For over 20 years, Barton & Associates has been San Antonio’s most trusted law firm for DWI defense, divorce, child custody and criminal charges—serving clients across Bexar County and Texas. Our board-certified attorneys and former prosecutors deliver proven courtroom results from offices in San Antonio, Austin and Corpus Christi.
Gary J Barton & AssociatesAttorneys at Law
Barton & Associates, Attorneys at Law has defended San Antonio residents in DWI cases, divorce proceedings, child custody disputes and serious felony charges for more than two decades. Founded by Gary J. Barton—a former major crimes prosecutor who has handled cases from first-offense DWI to capital murder—the firm combines insider prosecutorial knowledge with aggressive courtroom advocacy. Our board-certified attorneys practice in Bexar County’s criminal district courts and family courts daily, giving us the local insight to anticipate what prosecutors and judges will do before they do it. Contact our downtown San Antonio office for a free, confidential consultation.
The attorneys at Barton & Associates bring credentials that are rare even among large San Antonio law firms. Founding attorney Gary J. Barton holds board certification in criminal law from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization—earned by fewer than three percent of all licensed Texas attorneys — and has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America and named Lawyer of the Year for the San Antonio region. Managing attorney Duane Graeff leads complex litigation across family law and criminal defense. Senior trial attorney Jim Erickson adds decades of courtroom experience. Together, our team has logged more than 100 jury trials across Bexar County courts, and we are available 24 hours a day.
Our mission is to give every San Antonio client—whether facing a DWI arrest at midnight, a divorce filing that arrived without warning or a felony charge that threatens their career—access to the same caliber of legal defense that was previously available only to those with deep pockets. That means board-certified attorneys handling your case from the first call through the final resolution. It means former prosecutors on your side who know exactly how Bexar County builds its cases against defendants. And it means trial lawyers who have taken more than 100 cases to a jury and know when to fight and when to negotiate.
When San Antonio families face divorce, child custody disputes or criminal charges that intersect with family court proceedings, the decisions made in the first days of a case can shape the outcome for years. At Barton & Associates, Attorneys at Law, our Family Law Division is dedicated to protecting what matters most—your children, your assets and your future. With more than two decades of experience in Bexar County courts and a track record built on results rather than promises, our attorneys provide strategic legal guidance tailored to the specific facts of your situation.
Family law cases are among the most emotionally difficult legal matters a person can face. Whether you are considering divorce, navigating a contested child custody dispute, or trying to modify a prior court order that is no longer working, having an attorney who knows Texas family law and knows the judges who apply it makes a measurable difference. At Barton & Associates, we combine decades of courtroom experience with direct, honest communication—so every client understands their options and the realistic likelihood of each outcome before any decision is made.
Our attorneys practice daily in Bexar County’s family courts and in surrounding jurisdictions including New Braunfels, Boerne, Seguin and Uvalde. That local presence gives us practical insight into how specific courts handle contested hearings, what arguments move judges in this district and where other firms’ strategies commonly fall short. We use that knowledge to prepare every case with the precision and depth it deserves.
We provide full-service representation across every area of Texas family law, including contested and uncontested divorce, child custody and visitation, child support calculation and enforcement, spousal maintenance, high-asset property division and post-divorce modifications. We also handle emergency protective orders—both seeking them when our client’s safety requires it and defending against them when they are filed as litigation tactics in divorce cases.
If you are searching for a divorce attorney or child custody lawyer in San Antonio, the most important question to ask is whether the firm has actually tried cases like yours to a conclusion in these specific courts. Our attorneys have—and we will tell you honestly what the evidence and the law support before we take your case.
Our family law attorneys bring the same preparation to a mediation session that they bring to a trial, because the outcome at mediation is just as binding as a court verdict. We document the financial record completely, frame every parenting argument precisely and walk into every proceeding with a clear understanding of what our client needs and what we will not accept on their behalf.
Every family law case at Barton & Associates is handled with professionalism, clear communication and a focus on outcomes that hold up over time. We take pride in being a resource San Antonio families can trust when the stakes are highest. Contact our downtown office to schedule a confidential consultation and learn exactly where your case stands under Texas law.
