Pioneer Natural Resources v. Pony Oil et al. (Martin Co., TX)
Lead counsel in defense of an alleged $500 million claim brought by ExxonMobil subsidiary Pioneer in a case that includes counterclaims for termination lease interests in the heart of the Midland Basin. The Dallas Morning News provided coverage of a June 2025 hearing in the ongoing litigation. 

Baxsto, LLC v. Roxo Energy Company et al. (Tex.); Buffy, LLC v. Roxo Energy Company et al. (Borden Co., TX)
Represented Roxo Energy, a Fort Worth-based oil and gas acquisition and development company, in a series of lawsuits filed in Howard and Borden Counties, Texas, collectively seeking more than $45 million in damages related to leasing and mineral purchase transactions. Prevailed in the Borden County lawsuit with a unanimous “take nothing” jury verdict following a March 2022 trial that was covered in Texas Lawyer. Subsequently prevailed in the Howard County litigation on a summary judgment, which was later affirmed by the Texas Supreme Court. The outcome of that case was featured in Law360.

Viper Energy Partners LLC v RSP Permian, LLC (Loving Co., Tex.)
Represented Viper (a subsidiary of Diamondback Energy) against RSP Permian (a subsidiary of ConocoPhillips) as lead counsel in two title disputes regarding valuable Delaware Basin lease rights. Viper prevailed on partial summary judgment on the key issue in the case, leading to a favorable settlement.

Point Energy Partners, LLC v. MRC Permian Company (Tex.)
Represented Point Energy in a dispute over rightful ownership of 4,000 gross acres in the Permian Basin. The case hinged on whether MRC’s failure to timely drill was excused by the force majeure clause in the relevant lease. Now regarded as a seminal precedent for such disputes, Point prevailed before the Texas Supreme Court in a 2023 decision that was noted in The Texas Lawbook.

Spool Holding, LLC v. Noble Energy, Inc. and PDC Energy, Inc. (Weld Co., Col.)
Serving as co-lead counsel for plaintiff with 9-figure alleged damages in Colorado oil and gas dispute.

Urban Oil and Gas Partners v. Blackbeard Resource, LLC et al. (Tarrant Co., Tex.)
Represented the primary target of the plaintiffs in a multi-party indemnity dispute regarding the ultimate financial responsibility for claims related to Louisiana oil and gas properties. Blackbeard prevailed on summary judgement and was awarded attorney’s fees.

Upland Exploration, LLC v. Mewbourne Oil Company (Ellis Co, Okla.)
Lead counsel for Mewbourne in lawsuits related to Upland’s leasing activities and Mewbourne’s drilling activities in the Cherokee Play of the Western Anadarko Basin in Oklahoma. 

BP America Production Co. v. Laddex, Ltd (Tex.)
Represented BP America in a dispute regarding production paying quantities. In the original trial – when a different firm represented BP – the jury unanimously found the company’s lease terminated for failure to turn a profit. The Texas Supreme Court remanded for a new trial, which resulted in a unanimous jury verdict in BP’s favor with a finding that the lease produced in paying quantities, an outcome featured in a Texas Tech Law Review article.

Todd Mehall v. Tug Hill Operating et al. (Tarrant Co., Tex.)
Represented Tug Hill, Quantum Energy Partners, and individual executives at Tug Hill in defense of claims brought by a former employee claiming to have a substantial profits interest stake in Tug Hill following its sale to EQT Corporation for $5 billion. Tug Hill prevailed in its motion for summary judgment, and the court ordered the plaintiff to pay Tug Hill’s attorney fees, an outcome that was reported by The Texas Lawbook.

Nortex Minerals, L.P. v. Blackbeard Operating, LLC (Tex. App. Fort Worth)
Obtained a summary judgment in Tarrant County, Texas as lead counsel for the defendant, a private equity-backed oil company, which had been sued for an alleged breach of a right of first refusal related to a $180 million transaction. The court granted summary judgment to Blackbeard. That ruling was affirmed by the Court of Appeals, while the litigation and its importance was featured in a JD Supra article.

Centralia Permian, LLC v. Pioneer Natural Resources (Midland Co., Tex.)
Secured a unanimous jury verdict supporting Centralia’s position that the Permian Basin leases were properly terminated for failure to produce in profitable quantities as well as a total cessation of production without timely qualifying operations. The “use it or lose it” trial and verdict were featured in The Texas Lawbook.

