Carlos E. Gracia

About Carlos E. Gracia

Carlos E. Gracia is a family law attorney in Goranson Bain Ausley’s Austin office. He represents parents and families throughout Central Texas in divorce, child custody, child support, and modification matters, with a particular focus on cases involving children and Spanish-speaking clients. Known for his responsiveness, clear communication, and efficient approach, Carlos helps clients understand the process, make informed decisions, and keep their cases moving forward. 

Before entering the legal profession, Carlos spent five years as a bilingual elementary school teacher in Dallas ISD, experience that continues to shape his understanding of the challenges many parents face during family law disputes. 

His practice centers on the issues that affect children most directly: parenting schedules, possession orders, conservatorship, and child support. He also advises clients through contested and uncontested divorce, modification and enforcement, and pre-divorce guidance. 

A native Spanish speaker, Carlos regularly represents Spanish-speaking clients who need a lawyer who can explain the Texas Family Code in the language they think in. He joined Goranson Bain Ausley as a law clerk in 2021 and has practiced as an attorney with the firm since 2023; before that, he served as a judicial intern to the Honorable Dennise Garcia in the 303rd Judicial District Family Court and as a student attorney with the Texas Tech Family Law and Housing Clinic.

Carlos describes his role as “a mix of counsel and lawyer” — someone who establishes goals with the client, lays out a clear plan to reach them, and remains a zealous advocate when the case calls for it. He keeps clients informed at every stage, explains the legal process in straightforward language, and takes time to understand each client’s concerns, priorities, and goals before developing a strategy. His aim in every case is to give clients peace of mind that their trust is well-placed.

What Sets Him Apart

• Children’s Issues as Core Focus. Resolving custody, co-parenting, and possession schedules is Carlos’s stated special interest — the parts of family law that shape day-to-day life for kids and the parents raising them.
• Bilingual Practice for Spanish-Speaking Clients. Native Spanish speaker who has represented many Spanish-speaking families in the Austin area, explaining the Texas Family Code in the language clients think in. GBA maintains a dedicated Spanish-language version of his profile page for Spanish-speaking prospects.
• Early-Career Peer Recognition. Listed in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch (2025 and 2026) and named to the Texas Super Lawyers Rising Stars list by Thomson Reuters (2025).
• Responsive, Practical Guidance. Carlos prioritizes clear communication, prompt responsiveness, and efficient case management so clients understand their options, stay informed, and can move forward with confidence. 
• Trained Inside Family Law From the Start. Judicial intern in the 303rd Judicial District Family Court, student attorney with the Texas Tech Family Law and Housing Clinic, and law clerk at Goranson Bain Ausley from 2021 — Carlos came into family law through family law, not from another practice area.
• Classroom-to-Courtroom Background. Five years as a bilingual elementary school teacher in Dallas ISD before law school — direct experience with the home dynamics that show up in family court, brought into a family law practice.

Practice Focus

Carlos focuses on the cases where children, parenting, and Spanish-language access are central to the outcome:

• Property Division. Carlos helps clients identify, value, and divide community and separate property, working through financial documents and asset inventories to pursue practical, equitable resolutions. 
• Child custody. Conservatorship, parenting time, and the arrangements that shape children’s lives after a divorce or separation.
• Divorce. Contested, uncontested, and litigated divorce, with attention to parents who want to protect their children’s stability through the process.
• Child support. Calculating, contesting, and enforcing child support obligations under Texas guidelines, including above-guideline scenarios.
• Modification and enforcement. Updating existing orders when circumstances change, or pursuing enforcement when an order is not being followed.
• Parenting schedules. Drafting custody calendars, possession schedules, and holiday rotations that work for both parents and children.
• Pre-divorce guidance. Confidential, strategic conversations for clients deciding whether and how to move forward, before papers are filed.

Recognition and Credentials

Carlos has been recognized early in his family law career: listed in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch (2025 and 2026) and named to the Texas Super Lawyers Rising Stars list by Thomson Reuters (2025).

He is a member of the Hispanic Bar Association, the Austin Bar Association Family Law Section, and the Austin Young Lawyers Association.

Carlos earned his Doctor of Jurisprudence at Texas Tech University School of Law in 2022, where he received the Distinction Award for Legal Practice and Writing and served on the editorial board of Texas Bank Lawyer. He holds a Master of Science in Sport Management from Texas A&M University and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Texas A&M International University. He was admitted to the State Bar of Texas in April 2023.

Beyond the Practice

Carlos volunteers at the St. John’s Legal Clinic, assisting with case intake and client interviews — an extension of the bilingual access work that runs through his Austin practice.

Outside the office, Carlos enjoys pick-up basketball, running, spending quality time with family and friends, sampling the newest Austin restaurants, and — with his wife — adoring their dachshund pups, Dinky and Franky.