Charged with a crime, or facing a divorce you didn’t see coming? Barton & Associates has spent more than two decades defending Bexar County residents against criminal charges and guiding families through divorce, child custody and support disputes. Our attorneys are board-certified, former prosecutors, and have collectively tried hundreds of cases to verdict—including one of only three Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity rulings in Texas history. We serve clients from offices in San Antonio, Austin and Corpus Christi, and we answer the phone seven days a week.
Gary J Barton & AssociatesAttorneys at Law
Barton & Associates was built on a simple premise: the attorneys who best understand how the state prosecutes a case are the ones who once did it themselves. Founder Gary J. Barton spent years as a Bexar County prosecutor handling everything from first-offense DWI to capital murder before moving to the defense side, and that prosecutorial lens still shapes how this firm evaluates every case that walks through the door — criminal, family, or personal injury. Our attorneys appear daily in Bexar County’s criminal district courts and family courts, and that constant courtroom presence is what lets us anticipate a prosecutor’s or a judge’s next move rather than react to it. If you are searching for a San Antonio Criminal Defense Attorney or a Divorce Lawyer San Antonio families actually trust, start with a free, confidential consultation at our downtown office.
Few San Antonio firms can match the combined trial record on this team. Gary J. Barton holds board certification in criminal law from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, a credential fewer than three percent of Texas attorneys ever earn, and has been named Lawyer of the Year for the San Antonio region by Best Lawyers in America. Managing Attorney Duane Graeff has practiced law for over twenty-six years, licensed in both Texas state and federal courts, with a career that includes serving as a law professor and published legal scholar alongside his trial work in family law and criminal defense. Senior Trial Attorney Jim Erickson has practiced criminal defense in Texas courtrooms since 1985, tried more than 250 cases to a jury verdict across over sixty Texas counties, and secured the third Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity verdict ever returned in this state — an outcome achieved in fewer than one percent of criminal trials nationwide. Together, this team has logged more than 100 jury trials, and we are available to new and current clients 24 hours a day.
Legal trouble rarely waits for business hours. A DWI arrest happens at 1 a.m. on a Saturday; a divorce petition arrives by certified mail on a Tuesday you thought was ordinary. Our mission is to make sure that when either of those things happens to a San Antonio family, the quality of legal defense they receive does not depend on how much they can afford upfront. That means board-certified attorneys handling a case from intake through resolution, former prosecutors who know exactly how the Bexar County DA’s office builds its cases, and trial lawyers who have tried enough cases to know honestly when a fight is winnable and when a negotiated resolution serves the client better.
Serving Bexar County Since 2001
A divorce, custody dispute, or criminal charge that touches a San Antonio family rarely stays contained to one courtroom, and the choices made in the opening days of a case often determine where things land months later. Our Family Law Division exists to protect what our clients stand to lose — their children, their share of what they built, and their ability to move forward on fair terms. More than two decades in Bexar County’s family courts has taught this team which arguments actually move a judge in this district, and which strategies other firms rely on that simply do not hold up.
Divorce and custody cases carry an emotional weight that few other legal matters do. Whether a client is weighing whether to file, fighting a contested custody dispute, or trying to modify an order that stopped working years after it was signed, the difference an attorney makes comes down to whether they know Texas family law and know the specific judges applying it in this county. We pair courtroom experience with direct, plain-language communication, so every client understands their real options — and the realistic odds of each one — before a single decision gets made.
This firm handles the complete range of Texas family law matters: contested and uncontested divorce, child custody and possession schedules, calculating and enforcing child support, spousal maintenance, dividing high-value marital estates, and modifying orders after the fact. We also represent clients seeking emergency protective orders when safety is genuinely at risk, and we defend against protective orders filed as a litigation tactic rather than a real safety concern.
Anyone searching for a Father’s Rights Lawyer San Antonio or a Child Custody Lawyer San Antonio should ask one question before hiring: has this firm actually tried cases like mine to a conclusion, in these courts? Our attorneys have, and we will tell a prospective client honestly what the facts and the law support before agreeing to take the case.