Double Eagle Andrews v. King Operating, et al. (Tex. App. Eastland)
Secured a summary judgment in an Andrews County title dispute later affirmed by the Eastland Court of Appeals.

WTX Fund v. Ray Holt Brown, et al. (Tex. App. El Paso)
Served as lead appellant counsel in gaining a favorable reversal in a dispute regarding ownership and royalty interests. A Texas appeals court applied the historical 1/8 and estate misconception theory when interpreting a 1951 deed and concluding the client owned all of a disputed interest. This reversed the trial court’s decision that the client did not own any fraction of the disputed interest.

BP America Production Co. v. Red Deer Resources, LLC (Tex.)
Represented the prevailing party, in a trial regarding claims for the termination of a multimillion-dollar oil and gas lease, secured a jury finding that the lease in question produced in paying quantities. Later obtained a full take-nothing judgment when the Texas Supreme Court held that the only material question asked of the jury was the one answered in favor of the client.

Unit Petroleum v. David Pond Well Service (Tex. App. Amarillo).
Represented the prevailing party, Unit Petroleum, in a bench trial and appeal of one of only two Texas cases to define the rights, limitations, and meaning of a wellbore-only lease.

• Colorado
• New Mexico
• Oklahoma
• Texas
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
• U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas
• U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Texas
• U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas
• U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Oklahoma
• U.S. District Court, Western District of Oklahoma

• “Six-Lawyer DLA Piper Employment Team Moving to Dallas Boutique, Led by Practice Chair Marc Katz,” Texas Lawyer, February 19, 2026
• “Katz Teams Up with Vartabedian,” The Texas Lawbook, February 17, 2026
• “Firm Rebrands To Vartabedian Katz With DLA Piper L&E Team,” Law360, February 17, 2026
• “Dallas Litigation Boutique Nearly Triples, Luring Big Law Expats,” Bloomberg Law, August 4, 2025
• “New Fort Worth Trial Firm Adds Offices in Dallas, West Texas” Texas Lawyer, February 8, 2024.
• “Client Conflicts Drive BigLaw Vets To Form Texas Boutique,” Law360, February 6, 2024.
• “Vartabedian & Hester Announces New Name Partner, New Offices, 2 More Additions,”- The Texas Lawbook, February 5, 2024.
• Fort Worth Court of Appeals Upholds $180M Mineral Rights Deal, Texas Lawyer. November 14, 2023.
• “Litigator of the Week Runners-Up and Shout Outs,” The AmLaw Litigation Daily, April 28, 2023.
• SCOTX Sides with Point Energy in Drilling Deadline Dispute, Texas Lawbook, April 21, 2023.
• Texas High Court Presses Energy Co. on Drilling Delay, Law360, October 25, 2022.
• “SCOTX Wrestles with Force Majeure Clause in Drilling Delay,” The Texas Lawbook, October 25, 2022.
• 5th Circ. Backs Nuke Co.’s Win in Fire Captains Bias Suit, Law360, August 15, 2022.
• Texas Justices to Hear Permian Basin Drilling Deadline Suit, Law360, May 31, 2022.
• West Texas Jury Says ‘Take Nothing’ in $22.5 Million Mineral rights Lawsuit, Texas Lawyer, April 6, 2022.
• Fort Worth Oil company Wins ‘Use It or Lose It’ Challenge to Permian Basin Leases, The Texas Lawbook, June 24, 2021
• The Force Majeure Made Me Do It: Excusing Nonperformance in a Pandemic, Webinar, December 3, 2020.
• Business Groups Deride “New Species of Super Tort” in Oklahoma Opioid Judgement, Law.com, Law360, October 22, 2020.
• BigLaw’s March into Texas Continues Despite COVID-19, Law360, September 16, 2020.
• Hire Up: The Energy behind Big Law’s Texas Moves, The American Lawyer, September 11, 2020.

• Lawdragon 500, Leading Litigators in America, “Oil & Gas Litigation,” 2026.
• Chambers USA – America’s Leading Business Lawyers, Band 1 Oil & Gas Litigation (USA), 2019-2025.
• BL Rankings, The Best Lawyers in America, “Oil and Gas,” 2019-2025.
• Thompson Reuters, Texas Super Lawyers, 2020-2024.
• Thompson Reuters, Texas Super Lawyers, “Rising Stars,” 2011-2019.
• Fort Worth Magazine, “Top Attorneys,” 2017-2024.