Meet Gary J. Barton: Owner & Founding Attorney, Barton & Associates, Attorneys at Law

Texas State Bar Number: 24082430 | Licensed: November 6, 2014

Who is Gary J. Barton?

When you are facing a criminal charge, a contested divorce or the aftermath of a serious accident, the credentials and courtroom record of the attorney standing beside you are not merely background details—they are the foundation of your entire case strategy. Gary J. Barton is the Owner and Founding Attorney of Barton & Associates, Attorneys at Law, one of San Antonio’s most recognized law firms serving individuals and families throughout Bexar County, Travis County, Nueces County and across South and Central Texas. He is a Board Certified Criminal Defense Attorney, a former felony prosecutor, a multi-year Super Lawyers Rising Stars honoree and a member of The National Trial Lawyers: Top 100. A lifelong San Antonio-area resident and native Texan from Bandera, Gary built this firm on a single conviction: that every person deserves fierce, strategic and genuinely personalized legal representation at the moments when it matters most.

Credentials at a Glance

Full Name: Gary J. Barton
Title: Owner & Founding Attorney
Firm: Barton & Associates, Attorneys at Law, PLLC
Texas State Bar Card Number: 24082430
Texas Bar License Date: November 6, 2014
Bar Status: Active, Good Standing
Board Certification: Board Certified — Criminal Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization
Undergraduate: B.A., Political Science — University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA)
Law Degree: Juris Doctorate (J.D.) — Texas Tech University School of Law, Class of 2014
Graduate Business Degree: Master of Business Administration (MBA) — Texas Tech Rawls College of Business
Former Position: Felony Prosecutor — State of New Mexico (Death Penalty and homicide trial experience)
Former Position: Bexar County Felony Assistant District Attorney — San Antonio, Texas
Historic Distinction: Youngest prosecutor to head a Major Crimes Unit in the State of Texas — exclusive focus on Capital Murder and Murder prosecutions
Jury Trial Experience: Over 100 cases tried to verdict across Texas and New Mexico jurisdictions
Awards & Recognition
- Super Lawyers Rising Stars — 2023, 2024, 2025 (Criminal Defense, DUI/DWI Defense, Family Law, Estate Planning & Probate)
- The National Trial Lawyers: Top 100 — invitation-only, criminal defense trial attorneys
- Lawyers of Distinction — peer-selected recognition for outstanding professional achievement
- Best Attorneys of America — peer-nominated and independently evaluated
Hometown: Bandera, Texas
Primary Practice Areas: Criminal Defense, Family Law, Personal Injury
Courts: All Texas state courts; practiced in 66+ Texas counties; New Mexico state courts

Education

Gary J. Barton’s academic foundation is both rigorous and rare. He earned his undergraduate degree before going on to complete both a law degree and a graduate business degree—a combination that gives him a strategic edge in complex litigation and high-stakes negotiations that most Texas attorneys simply do not possess.

B.A., Political Science — University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA)
Juris Doctorate (J.D.) — Texas Tech University School of Law, Class of 2014
Master of Business Administration (MBA) — Texas Tech Rawls College of Business

This dual credential in law and business is particularly meaningful in practice. In high-asset divorce cases, Gary’s MBA-informed understanding of business valuation, community property characterization and complex financial structures gives clients a measurable advantage. In criminal defense, the ability to analyze a case the way a skilled strategist evaluates risk, evidence and outcome means his clients receive defense strategies that are thorough, multi-layered and built for the realities of Bexar County courts.

Career History & Professional Experience

Gary J. Barton’s path to becoming one of San Antonio’s most respected defense attorneys began on the prosecution’s side of the courtroom—and that distinction matters enormously to the clients he represents today. He launched his legal career as a felony prosecutor in the State of New Mexico, where he handled death penalty trials and serious homicide prosecutions from the very beginning of his practice. He then returned to Texas and served as a Bexar County Felony Assistant District Attorney, prosecuting serious felony cases across San Antonio’s criminal district courts. During his prosecutorial tenure, Gary achieved a distinction that no other current defense attorney in San Antonio can claim: he became the youngest prosecutor ever to head a Major Crimes Unit in the State of Texas, a position in which he worked exclusively on Capital Murder and Murder cases. He has since tried over 100 cases to a jury verdict across multiple Texas and New Mexico jurisdictions.

Felony Prosecutor, State of New Mexico — Death Penalty and homicide trial experience
Bexar County Felony Assistant District Attorney — felony prosecution in Bexar County criminal district courts
Youngest Prosecutor to Head a Major Crimes Unit in the State of Texas — exclusive focus on Capital Murder and Murder prosecutions
Over 100 jury trials tried to verdict across Texas and New Mexico
Founder & Owner, Barton & Associates, Attorneys at Law — San Antonio, Texas

When Gary J. Barton sits across from a Bexar County prosecutor today, he is not guessing at the state’s strategy—he has executed it himself. That insider knowledge is the most powerful advantage he brings to every client he defends, whether the charge is a first-offense DWI, a drug possession case, an assault allegation or a Capital Murder prosecution.