Texas requires mediation in most contested divorces before a judge will set trial, and our attorneys prepare for a mediation session with the same discipline they bring to trial — because a mediated agreement is just as binding as a verdict. We document the full financial picture, frame the parenting argument with precision, and walk into the room already knowing what we will accept and what we genuinely will not. Opposing counsel tends to negotiate differently once they understand a firm is prepared to try the case instead of settle it out of convenience.
Every family law matter this firm accepts gets handled with the same standard: clear communication, professional conduct, and a focus on an outcome that still holds up years later. Contact our downtown San Antonio office for a confidential consultation to find out exactly where a case stands under Texas law.
The attorney a person hires in the first 24 hours after an arrest carries more weight over the outcome than nearly any decision made afterward. Our Criminal Defense Division exists for exactly that reason — to put the most prepared, most aggressive defense available between a San Antonio client and the full resources of the state, whether the charge is a first DWI or a serious felony indictment.
Texas criminal procedure runs on deadlines that punish hesitation. An Administrative License Revocation hearing has to be requested within fifteen days of a DWI arrest, or the license is suspended automatically. Bond conditions set at magistration can restrict a client’s life the same day. A grand jury can hand down an indictment before a defendant has had a real conversation with an attorney. Because these early moments cannot be undone later, our team takes calls around the clock. We regularly appear in courts across downtown San Antonio, and in New Braunfels, Converse, Live Oak and Universal City — and knowing the prosecutors and judges in each of those courtrooms by name is a practical advantage that shapes strategy from the first phone call.
This firm defends the complete spectrum of Texas criminal charges: DWI and felony DWI, drug possession and delivery offenses, assault and domestic violence, weapons charges, theft and fraud, sex offenses, probation violations, and federal criminal matters. Founding attorney Gary Barton prosecuted major violent felonies — including capital murder — for the Bexar County DA’s office before switching sides, and that background gives clients real insight into which evidence a prosecutor treats as strong, which they know is weak, and what arguments actually shift their position before a case ever reaches trial.
Every case starts with the same set of questions: was the stop or detention lawful? Was there genuine probable cause for the arrest? Was evidence gathered in a way that respected the client’s Fourth Amendment rights? A single “no” can support a motion to suppress that removes the state’s strongest evidence from the table entirely — and a prosecution missing its best evidence rarely survives trial. Our attorneys file and argue those motions aggressively, cross-examine officers on the gaps between their written reports and body camera footage, and challenge forensic evidence from the lab bench to the chain of custody.
Even a misdemeanor conviction in Texas is permanent, with no automatic path to expungement, and it can cost a client their job, a professional license, a security clearance, immigration status, or the right to own a firearm. We represent clients at every stage of that process — from the first hearing through trial, and appeal when it’s warranted. Contact us any day of the week for a confidential consultation.
When someone else’s carelessness puts a person in the hospital, costs them months of income, or takes a family member away entirely, the legal process that follows can feel as overwhelming as the injury itself. Our Personal Injury Division takes that process off a client’s plate so they can focus on recovering — representing injury victims and their families across San Antonio and Bexar County, and pursuing what the law actually allows, not the number an insurance adjuster opens with.
An insurance company starts protecting its own position the moment a claim is reported. Adjusters are trained to collect statements and lock in a low number before an injured person has any real sense of their medical prognosis or what they’ve actually lost. Bringing in a personal injury attorney in San Antonio before giving a recorded statement, signing a release, or accepting an early offer changes that dynamic completely. Our attorneys bring deep experience litigating injury claims throughout Bexar County, pairing command of Texas tort law with a focus on what a client genuinely needs to recover.
We represent clients across San Antonio and the surrounding communities of Boerne, Leon Valley, Castle Hills and Schertz, and our familiarity with the courts, medical providers and insurance-defense tactics common to this market lets us anticipate the other side’s strategy well before it’s used.
Our attorneys handle San Antonio car accident lawyer matters along with truck accident attorney San Antonio claims involving 18-wheelers, motorcycle accident lawyer San Antonio and pedestrian cases, slip-and-fall and premises liability claims, construction and workplace injuries, wrongful death, catastrophic injury cases involving traumatic brain injury or spinal cord damage, and drunk-driving collisions where liability can extend past the driver to the bar or business that over-served them. Every personal injury case gets evaluated for its full scope of damages — past and future medical costs, lost income and reduced earning capacity, pain and suffering, and loss of companionship in wrongful death claims.
