Barton & Associates, Attorneys at Law
San Antonio, Texas
There is a moment in every serious legal matter when the quality of your representation stops being an abstract consideration and becomes the only thing that matters. At Barton & Associates, Attorneys at Law, that moment is exactly what the firm was built for.
Founded by Gary J. Barton — a Board Certified Criminal Defense Attorney, former felony prosecutor, and one of San Antonio's most experienced trial lawyers — Barton & Associates serves individuals and families throughout Bexar, Travis, and Nueces Counties and across South and Central Texas. The firm's practice spans criminal defense, family law, and personal injury, with a depth of courtroom experience that sets it apart from general practice firms throughout the region.
A Foundation Built in the Courtroom
Gary J. Barton did not begin his legal career on the defense side. He began it as a prosecutor — trying death penalty cases and serious homicide matters in New Mexico before returning to Texas to serve as a Bexar County Felony Assistant District Attorney. During his time with the Bexar County District Attorney's Office, he achieved a distinction no other San Antonio defense attorney can claim: he became the youngest prosecutor in Texas history to head a Major Crimes Unit, a role dedicated exclusively to Capital Murder and Murder prosecutions.
That background is not a footnote. It is the foundation of every defense strategy the firm builds. Gary Barton knows how prosecutors think, how they evaluate evidence, how they prepare witnesses, and where cases can be challenged — because he spent years doing exactly that work himself. He has since tried more than 100 cases to jury verdict across Texas and New Mexico jurisdictions.
Practice Areas
Criminal Defense
Barton & Associates handles the full range of criminal matters in Texas state and federal courts, from misdemeanor charges through Capital Murder defense. The firm's criminal practice includes DWI and intoxication offenses, drug crimes, assault and family violence, sex crimes, weapon offenses, felony defense, probation violations, expunction and nondisclosure proceedings, military criminal defense, and professional license defense. Gary's prosecutorial experience — particularly his years focused exclusively on the most serious homicide cases in Texas — gives clients a strategic advantage that is genuinely difficult to replicate.
Family Law
The firm's family law practice handles contested and uncontested divorce, high-asset property division, child custody and conservatorship, child support, father's rights, grandparents' rights, paternity, spousal maintenance, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, adoption, and guardianship. Gary holds both a J.D. from Texas Tech University School of Law and an MBA from the Texas Tech Rawls College of Business — a dual credential that proves especially valuable when divorce proceedings involve business interests, complex financial assets, or disputed community property characterization.
Personal Injury
When clients have been seriously injured through someone else's negligence, Barton & Associates pursues full and fair compensation with the same tenacity it brings to the courtroom. The firm handles motor vehicle accidents, trucking and 18-wheeler collisions, wrongful death, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, premises liability, medical malpractice, nursing home abuse, product liability, and civil rights violations.
Recognition & Credentials
Gary J. Barton is Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization — a credential earned by fewer than 3% of licensed Texas attorneys. He has been selected to Super Lawyers Rising Stars for three consecutive years: 2023, 2024, and 2025, with recognition spanning Criminal Defense, DWI/DWI Defense, Family Law, and Estate Planning & Probate. He is a member of The National Trial Lawyers: Top 100, an invitation-only organization reserved for the premier criminal defense trial attorneys in each state, and has been recognized by Lawyers of Distinction and Best Attorneys of America through independent peer evaluation processes.
Serving San Antonio and All of South and Central Texas
Barton & Associates is deeply rooted in San Antonio and the surrounding region. Gary J. Barton was raised in Bandera, Texas, has spent nearly his entire life in the San Antonio area, and has practiced in more than 66 Texas counties. When he appears in Bexar County's criminal district courts — the 144th, 175th, 186th, or 227th — he does so with the institutional knowledge and professional relationships that only years of practice in those specific courtrooms can produce.
For individuals and families facing criminal charges, contested family law matters, or serious personal injury claims throughout South and Central Texas, Barton & Associates offers the experience, credentials, and courtroom record to handle what comes next.
Barton & Associates, Attorneys at Law | San Antonio, Texas
Bexar County | Travis County | Nueces County | South & Central Texas
Board Certified — Criminal Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization
