Charla Davies

About Charla Davies

Charla Davies is a Partner in Goranson Bain Ausley’s San Antonio office. She is Board Certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization — a distinction held by fewer than three percent of Texas attorneys — and has more than 24 years of experience guiding professionals, high-net-worth individuals, and their spouses through high-stakes divorce cases.

Her practice centers on the financial and personal complexity these cases involve: complex property, characterization of separate and community property, business valuation in divorce, and contested custody. Recognized in Best Lawyers in America for both Family Law and Collaborative Law, she represents clients across the full spectrum — from Collaborative Divorce and negotiated resolutions to litigated divorce when the case calls for it.

Charla’s approach is built on the conviction that divorce is more than a legal process — it is a pivotal life transition. Her priority is to help clients resolve conflicts respectfully, maintain control over their decisions, and make informed choices that lay a strong foundation for the future. She works to minimize conflict and uncertainty, preserve dignity and peace of mind, and help clients build the next chapter with confidence.

What sets her apart

• Board Certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in 2017 — a credential held by fewer than three percent of Texas attorneys and reserved for lawyers with substantial trial and case experience, peer review, and a rigorous specialty examination.
• Leading voice in collaborative divorce. Past President of the Collaborative Professionals of San Antonio (2015–2017) and continuously named to Best Lawyers in America for Collaborative Law since 2021 — part of GBA’s collaborative team, the largest in the country.
• Deep San Antonio bench experience. More than 24 years of practice in Bexar County courts, with leadership roles across the San Antonio family law community: past Chair of the San Antonio Bar Association’s Family Law Section (2018–2020) and past member of its Board of Directors (2020–2024).
• Shapes how family law is practiced in Texas. Served on the Texas Board of Legal Specialization Advisory Committee for Family Law (2022–2025) and has co-authored State Bar of Texas practitioner references, including the Texas Family Law Practice Manual.
• Solution-focused representation. Charla works to protect clients’ assets, financial security, and emotional well-being while minimizing unnecessary conflict — helping them retain greater control over the resolution rather than ceding it to a court.

Practice focus

Charla focuses her practice on the cases that benefit most from technical depth and a commitment to constructive resolution:

• Collaborative Divorce and divorce mediation. Resolution-focused processes for couples committed to settling without court intervention. Charla is one of San Antonio’s most-recognized collaborative attorneys and a long-standing advocate for constructive alternatives to litigation.
• High net worth divorce. Strategic counsel for divorce involving significant estates, executive compensation, business interests, and complex investment portfolios.
• Property division and characterization of separate and community property. Including business valuation, reimbursement claims, and dividing the marital home.
• Child custody and parenting schedules. Developing practical, sustainable arrangements that support children’s stability and long-term well-being while fostering meaningful relationships with both parents when appropriate.
• Prenuptial and postnuptial agreements. Drafting and review for individuals planning marriage or restructuring property rights during marriage.
• Contested and litigated divorce. Trial-ready representation when negotiation and collaboration are not viable paths.
• Modification and enforcement. Updating or enforcing existing custody and support orders as circumstances change.

Recognition and credentials

Charla is one of San Antonio’s most-recognized family law attorneys. She has been continuously named to Best Lawyers in America for Collaborative Law since 2021 and for Family Law since 2024, listed in Scene in San Antonio‘s Best Lawyers in San Antonio for Family Law and Collaborative Law every year from 2015 through 2023, named a San Antonio Top Attorney by San Antonio Magazine (2020–2022), and recognized in 2025 by Scene in San Antonio as one of its Top Family Law attorneys and Outstanding Women in Law. Earlier in her career, she was named a Texas Super Lawyers Rising Star (Thomson Reuters) in 2009 and 2010.

Beyond her recognition, Charla has held leadership roles across Texas family law: Past President of the Collaborative Professionals of San Antonio (2015–2017), past Chair of the Family Law Section of the San Antonio Bar Association (2018–2020), past member of the San Antonio Bar Association Board of Directors (2020–2024), and member of the Texas Board of Legal Specialization Advisory Committee for Family Law (2022–2025). She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, the Texas Family Law Foundation, the Texas Bar Foundation, and the San Antonio Bar Foundation.

Charla also considers the legal education of her clients and colleagues a cornerstone of strong advocacy. She has presented and co-authored on family law topics for the State Bar of Texas, the San Antonio Bar Association, the Collaborative Divorce Professionals of San Antonio, and the Texas Advanced Paralegal Seminar — including co-authoring the Texas Family Law Practice Manual and writing on Texas family law for the State Bar’s Institute on Texas Law for Military Attorneys (2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010).

Beyond the practice

Charla sees divorce as a turning point rather than an ending. Her priority is helping clients resolve conflicts respectfully, maintain control over the decisions that will shape their families for years, and reach healthier outcomes than the adversarial process tends to produce. The people in front of her deserve to come through it with their dignity and peace of mind intact.