Insurance companies negotiate differently once they know the attorney across the table is genuinely prepared to try the case, not just settle it. That’s why every personal injury file at this firm gets built for trial from the day we open it — not after a first offer comes in low. We commission independent investigations and retain medical or accident-reconstruction experts when the facts call for it, and we take the time upfront to understand the full scope of a client’s damages — past and future medical costs, lost income, and long-term impact — before any number gets discussed with the other side. That preparation is what puts pressure on an insurer to offer what a claim is actually worth, rather than what they hope a client will accept out of exhaustion or urgency.
If you or a family member has been hurt in an accident in San Antonio, do not wait to speak with an attorney. Evidence disappears, witnesses become hard to find, and Texas’s statute of limitations does not bend. Contact Barton & Associates today for a free, confidential consultation with an experienced San Antonio personal injury attorney.
Primary Practice Areas
Family Law
Before taking any action toward a San Antonio divorce, get accurate legal information first. Moving out of the family home without understanding the effect on property rights, signing a temporary order without knowing what it does to a custody position, or making financial moves — closing accounts, transferring assets, taking on new debt — without knowing how a Bexar County family court judge will interpret them, are among the most common and most avoidable mistakes we see.
We handle every category of divorce: uncontested divorces where both sides have already agreed on terms and simply need the paperwork done correctly, contested divorces with real disputes over property or children, high-asset divorces requiring business valuation and financial tracing, and cases where domestic violence or addiction is part of the record. Texas imposes a minimum 60-day waiting period from filing before a decree can be signed, though a genuinely contested Bexar County case realistically runs six to eighteen months — understanding that timeline early leads to better decisions throughout.
The marital home is usually the most emotionally loaded and financially complicated asset in a Texas divorce, and the options for handling it are broader than most clients assume going in. One spouse can buy out the other’s community interest and keep the house; both can agree to sell and split the proceeds; or, when minor children are involved, a judge can order a deferred sale that lets the primary parent stay until the youngest child finishes high school. Each path carries different tax and mortgage consequences.
Retirement accounts add another layer. A 401(k), pension or IRA earned during the marriage counts as community property to the extent it accrued during the marriage — regardless of whose name is on the account. Dividing it correctly requires a Qualified Domestic Relations Order that meets the exact requirements of the plan administrator; get it wrong, and a spouse can face an unexpected tax bill or lose the community share outright. Our attorneys have drafted and litigated QDROs covering private employer plans, military pensions, and Texas municipal retirement systems.
Texas courts decide custody — what the Family Code calls conservatorship and possession — under a best-interest-of-the-child standard, and that standard touches nearly every disputed issue in a divorce with children: the possession schedule, decision-making rights, and where a child primarily lives. A standard possession order gives most non-custodial parents specific weekday, weekend and holiday time, but the facts of a case can support a schedule that departs significantly from the default.
Once an order is final, Texas Family Code Section 156.101 requires a material and substantial change in circumstances before a court will modify it — a parent’s relocation, a documented shift in either parent’s schedule, or evidence the current arrangement no longer serves the child. If the child is twelve or older, the court must interview them and consider their preference, though that preference does not control the outcome. Our attorneys handle both sides of these disputes: seeking a modification when circumstances have genuinely changed, and defending an existing order when they have not.
Criminal Defense
A Texas misdemeanor conviction never goes away on its own — there is no automatic expungement — and even a Class A assault family violence conviction permanently bars firearm ownership under federal law and shows up on every background check a client will ever face, for employment, housing, or a professional license. We evaluate every misdemeanor from the first phone call: was the stop or detention legally justified, is the complaining witness credible, does the physical evidence actually support the charge as written. Asking those questions aggressively, from day one, is what produces dismissals, deferred adjudication, and not-guilty verdicts.
