionary Leadership at Varghese Summersett
Before implementing lessons learned through their partnership with Crisp, Benson and Anna struggled with the fundamental challenges every new law firm faces. But rather than following the traditional playbook, they identified opportunities where others saw only obstacles.
“When we started our law firm about 11 years ago, people were still advertising in the Yellow Pages,” Benson explains. “The top attorneys in town really relied on kind of the country club business, where they built a network of people who were referring them solid cases. The opportunity and challenge we saw was in marketing.”
While established attorneys guarded their knowledge behind mahogany offices and high fees, Benson and Anna saw a different path forward. They dedicated themselves to democratizing legal information online. They made content available on their website so people had access to the information they needed to make the best decisions for their cases.
“For a long time, the smartest, most experienced attorneys felt like their knowledge should be guarded and that people had to pay for it,” Anna says.
That organic approach to content marketing grew their website and brought potential clients to them. They focused intensely on the client journey, finding ways they could differentiate themselves in a market that hadn’t seen a firm doing criminal defense the way they envisioned.
One of their boldest early moves came when they started turning a profit. Rather than keeping the cash, they reinvested it in the business and people. They made a strategic decision that would change everything.
“We went and had sit-downs with the best trial attorneys,” Anna recalls, “and they came on board, much to our surprise, and just celebrated their 10-year anniversary with us.”
Bringing on these veteran trial attorneys brought name recognition and legitimized the business for a firm still establishing its reputation. It was a move that required humility and long-term thinking.
“We were really working on the back end to make sure that they got the cases that they needed,” says Anna, “and then just kept putting our investment back into the people and the business.”
With Crisp’s guidance, Benson and Anna developed a clear vision for what Varghese Summersett could become. That vision led to strategic expansion across Texas. What started as a criminal defense practice in Fort Worth has grown to include family law and personal injury divisions with offices across Dallas, Southlake, and, most recently, Houston.
“The decision to expand to the Houston area was a natural one for us,” says Benson. “Our firm has experienced tremendous growth in recent years, and we are committed to serving as much of Texas as possible.”
Each move in their expansion has been strategic, each hire intentional, and each office placement carefully considered to serve clients throughout the state while maintaining the firm’s reputation for excellence.
Beyond building a successful law practice, Benson and Anna have poured their energy into changing how their community perceives lawyers. Through scholarships, community service, and consistent engagement with local organizations, they’ve worked to make Varghese Summersett synonymous with giving back.
The firm has established multiple annual scholarships, including the Elena Rios Memorial Scholarship with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Tarrant County, Special Needs Scholarships for students with autism and Down syndrome, and the Criminal Justice Changemaker Scholarship for law students. They also sponsor youth football camps, partner with Habitat for Humanity, and support local schools and non-profits throughout Fort Worth.
“I want lawyers to be liked,” Anna says passionately. “People hate lawyers — bloodsucking lawyers, you know, ambulance chasers. Like, you only ever go to them when you have a problem, when you’re miserable and life is falling apart. I think that we have a lot of work to do, but we’re certainly doing our part to make people feel lawyers are good and they have strong character, and they care about us and they care about this community, and we need them.”
Most recently, Varghese Summersett was honored with the Richard L. Knight Rotary Minority Business Award by the Rotary Club of Fort Worth. The recognition held special meaning for Benson, whose journey from South India to building one of Fort Worth’s most respected law firms embodies the American Dream.
“I was born in a house without plaster on the walls, without running water,” Benson shared when accepting the award. “In South India, electricity comes and goes. To go from that to where we are today, to be blessed to work with amazing people and impact families, is incredible.”
Thanks to Benson and Anna’s visionary leadership, Varghese Summersett has grown from a one-room office into a firm that spans Texas, employs nearly 50 people, and makes a lasting impact on the communities it serves.
Varghese Summersett Now
Learning and applying proven Crisp concepts has not only grown Benson and Anna’s business but has opened many doors for them personally and professionally as well.
“Being a part of the Crisp community has helped me take both my personal and professional life to the next level,” shares Benson. “Having a Crisp Coach help me map out the path to success has helped me become the leader, partner, and attorney that I always knew I was capable of becoming.”
The firm has achieved remarkable milestones, including the aforementioned awards, new office locations, and 5X growth — and their personal growth extends beyond the office. Benson and Anna have three sons who have been coming to the office since they were four months old. Anna runs a side tequila business with her brother. They’ve created a life where work and family integrate meaningfully.
“I love working with my husband, and I run a side hustle with my brother. I love working with family,” Anna shares. ” I would love one day for our legacy to pass on to our children. But ultimately, for that to be one of always putting somebody else above yourself, always putting the community above your own needs and your desires. Living a life of service, whether that be in your interpersonal relationships or on a macro level with a business.”
Benson has also become a legal tech innovator. He founded Lawft, a law practice management platform that helps lawyers manage their practice and grow their business while providing exceptional customer service. At the 2025 ABA TechShow, Lawft won second place for emerging technologies. He also hosts a podcast called Tapped In and authored a book with the same title about lessons for law firm growth.
The transformation from prosecutors hitting a glass ceiling to visionary leaders building a legacy has been remarkable. But for Benson, the most meaningful measure of success remains tied to community impact.
“When we started, there were no Vargheses in Fort Worth other than my family,” he says. “Now, no one knows how to say Varghese. It’s not that I want my name to be known in Texas just for the sake of [being] that guy who runs a law firm. It’s a big law firm. I want our name to be synonymous with a name that has done a lot of good in our community, and a name that we’re proud of as a community.”
Benson Varghese and Anna Summersett have proven that visionary leadership isn’t just about growth metrics. It’s about having the courage to leave security for possibility, the humility to invest in others before yourself, and the commitment to build something that makes your community better.
“Fort Worth has embraced me and our firm from the very beginning, and I am deeply grateful,” says Benson. “We are proud to call Fort Worth home.”