When you are arrested or charged with a crime in San Antonio, the attorney you hire in the first 24 hours has more influence over your outcome than almost any other factor in your case. At Barton & Associates, Attorneys at Law, our Criminal Defense Division is built around one purpose: delivering the most aggressive, most thoroughly prepared and most strategically sound defense available to clients throughout Bexar County and South Texas. Whether you are facing a first-offense DWI or a serious felony indictment, our team is ready to stand between you and the full weight of the state’s prosecution.
Texas criminal cases move on timelines that punish delay. An Administrative License Revocation hearing must be requested within 15 days of a DWI arrest or the license is automatically suspended. Bond conditions imposed at magistration can restrict your life immediately. Grand jury proceedings can result in an indictment before you have had a meaningful conversation with an attorney. Our team responds to arrests around the clock precisely because these early decisions cannot be undone. We regularly represent clients in courts across downtown San Antonio as well as in New Braunfels, Converse, Live Oak and Universal City—and our familiarity with local prosecutors, judges and court procedures in each jurisdiction is a practical advantage that shapes every case we handle.
At Barton & Associates, our attorneys defend clients against the full range of criminal charges in Texas: DWI and felony DWI, drug possession and delivery, assault and domestic violence, weapons charges, theft and fraud, sex offenses, probation violations and federal criminal matters. Founding attorney Gary J. Barton spent years as a major crimes prosecutor—handling capital murders, aggravated assaults and the most serious felony cases the Bexar County DA’s office brought—before switching to defense. That prosecutorial background gives our clients a genuine advantage: we know how the state builds its cases, what evidence prosecutors consider strong versus weak and which arguments move their position before a case ever reaches a courtroom.
Every criminal defense strategy at this firm starts with the same questions: Was the stop or detention legal? Was the arrest supported by probable cause? Was the evidence collected in a way that respects our client’s Fourth Amendment rights? If the answer to any of these questions is no, a motion to suppress can eliminate the state’s most damaging evidence—and without that evidence, the prosecution’s case collapses. We file and argue suppression motions aggressively, challenge the credibility of witnesses, cross-examine officers on inconsistencies between their written reports and body camera footage and contest forensic evidence from lab analysis to chain of custody.
A criminal conviction in Texas—even a misdemeanor—can affect your employment, your professional license, your security clearance, your immigration status and your right to own a firearm. The consequences extend far beyond the courtroom, and they are often permanent. At Barton & Associates, we are committed to defending your rights at every stage of the process, from the initial hearing through trial and, when necessary, appeal. Contact us today for a confidential consultation—available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
When someone else’s negligence puts you in the hospital, costs you months of work or takes a family member from you, the legal process that follows can feel as overwhelming as the injury itself. At Barton & Associates, Attorneys at Law, our Personal Injury Division exists to handle that process so you can focus on recovery. We represent injury victims and their families throughout San Antonio and Bexar County, pursuing the full compensation the law provides—not just what an insurance company’s first offer reflects.
Insurance companies begin protecting their own financial interests the moment an accident is reported. Adjusters are trained to gather statements, limit liability exposure and move toward settlement before an injured person has a complete picture of their medical prognosis or the full extent of their losses. Having a personal injury attorney in San Antonio involved early—before you give recorded statements, sign releases, or accept any offer—fundamentally changes the dynamic. Our attorneys bring extensive experience handling injury claims throughout Bexar County, combining command of Texas tort law with a client-first approach that keeps the focus on what you actually need to recover.
We represent clients across San Antonio and surrounding communities including Boerne, Leon Valley, Castle Hills and Schertz. Our familiarity with local courts, medical providers and insurance defense practices in this specific market allows us to anticipate opposing strategies and build cases that are difficult to undervalue.
Our personal injury attorneys handle car accidents and 18-wheeler collisions, motorcycle and pedestrian accidents, slip and fall and premises liability claims, construction and workplace accidents, wrongful death cases, catastrophic injury claims involving traumatic brain injury or spinal cord damage and drunk driving accident cases where civil liability extends beyond the driver to the establishments that over-served them. We evaluate every case for the full scope of recoverable damages—medical expenses past and future, lost income and reduced earning capacity, pain and suffering, and loss of companionship in wrongful death matters.
