George Manning

There is a certain kind of attorney who arrives at the law not through a straight academic path but through a life that has already tested him in ways that most people never face. George Manning is that kind of attorney. Before he ever set foot in a law school classroom, he served as an infantryman in the United States Marine Corps—one of the most demanding and character-defining experiences a young person can undertake. That service, and the discipline and conviction it built, forms the foundation of the way George Manning approaches every criminal defense case he handles today. He is a Trial Attorney at Barton & Associates, Attorneys at Law, focusing his practice on criminal defense in San Antonio and throughout Bexar County. He graduated Cum Laude from the University of Texas at San Antonio, earned his Juris Doctorate from Texas Tech University School of Law with a concentration in Criminal Law and Innocence, began his legal career representing indigent defendants in West Texas as a student attorney with a public defender’s office, built an independent criminal defense practice as a solo practitioner, and has been fighting for clients in San Antonio courtrooms ever since. When clients describe George Manning, words like exceptional, dedicated and results-driven come up consistently—and his background explains exactly why. Before pursuing his education and legal career, George Manning answered a call that few are willing to accept. He served in the United States Marine Corps as an infantryman—one of the most physically and mentally demanding roles in the American military—and was honorably discharged in 2010. His service in 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment gave him something that no law school curriculum can provide: the ability to perform under pressure, to stay disciplined when the stakes are highest, and to remain focused on the mission regardless of the obstacles in front of him. Every one of those qualities translates directly to the work of a criminal defense attorney who is fighting to protect a client’s freedom. The Marines do not produce people who fold under pressure, and George Manning’s record in the courtroom reflects that. Following his honorable discharge from the Marine Corps, George Manning committed himself to his education with the same discipline he had brought to his military service. He graduated Cum Laude from the University of Texas at San Antonio—an academic honor that places him in the top tier of his graduating class—before going on to earn his law degree from one of the most respected law schools in Texas, where he pursued a specialized concentration that reflects his commitment to genuine justice, not just technical legal wins. The Degree Concentration in Criminal Law and Innocence at Texas Tech is worth explaining to prospective clients, because it is not a standard law school track. This concentration is focused not only on the mechanics of criminal procedure and constitutional law, but also on wrongful conviction—the causes of it, the systemic failures that allow it to happen, and the legal tools available to prevent and correct it. An attorney who has trained specifically in innocence-focused criminal law approaches every case with a heightened awareness of how evidence can be misread, how witness accounts can be distorted, and how the prosecution’s narrative can diverge from the truth. That lens makes George Manning a more rigorous and more skeptical advocate—exactly what a person facing criminal charges needs on their side. George Manning began his legal career the hard way—not in a large firm with a safety net, but in the public defender’s office as a student attorney, representing people who had no resources and no one else in their corner. That experience grounded his practice in something real from day one. After passing the Texas Bar in April 2020, he built an independent solo practice in San Antonio handling criminal defense cases as well as estate planning and probate litigation, developing the self-reliance and case management skills that come only from running your own practice and owning the outcome of every matter you handle. He subsequently joined a statewide criminal defense firm before bringing his full focus to Barton & Associates as a Trial Attorney, where he represents clients charged with the full spectrum of criminal offenses in San Antonio, Bexar County and surrounding South Texas courts.