Law360 Pulse | By Lynn LaRowe | September 1, 2026

Vartabedian Katz Adds McKool Smith Litigation Trio In Dallas

Vartabedian Katz Hester & Haynes LLP has bolstered its commercial litigation practice and gained a new intellectual property practice with the additions of three former McKool Smith lawyers in Dallas.

Gary Cruciani, Travis DeArman and Scott Hejny have come aboard as partners, the firm said Monday in a statement.

Conrad Hester, managing partner of Vartabedian Katz, said in a statement, “Gary is a recognized bet-the-company trial lawyer with nearly forty years of trial experience.”

“He has a national practice and has served as first-chair counsel in numerous cases in state and federal courts,” Hester said. “He will be a significant addition to the firm’s trial capabilities and will support the courtroom needs of our clients across all of our practice groups. Travis and Scott bring a wealth of experience in both IP and commercial litigation and are the foundation of the firm’s plans to provide a robust intellectual property practice.”

DeArman will head up Vartabedian Katz’s intellectual property practice group, the firm said. He handles complex commercial and intellectual property litigation in state and federal courts and in arbitration.

DeArman told Law360 Pulse in an interview Tuesday that he appreciates the way the firm takes care of its people.

“They’ve developed a system that I think is focused on developing the best possible lawyers to deliver the best possible client service in an efficient model,” DeArman said. “We are very excited to pursue both a patent and a soft IP practice.”

Cruciani has come aboard at Vartabedian Katz as co-leader of the commercial litigation practice, which he will helm alongside Dallas-based partner Daniella Main, the firm said. Cruciani handles disputes touching on antitrust, fiduciary duty, partnerships, trade secrets, copyrights, fraudulent transfer, tax and oil and gas.

Cruciani told Law360 Pulse in an interview Tuesday that it felt natural for him, DeArman and Hejny to join their new firm together, given their close personal and working relationships.

“I think our group joining together, for Vartabedian Katz, was a natural because they wanted to bolster their already robust general commercial practice and were very interested in developing an IP practice,” Cruciani said. “They went from no practice to having the foundation of what I think is going to be a very successful IP practice.”

Hejny is an experienced trial lawyer and a registered patent attorney, the firm said. He centers his practice on patent litigation and complex commercial disputes involving a wide range of technologies.

Hejny said he was “lawyer number 42” when he joined his prior firm in 2006 and likes the idea of joining a relatively new firm with a roster of about 50 attorneys.

“The size of the firm was very attractive,” Hejny said. “The opportunity to build relationships here, not just within our practice, but with all the lawyers at Vartabedian Katz, was a very strong draw point for me.”

DeArman and Hejny both said their intellectual property work often overlaps with other practice areas.

“My latest major case was nominally a trade secret and copyright action that quickly grew to include fraud and breach of contract,” DeArman said. “In my experience, the distinctions between an IP practice and a commercial practice are becoming more ephemeral, and we’re doing both in the same cases.”

DeArman practiced with McKool Smith for more than a decade, his LinkedIn profile shows. Earlier in his legal career, DeArman served for a year as a judicial law clerk in the Eastern District of Texas. DeArman practiced with Haynes Boone after law school.

DeArman earned his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California.

Cruciani practiced with McKool Smith for over three decades. He earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee Winston College of Law and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh.

Hejny practiced with McKool Smith for more than two decades, his LinkedIn profile shows. Before practicing law, Hejny worked as a patent agent and design engineer at an oilfield services company, the firm said.

Hejny earned his law degree from the University of Houston Law Center and holds a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Rice University. He has a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University.

Vartabedian Katz has been growing at a rapid pace since its founding in early 2024. Earlier this year, the firm rebranded with the addition of a group of Dallas-based DLA Piper labor and employment attorneys led by Marc Katz. The group includes co-practice leaders Micala Bernardo and Todd Mobley.

The employment group represents clients in employee mobility and trade secret matters across the technology, retail, finance, engineering, pharmaceutical, life sciences, healthcare and energy industries, the firm said in a statement.

“We knew VKHH would give us the flexibility to build the kind of national and full-service employment practice we wanted, but the momentum in our first six months has exceeded my expectations,” Katz said in a statement. “We’ve continued to handle significant litigation and counseling matters across the country while building a transactional practice that is every bit as active and sophisticated as the work we were doing before the move.”

“I’m proud of what this team has built and, more importantly, the results we’re achieving for our clients,” Katz said.

Vartabedian Katz has offices in Dallas, Fort Worth and Houston.

— Editing by Rich Mills.

Reprinted with permission. © 2003–2026, Portfolio Media, Inc. (Law360). Originally published September 1, 2026. Read the original article at Law360 Pulse →