Our alignment of interests means we are motivated to pursue the maximum possible recovery in every case we accept, not to move cases toward quick, low settlements that serve the firm’s cash flow rather than the client’s actual needs. We conduct independent investigations, retain medical and accident reconstruction experts when the facts require it and prepare every case for trial from the moment we open the file—because insurance companies settle cases for more when they know the attorney across the table is genuinely prepared to try them.
If you or a family member has been injured in an accident in San Antonio, do not wait to get legal advice. Evidence disappears, witnesses become unavailable and Texas statute of limitations deadlines are absolute. Contact Barton & Associates today for a free, confidential consultation with an experienced San Antonio personal injury attorney.
When you are considering or facing divorce in San Antonio, the most important thing you can do before taking any action is get accurate legal information. Do not move out of the family home without understanding how that affects your property rights under Texas law. Do not sign a temporary order without knowing what it means for your custody position going forward. Do not make financial moves—closing accounts, transferring assets or taking on new debt—without understanding how a Bexar County family court judge will view those decisions.
Our divorce attorneys handle every type of case: uncontested divorces where both parties have agreed on all terms and need correct legal documentation, contested divorces involving significant conflict over property or children, high-asset divorces requiring business valuation and financial tracing, and divorces where domestic violence or addiction is a documented factor. Texas requires a minimum 60-day waiting period from the filing date before a decree can be signed, but contested cases in Bexar County realistically take six to eighteen months. Understanding that timeline from the start leads to better decisions throughout the process.
The marital home is the most emotionally significant and often most financially complex asset in a Texas divorce. The options for handling it are broader than most clients initially realize: one spouse can buy out the other’s community interest and keep the home, both spouses can agree to sell and divide proceeds, or—in cases involving minor children—a judge may order a deferred sale allowing the primary parent to remain until the youngest child completes high school. Each option carries different tax consequences, different mortgage implications and different effects on each party’s financial position going forward.
Retirement accounts present their own layer of complexity. A 401(k), pension or IRA earned during the marriage is community property to the extent it accrued during the marriage, even if the account is held only in one spouse’s name. Dividing these accounts correctly requires a Qualified Domestic Relations Order—a specialized court order that must meet the precise requirements of the retirement plan administrator. Handled incorrectly, a QDRO can result in unintended tax liability or permanent loss of the community interest. Our attorneys have drafted and litigated QDROs for private employer plans, military pensions and Texas municipal retirement accounts.
Texas requires mediation in most contested divorces before a judge will set a final trial date—but mediation is far more than a procedural box to check. When an attorney arrives with the financial record fully documented and the parenting position clearly framed, mediation is often where the most favorable outcomes are actually reached. The difference between a good mediated settlement and a poor one comes down almost entirely to the preparation each side brings to the table.
Our attorneys prepare for mediation the same way we prepare for trial. We draft a detailed position statement on every contested issue—custody schedule, property division, support, attorney’s fees—supported by the documentary evidence for each position. We enter the session with a clear understanding of what we will accept and what we will not and we are genuinely ready to proceed to trial if the other side’s proposal does not reflect our client’s actual interests. Opposing counsel knows this, and it shapes how seriously they negotiate. When agreement is reached, it is memorialized in a Mediated Settlement Agreement that is binding and irrevocable under Texas Family Code Section 6.602—and our clients understand exactly what they are signing before they sign it.
A misdemeanor conviction in Texas is permanent. There is no automatic expungement, and a conviction for assault family violence—even at the Class A misdemeanor level—permanently prohibits firearm ownership under federal law and surfaces on every background check for employment, housing and professional licensing for life. Our criminal defense attorneys evaluate every misdemeanor from the first call: Was the stop or detention legally justified? Is the complaining witness credible? Does the physical evidence actually support the charge? These questions matter enormously, and asking them aggressively from the start is what produces dismissals, deferred adjudication and not-guilty verdicts.
The most critical deadline after a DWI arrest in San Antonio is 15 days. Texas Transportation Code Section 724.032 requires that an Administrative License Revocation hearing be requested within 15 days of your arrest — or your license is automatically suspended, regardless of the eventual outcome of your criminal case. We request ALR hearings at no additional charge for our DWI clients, and the hearing itself creates a valuable early opportunity to cross-examine the arresting officer under oath, generating sworn testimony that often becomes central to the criminal defense strategy.