The most unforgiving deadline after a San Antonio DWI lawyer gets called in is fifteen days. Texas Transportation Code Section 724.032 requires that an Administrative License Revocation hearing be requested within fifteen days of arrest, or the license is suspended automatically — regardless of what ultimately happens in the criminal case. We request that hearing for every DWI client at no added cost, and it doubles as an early opportunity to cross-examine the arresting officer under oath, often producing sworn testimony that becomes central to the defense later.
Felony cases in Bexar County are prosecuted out of the 144th, 175th, 186th and 227th Criminal District Courts, and our attorneys appear in all four regularly enough to know the individual prosecutors, the judges’ tendencies, and where a specific court’s procedural habits differ from the one next door. That familiarity shapes strategy starting at arrest, not just at trial — pretrial motions, bail arguments, grand jury posture and early plea timing all benefit from attorneys who understand precisely how a given district attorney’s office builds and evaluates its cases. Founding attorney Gary Barton prosecuted major violent felonies, including capital murder, for the Bexar County DA before moving to defense — giving felony clients a genuine, insider read on how the state’s case against them is actually constructed.
Results, Team Depth & a Reputation You Can Verify
A dwi defense attorney san antonio families call after an arrest, a contested divorce, a custody fight, or a felony indictment all raise the same underlying question: not whether a firm has handled cases like this one before, but whether it has actually won them. Barton & Associates answers that question with a documented record built over more than two decades in Bexar County and South Texas courts, not a marketing slogan.
Verified Outcomes in Criminal Defense
The case results this firm has secured span the full range of criminal exposure. A capital murder charge with the client facing death row was dismissed entirely. A sexual assault case was rejected before indictment, with the state also blocked from filing a related human trafficking charge. Multiple assault family violence cases have been dismissed before filing or before indictment in Bexar County, and a jury returned a not-guilty verdict in an assault bodily injury matter. DWI charges across Bexar, Nueces and Gillespie Counties have been resolved through outright dismissal or pretrial diversion. Case results depend entirely on the specific facts of each matter, and no past result guarantees a future outcome — but the range and consistency of these dispositions reflect a defense process this firm applies to every file, not a handful of favorable exceptions.
In felony matters specifically, founding attorney Gary Barton’s years prosecuting capital murders and aggravated assaults for the Bexar County DA’s office translate directly into knowing which evidence a prosecutor treats as airtight, which they privately know is vulnerable, and where aggressive motion practice in the 144th, 175th, 186th and 227th Criminal District Courts creates pressure long before a witness takes the stand.
Verified Outcomes in Family Law
Results in a divorce or custody matter get measured differently than a criminal verdict — the real test is whether the outcome still holds up years later. This firm has secured primary conservatorship arrangements that kept a parent fully present in a child’s daily life when the opposing side pushed to eliminate that access entirely. Attorneys here have traced and recovered assets a spouse tried to conceal during a divorce, using forensic accounting, targeted discovery, and deposition of financial witnesses. When a client’s safety required it, this team has obtained emergency protective orders within hours — and just as importantly, has defeated emergency orders filed as a tactical maneuver in a contested divorce when the underlying facts didn’t support them.
What the Record Actually Reflects
The cases on this firm’s results page were not the easy ones. They involved genuinely complicated facts, well-funded and well-represented opposing parties, and outcomes that depended entirely on the quality of the legal work behind them — not luck or a favorable draw. That is the standard this firm holds itself to for every client, and it is the standard a prospective client should use to evaluate any san antonio criminal defense attorney or divorce lawyer san antonio families are considering. Contact Barton & Associates to discuss a specific case and what this record can mean for its outcome.
One of the most consequential differences between law firms — and one of the least visible from the outside — is depth. A solo practitioner or an overextended small firm forces clients to accept real limitations on their representation, limitations that often don’t surface until a critical moment in the case. Barton & Associates was built with the size and structure to take on complex, multi-issue matters without those limits, and without any client competing for their attorney’s attention.
