Ashton McCary

About Ashton McCary

Ashton McCary represents individuals and families through uncertain, often overwhelming moments, when they most need to be heard. She is a family law attorney in Goranson Bain Ausley’s Dallas office, handling divorce, property division, child custody, and adoption. 

She knows the hardest part of divorce is often the uncertainty, so she works to make each step clear and manageable. Much of her work focuses on the financial side of a case — property division, asset tracing, and detailed financial records — where her analytical strengths matter most. She also helps parents through child custody matters and advises clients on spousal maintenance and adoption.

Ashton’s approach is grounded in empathy and objectivity. She describes it as speaking softly and carrying a big stick — calm and supportive with clients, and a steady advocate for their interests. She takes time to understand what matters most to each client and explains the options clearly, so they can make informed decisions about their family and their future. She works toward constructive, efficient resolutions whenever possible, and if a matter has to be decided in court, her thorough preparation protects what matters most.

What Sets Her Apart

• A Background in Engineering and Failure Analysis. Before law, Ashton spent ten years in engineering and failure analysis, investigating why complex systems failed. That habit of methodical analysis now shapes how she examines evidence and financial detail.
• Experience With Complex Financial Matters. She concentrates on the financial issues that arise in divorce, including property division and the analysis of complex financial records.
• Hands-On Representation From Law School. As Chief Counsel of SMU’s VanSickle Family Law Clinic, she represented clients in divorce involving property division, spousal maintenance, and constructive fraud. She saw that matter through to resolution.
• A Commitment to Access to Justice. She provided limited-scope representation to pro se litigants and incarcerated mothers. She believes everyone deserves a voice in the legal system.
• Early Courtroom Exposure. She interned with a Texas district court judge and clerked at several firms. She observed hearings and trials before representing clients of her own.

Practice Focus

Ashton brings a steady, analytical, and client-focused approach across the main areas of Texas family law:

• Divorce. Ashton helps clients weigh their options — negotiated, mediated, or litigated — and keeps them informed at each stage.
• Property Division. Working through a marital estate methodically, building an accurate picture from the records before clients decide.
• Characterization of Separate and Community Property. Detailed, document-heavy work that suits Ashton — tracing assets and distinguishing separate from community property on the evidence.
• Child Custody. Keeping the focus on the children, helping parents reach calm, workable parenting and conservatorship arrangements.
• Alimony & Spousal Maintenance. Advising realistically on eligibility, amount, and duration, so expectations are grounded from the start.
• Adoption. Guiding families through the adoption process and the orders that make a new relationship secure.

Recognition and Credentials

Ashton earned her Juris Doctor from SMU Dedman School of Law, where she received the Dean’s Scholarship and was a member of the Dallas Bar Association Family Law Section.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of Texas at Dallas, the foundation of the analytical approach she brings to her work in family law.

Beyond the Practice

Outside the office, Ashton spends time with her three children and her significant other, and she rarely misses her teenagers’ marching band competitions. She also enjoys walking, working on puzzles, dancing West Coast Swing, and playing the violin — though she modestly admits she’s “not well-practiced.”