Beyond the license issue, our DWI attorneys challenge every stage of the prosecution: the legal basis for the initial traffic stop, the administration of standardized field sobriety tests, breathalyzer calibration and maintenance records, blood draw chain of custody, and the constitutionality of any search or seizure involved. We have obtained dismissals, charge reductions, and not-guilty verdicts in DWI cases across Bexar County and surrounding jurisdictions.
Felony charges in Bexar County are prosecuted in the 144th, 175th, 186th, and 227th Criminal District Courts. Our attorneys appear in all four of these courtrooms regularly, and we know the prosecutors, the judges and the procedural tendencies that differ from court to court. That institutional familiarity shapes our strategy from the moment of arrest—not just at trial. Pretrial motions, bail hearings, grand jury strategy and early plea negotiations all benefit from attorneys who understand precisely how this specific district attorney’s office evaluates evidence and builds its cases. Founding attorney Gary Barton prosecuted major crimes—including capital murder—as a DA before switching to defense, giving every felony client genuine insider knowledge of how Bexar County prosecution actually works.
When you are facing a DWI charge, a divorce, a child custody battle or a serious criminal indictment in San Antonio, the question is not just whether your attorney has handled cases like yours—it is whether they have won them. At Barton & Associates, Attorneys at Law, our results speak directly to that question. Across more than two decades of practice in Bexar County and South Texas, our attorneys have built a documented record of outcomes that reflect rigorous preparation, aggressive advocacy and a genuine willingness to take cases to trial when that is what the facts demand.
In DWI defense, we have secured outright dismissals by successfully challenging the legal basis for traffic stops, exposing procedural violations in breath and blood test collection, and identifying failures in the chain of custody for forensic evidence. We have obtained not-guilty verdicts at trial in assault and domestic violence cases where the state’s evidence appeared overwhelming on paper but did not survive cross-examination of the arresting officers and the complaining witnesses. We have secured deferred adjudication outcomes that preserved our clients’ records—and protected their careers in nursing, law enforcement, the military and licensed professions—on charges that would otherwise have resulted in permanent convictions.
In felony cases, our background as former prosecutors gives us a specific advantage. Founding attorney Gary J. Barton spent years handling capital murders, aggravated assaults and serious violent felonies as a Bexar County prosecutor before switching to defense. He knows exactly how the district attorney’s office builds its most serious cases, which evidence prosecutors consider dispositive and which they know is vulnerable, and where aggressive motion practice in the 144th, 175th, 186th, and 227th Criminal District Courts creates pressure that changes outcomes before a single witness takes the stand.
In divorce and custody cases, results are measured not just in verdicts but in the long-term stability those outcomes create for our clients and their children. We have secured primary conservatorship arrangements that kept parents in their children’s daily lives when the opposing party sought to eliminate that access entirely. We have successfully traced and recovered assets that one spouse attempted to conceal before or during divorce proceedings—through forensic accounting, targeted discovery and deposition of financial witnesses. We have obtained emergency protective orders within hours when a client’s physical safety required immediate court intervention, and we have defeated emergency orders filed as tactical moves in contested divorces when the underlying facts did not support them.
Our results page does not showcase easy wins. It reflects the cases where the facts were genuinely complicated, the opposing party was well-funded and well-represented, and the outcome depended entirely on the quality of the legal work. That is the standard we hold ourselves to for every client who walks through our doors—and it is the standard against which we ask you to evaluate us. Contact Barton & Associates today to discuss your case and learn what our experience can mean for your outcome.
One of the most consequential and least-discussed differences between law firms is depth. When you hire a solo practitioner or a small firm that is stretched thin across too many cases, you are accepting real limitations that will affect your representation in ways you may not notice until a critical moment in your case. At Barton & Associates, Attorneys at Law, we have built a legal team with the size, experience and structure to handle complex, multi-issue cases without those limitations—and without any client feeling like they are competing for their attorney’s attention.
Our attorneys include board-certified criminal law specialists, former prosecutors and experienced family law litigators who have collectively tried more than 100 jury cases in Bexar County and South Texas courts. Founding attorney Gary J. Barton holds board certification in criminal law from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization—a credential earned by fewer than three percent of licensed Texas attorneys—and has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America and named Lawyer of the Year for the San Antonio region. Managing attorney Duane Graeff brings deep litigation experience across family law and criminal defense. Senior trial attorney Jim Erickson adds decades of courtroom experience. Trial attorneys George Manning, AshLee Bradshaw, Desirée Flye Marshall and Mario Moreno round out a team with the range to handle any legal matter a San Antonio family or individual is likely to face.