A Trial Record Few Firms Can Match
This team’s combined courtroom experience is genuinely rare in the Texas legal community. Gary J. Barton holds board certification in criminal law from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization — a credential fewer than three percent of Texas attorneys ever earn — and has been named Lawyer of the Year for the San Antonio region by Best Lawyers in America. Managing Attorney Duane Graeff brings more than twenty-six years of active litigation experience, licensed in both Texas state and federal courts since 1999, with a career that includes time as a law professor and a published legal scholar alongside his family law and criminal defense practice. Senior Trial Attorney Jim Erickson has practiced criminal defense in Texas courtrooms since 1985, tried more than 250 cases to a jury verdict across more than sixty Texas counties, and secured the third Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity verdict ever returned in the history of the state — a result achieved in fewer than one percent of criminal trials nationwide. Trial attorneys George Manning, AshLee Bradshaw, Desirée Flye Marshall and Mario Moreno complete a team equipped to handle nearly any legal matter a San Antonio family or individual is likely to face.
What Team Depth Actually Means in Practice
When a client retains this firm, the entire team stands behind the case, not just the attorney they first spoke with. Trial attorneys collaborate directly on strategy. Paralegals and legal assistants track court deadlines, documentary evidence, and filing requirements with the same discipline the attorneys bring into the courtroom. If one attorney is mid-trial on a serious felony, another is free to appear at a client’s custody hearing the same week. When a case demands simultaneous motion practice, client communication, expert coordination and trial preparation, multiple attorneys work each piece at once — which is what keeps deadlines from slipping because one person was stretched too thin.
Matching the Right Attorney to the Right Case
Beyond raw capacity, this team’s range means a case gets matched to whichever attorney — or combination of attorneys — actually fits its demands. Some attorneys on this team are especially effective negotiators, able to read what a prosecutor or opposing counsel genuinely needs and reach a resolution without unnecessary litigation. Others are strongest in front of a jury, able to make complicated facts clear and memorable under pressure. Firm leadership decides which approach a given case calls for and deploys the team accordingly — and that judgment, about when to negotiate and when to try a case to verdict, is part of what real experience brings to a client’s representation that a smaller firm simply cannot offer.
Trust in a law firm should rest on evidence, not on the firm’s own marketing. Anyone facing a DWI arrest, a divorce, a custody dispute or a criminal charge in San Antonio deserves to know not just that a firm has handled similar cases, but that its actual past clients would hire it again. At Barton & Associates, that evidence is specific, verifiable, and available for anyone to check.
What the Review Record Actually Shows
This firm has accumulated more than 500 verified five-star Google reviews from clients across San Antonio and Bexar County — reviews written directly on Google by the clients themselves, not testimonials curated for a website, and not something the firm has any ability to select or suppress. Read enough of them and the same themes surface again and again: attorneys who returned a call the same day, staff who treated a frightened client with real respect during one of the hardest periods of their life, and case outcomes clients describe as better than they expected given how serious the situation looked when they first called.
Recognition That Comes From Other Attorneys, Not Advertising
Beyond client reviews, this firm’s professional recognition reflects how the broader legal community evaluates its work — recognition that cannot be purchased or self-nominated. Gary J. Barton has been named a Super Lawyer and recognized by Best Lawyers in America, both honors awarded through peer review by other practicing attorneys and judges, 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 rating available in the legal profession’s oldest peer-review system, reflecting a judgment from other lawyers in the community that this firm’s attorneys meet the highest standard for both ethics and legal ability. Gary Barton’s board certification in criminal law from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization places him among fewer than three percent of Texas attorneys who have met that credential’s experience, peer-evaluation and examination requirements.
What It’s Actually Like to Work With This Firm
Credentials and reviews describe what an attorney has already done. Accessibility describes what working with them will actually feel like. This firm’s attorneys and staff respond to client calls, texts, and emails on evenings, weekends, and holidays — not because a policy requires it, but because a legal emergency doesn’t wait for Monday morning. Prospective clients can reach the firm seven days a week, and current clients get a response within 24 hours as a matter of practice, not aspiration — a standard the firm’s own review record consistently confirms it meets.
This firm is also genuinely selective about the cases it accepts, because representing a client seriously means giving their case the time and preparation it actually deserves. When Barton & Associates agrees to take a case, that decision reflects a real assessment that the firm can help — backed by the full resources of the team behind it. Contact the firm today for a free, confidential consultation.
4.9 Excellent Rating
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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.