Awards, Accolades & Professional Recognition

Gary J. Barton’s standing in the Texas legal community is reflected not only in his courtroom record, but in the independent peer recognition he has earned throughout his career. Selection to each of the following distinctions is based on rigorous, multi-phase evaluation processes that go well beyond self-reporting.

Super Lawyers Rising Stars — Selected 2023, 2024, and 2025. Practice areas recognized: Family Law, Criminal Defense, DUI/DWI Defense, and Estate Planning & Probate. Rising Stars selection is limited to no more than 2.5% of attorneys in each state.
The National Trial Lawyers: Top 100 — Invitation-only membership reserved for the premier criminal defense and civil trial attorneys in each state, selected through peer nomination and independent third-party research.
Lawyers of Distinction — Peer-selected recognition reserved for attorneys who demonstrate outstanding professional achievement and meet stringent ethical standards.
Best Attorneys of America — Recognized member, selected through peer recommendation and independent evaluation criteria.
State Bar of Texas — Active, good-standing member. Texas Bar Card Number: 24082430. Licensed: November 6, 2014.

Areas of Practice

Gary J. Barton founded Barton & Associates to be the answer when San Antonio families and individuals face their most difficult legal moments—across criminal defense, family law and personal injury. The firm he built serves clients throughout Bexar, Travis and Nueces Counties, with additional reach across South and Central Texas.

Criminal Defense

Capital Murder and Murder defense
Felony offenses including aggravated assault, armed robbery, burglary, evading arrest, smuggling, stalking, and tampering with evidence
DWI, Felony DWI, first-, second-, and third-offense DWI, DWI with child, intoxication assault, and intoxication manslaughter
Drug crimes including possession, manufacture and delivery of controlled substances, federal drug charges, and asset forfeiture defense
Weapon crimes including unlawful carrying, felon in possession of a firearm, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and federal weapon charges
Sex crimes including sexual assault, indecency with a minor, and improper relationship
Domestic violence and assault family violence, including felony family violence charges
Probation violations, motions to revoke, and motions to adjudicate
Expunction and nondisclosure proceedings in Texas
Military criminal defense, chapter separation proceedings, and security clearance defense
Professional license defense for healthcare workers, educators, and other licensed professionals

Family Law

Contested and uncontested divorce, high-asset and high-net-worth divorce, and divorce involving business owners
Community property and separate property characterization, complex asset division, and QDRO preparation\
Child custody, conservatorship, SAPCR proceedings, and emergency custody orders
Child support calculation, enforcement, and modification
Father’s rights, grandparents’ rights, and paternity actions
Spousal maintenance, contractual alimony, and post-divorce modification
Prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, adoption, and legal guardianship
Divorce mediation, binding arbitration, and alternative dispute resolution

Personal Injury

Car accidents, trucking and 18-wheeler accidents, motorcycle accidents, and rideshare accidents
Wrongful death and catastrophic injury claims including traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury
Premises liability, slip and fall, and construction accidents
Medical malpractice, nursing home abuse and neglect, and product liability
Civil rights violations and police misconduct claims

About Gary J. Barton: The Person Behind the Practice

Gary J. Barton was born and raised in Bandera, Texas—the small Hill Country community west of San Antonio known as the Cowboy Capital of the World. He grew up with the values of hard work, accountability and fighting for what is right, and those values have never left his practice. In high school, he was a member of a Texas State Championship football team, an experience that gave him the competitive discipline and team-oriented mindset that still defines how he leads his firm and approaches every case he handles. He has spent nearly his entire life in the San Antonio area and considers this community his home in the deepest sense of the word. That connection to San Antonio means Gary J. Barton understands Bexar County—its courts, its prosecutors, its judges, its culture and its people—in a way that attorneys without genuine local roots simply cannot match. When he appears in the 144th, 175th, 186th or 227th Criminal District Courts, he is on home ground, with the institutional knowledge and professional relationships built over years of practice in exactly those courtrooms.

How to Reach Gary J. Barton & Barton & Associates

If you are facing criminal charges in San Antonio, going through a divorce in Bexar County, or dealing with the aftermath of a serious injury anywhere in South Texas, the most important decision you will make is who you trust to represent you. Barton & Associates offers free consultations and is available not just during regular business hours, but evenings, weekends and holidays—because legal crises do not follow a nine-to-five schedule.

San Antonio (Main Office): 115 Camaron St, San Antonio, TX 78205 | 210-500-0000
Austin (By Appt): 316 W 12th St Suite 400, Austin, TX 78701 | 512-THE-FIRM (843-3476)
Corpus Christi (By Appt): 5110 Wilkinson Dr Suite 210, Corpus Christi, TX 78415 | 361-800-6780
Email: Info@BartonLawOffice.com

The firm serves clients throughout Bexar, Travis, Nueces, Bandera, Comal, Guadalupe, Medina and Kendall Counties, and across the broader South and Central Texas region.

Main Category: Legal Team
Barton & Associates, Attorneys at Law