When you retain Barton & Associates, your case benefits from the entire firm. Trial attorneys collaborate on defense strategy. Paralegals and legal assistants manage court deadlines, documentary evidence and filing requirements with the same attention to detail the attorneys bring to the courtroom. When one attorney is in a murder trial, another handles your custody hearing. When a serious felony case requires simultaneous motion practice, client communication, expert coordination and trial preparation, multiple attorneys contribute to each component at the same time. That operational depth means nothing falls through the cracks and no deadline is missed because a single attorney was overextended.
Beyond pure capacity, our team’s breadth means your case can be matched to the attorney—or combination of attorneys—whose specific skills fit your situation. Some of our attorneys are exceptionally effective negotiators who can read what a prosecutor or opposing counsel actually needs and find resolutions that serve our clients without unnecessary litigation. Others are at their strongest in a courtroom, with the ability to explain complex facts to a jury in ways that are clear, credible and memorable. Firm leadership makes the determination of which approach your case calls for, and the team is deployed accordingly. That judgment—about when to negotiate hard, when to file aggressive motions and when to take a case all the way to verdict—is one of the most valuable things an experienced firm brings to your representation.
If you are searching for attorneys in San Antonio who bring genuine depth to every case they accept, contact Barton & Associates today for a confidential consultation.
Hiring a law firm requires trust—and trust should be based on evidence, not marketing. When you are facing a DWI arrest, a divorce, a child custody dispute or a criminal charge in San Antonio, you need to know not just that the firm you are considering has handled cases like yours, but that real clients who went through those experiences would hire them again. At Barton & Associates, Attorneys at Law, the evidence for that trust is specific, verifiable and publicly available.
Barton & Associates has accumulated more than 500 verified five-star Google reviews from clients across San Antonio and Bexar County. These are not testimonials curated for a website—they are reviews written directly by clients on Google, where anyone can read them and where the firm has no ability to select or suppress them. Read through them and you will find consistent themes: attorneys who returned calls promptly, staff who treated clients with genuine respect during some of the most stressful periods of their lives, and outcomes that clients describe as exceeding their expectations given how serious their situations were when they first called.
Beyond client reviews, the firm’s professional recognition reflects how other attorneys and the legal community evaluate our work. Founding attorney Gary J. Barton has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America—a designation based entirely on peer review by other practicing attorneys, not on applications or paid nominations—and has been named Lawyer of the Year for the San Antonio region. The firm holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell, the highest possible rating in the legal profession’s oldest peer review system, indicating that other lawyers in the community regard our attorneys as having both the highest ethical standards and the highest level of legal ability. Gary Barton also holds board certification in criminal law from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, placing him among fewer than three percent of Texas attorneys who have met the verified experience, peer evaluation and examination requirements for that designation.
Credentials and reviews tell you what an attorney has done. Accessibility tells you what working with them will actually be like. Our attorneys and staff respond to client texts, emails, and calls on evenings, weekends and holidays—not because we are required to, but because we understand that legal situations do not resolve themselves on a Monday-through-Friday schedule. We answer calls from prospective clients seven days a week and return all client communications within 24 hours. Our reviews consistently confirm that we maintain this standard in practice, not just in policy.
We are also selective about the cases we accept, because taking a case seriously means giving it the time and preparation it deserves. When Barton & Associates agrees to represent you, it reflects a genuine assessment that we can help—and a commitment to doing so with the full resources of the firm. Contact us today for a free, confidential consultation.
Contact Barton & Associates today for a free, confidential consultation about your legal matter. Complete this form to schedule your consultation, or call 210-500-0000 to check immediate attorney availability.
We are selective about the cases we accept because we give every client our full attention—and that means being honest when a case is not the right fit for our firm. We treat every client with respect and expect the same in return. We will withdraw representation from any client who is dishonest with our team or treats our staff disrespectfully.
316 W 12th St Suite 400, Austin, TX 78701
5110 Wilkinson Dr Suite 210, Corpus Christi, TX 78415
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