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FAQ Criminal Defense, Divorce & Injury
Board certification in criminal law from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization is held by fewer than three percent of licensed Texas attorneys, and it cannot be bought or self-reported — it requires a verified trial record, a written examination, and peer evaluation from other attorneys and judges. Practically, it means the attorney has been independently confirmed to know criminal law more deeply than the average practicing lawyer. Founding attorney Gary J. Barton holds this certification and has been named Lawyer of the Year for the San Antonio region by Best Lawyers in America, making him one of a small number of board-certified san antonio criminal defense attorney options actually practicing daily in Bexar County courts.
Texas Transportation Code Section 724.032 requires an Administrative License Revocation hearing to be requested within 15 calendar days of a san antonio dwi lawyer intervening on a DWI arrest — miss that window, and the license is suspended automatically on the 40th day after arrest, regardless of what eventually happens in the criminal case. The suspension is a separate civil matter from the criminal charge and proceeds without a hearing if none is requested. We request this hearing for every DWI client at no added cost, and it doubles as an early chance to cross-examine the arresting officer under oath — testimony that often becomes central to the defense later.
Yes, but Texas Family Code Section 156.101 requires proof of a material and substantial change in circumstances since the order was signed — a parent’s relocation, a real shift in either parent’s schedule, or evidence the current arrangement no longer serves the child. Courts must interview a child age 12 or older and consider their preference, though that preference doesn’t control the outcome. Changing which parent has the right to determine the child’s primary residence is harder to win than adjusting a possession schedule, but the legal standard applied is the same best-interest test used the first time around. A father’s rights lawyer san antonio families call for this exact question should be able to walk through both paths honestly.
Spousal maintenance isn’t automatic — Texas Family Code Section 8.051 requires the requesting spouse to show either a marriage of at least ten years combined with insufficient property to meet basic needs, a qualifying disability, primary caregiving of a disabled child, or a family-violence conviction or deferred adjudication against the other spouse during the marriage or the divorce. The statutory cap is $5,000 per month or 20% of the paying spouse’s average gross income, whichever is lower, and duration scales with marriage length — generally up to five years for a ten-to-twenty-year marriage, seven years for twenty-to-thirty years, and ten years for marriages over thirty years.
Get medical attention first, even if nothing feels seriously wrong — traumatic brain injury, internal injury and soft tissue damage often don’t show symptoms for hours or days. Photograph the scene if you’re physically able, and collect the other driver’s insurance and contact details. Do not give a recorded statement to any insurance company, including your own, before speaking with an attorney — adjusters are trained to gather information that limits their company’s exposure, and early statements get used to undervalue or deny claims later. Texas gives you two years under Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 16.003 to file a personal injury lawyer san antonio claim, but evidence like surveillance footage and witness availability disappears fast, which is why calling an attorney early matters more than the filing deadline alone suggests.
Cost depends heavily on the type of case and how contested it becomes. A straightforward misdemeanor or an uncontested divorce costs far less than a felony indictment or a high-conflict custody dispute that runs through multiple hearings. Rather than quote a number that won’t reflect an individual case, Barton & Associates offers a free, confidential consultation to review the specific facts and provide a clear, honest estimate of what representation will actually involve — before any commitment is made. Clients are told upfront what a case will cost and what that covers, so there are no surprises partway through.
A free consultation is a real conversation with an attorney, not a sales pitch. A prospective client describes what happened — an arrest, a divorce filing, an accident — and the attorney asks the questions needed to understand the legal exposure and the realistic options. That includes an honest assessment of strengths and weaknesses in the case, a general sense of timeline and process, and what representation would involve going forward. Nothing discussed is shared outside the firm, and there is no obligation to hire the firm afterward. Consultations are available seven days a week, and same-day calls are common for anyone dealing with an arrest or an urgent deadline.
Deferred adjudication is a form of community supervision — a judge accepts a guilty or no-contest plea, holds off entering a finding of guilt, and places the defendant on probation. Complete it successfully, and the case gets dismissed with no conviction on record. That distinction matters because deferred adjudication can make someone eligible for an Order of Nondisclosure under Texas Government Code Chapter 411, sealing the record from most background checks after a waiting period — a conviction never gets that option. Deferred adjudication isn’t available for every charge, though; it can’t be used for DWI, and certain serious felonies are excluded. It also isn’t automatic expunction, and law enforcement retains access to the record regardless of a nondisclosure order — which is why the choice between fighting a charge to dismissal and accepting deferred adjudication deserves real legal analysis before a decision gets made.
No — a Texas attorney cannot ethically represent both spouses in any divorce, uncontested or not, even when both sides agree on every term. The attorney represents one client; the other spouse remains unrepresented in that relationship. That doesn’t slow down a genuinely uncontested case where both sides have already agreed on property, custody and support — but the unrepresented spouse should understand that the attorney drafting the paperwork is working for the other side’s interests, not theirs. Having independent counsel review the final decree before signing is the strongest protection against agreeing to terms that turn out to be unfavorable or ambiguous later.
Felony cases in Bexar County are prosecuted in the 144th, 175th, 186th and 227th Criminal District Courts, and our attorneys appear in all four regularly enough to know the individual prosecutors, each judge’s procedural tendencies, and how strategy needs to shift from one courtroom to the next. That familiarity isn’t cosmetic — a bail argument that lands with one judge can fail with another, and pretrial motion timing, plea negotiation strategy and grand jury posture all benefit from attorneys who understand exactly how a specific district attorney’s office evaluates evidence. Founding attorney Gary Barton prosecuted major violent felonies, including capital murder, for the Bexar County DA before switching to defense — giving felony clients a genuine inside view of how the state actually builds its case.
It depends on injury severity, how contested liability is, and whether the case settles or goes to trial. Straightforward cases with clear liability and limited injuries can resolve in six to twelve months; cases involving catastrophic injury, disputed fault, multiple defendants, or insurance coverage disputes often take two to three years or longer. One of the biggest timing factors is reaching maximum medical improvement — the point where treating physicians can reliably project future medical needs. Settling before that point usually means accepting less than a claim is actually worth, since future medical costs and long-term disability are often the largest components of damages. We build every san antonio car accident lawyer case for trial from day one, and we settle only when the number reflects what the client is actually owed.
Yes — we represent clients across all three markets under one firm. The main office is in downtown San Antonio at 115 Camaron Street, with appointment offices in Austin at 316 West 12th Street and Corpus Christi at 5110 Wilkinson Drive. San Antonio matters cover Bexar County and nearby jurisdictions including New Braunfels, Boerne, Converse, Live Oak and Universal City; Austin matters run through Travis County courts; Corpus Christi matters run through Nueces County. Regardless of which office serves a case, clients get the same intake process, the same 24-hour availability, and the same team depth. Call directly or complete the consultation form, and we’ll confirm which attorneys handle the specific jurisdiction.
Stay calm, and say as little as possible beyond identifying yourself. Anything said to police after an arrest can be used in the criminal case, and there is no obligation to answer questions, explain what happened, or agree to a search without an attorney present. Ask clearly for a lawyer and stop talking until one is involved. From there, a few things move fast: bond conditions get set at magistration, and if the charge involves DWI, the 15-day window to request an Administrative License Revocation hearing starts running immediately. Calling an attorney within the first 24 hours — not after the first court date — gives the defense the most room to work with, since early decisions in a criminal case are often the hardest ones to undo later.
In many cases, yes — and often sooner than people expect. Professional licensing boards, security clearance reviewers, and immigration authorities frequently have their own reporting requirements that get triggered by an arrest or a charge, independent of whether the case ever results in a conviction. A nurse, teacher, or other licensed professional may have a duty to self-report an arrest to their licensing board within a specific window. Military members and federal employees often face parallel reporting obligations tied to a security clearance the moment charges are filed. For non-citizens, even a charge that seems minor under Texas law can carry immigration consequences that a Texas-only legal analysis won’t catch. Because these consequences can move faster than the criminal case itself, getting an attorney involved immediately — not after arraignment — is what protects a client’s license, clearance, or status alongside their criminal defense.
316 W 12th St Suite 400, Austin, TX 78701
5110 Wilkinson Dr Suite 210, Corpus Christi, TX 78415
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