About The Restraining Order Law Firm

At a Glance

The Restraining Order Law Firm is a Southern California law firm focused exclusively on restraining orders — including domestic violence restraining orders (DVRO), civil harassment restraining orders, workplace violence restraining orders, gun violence restraining orders, and elder abuse restraining orders. We represent both petitioners seeking protection and respondents defending against allegations in contested restraining order hearings throughout Southern California. Founding attorney Matthew Barhoma has handled more than 500+ restraining order matters across Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, and San Diego Counties. Free, confidential consultations are available 24/7 at (888) 808-2179

A firm built for one kind of case

Most law firms treat restraining orders as a sideline — something they’ll handle between divorces or criminal cases. We don’t. Restraining orders are the entire focus of this firm. That narrow focus is deliberate, and it’s the reason we win cases other lawyers treat as routine.

A restraining order is a civil order with criminal teeth. It can decide where you live, whether you see your children, whether you can lawfully own a firearm, and whether a mark follows you for years — and it’s usually decided fast, at a single contested hearing under rules of evidence most people meet for the first time on the worst day of their lives. A firm that does this all day, every day, knows that hearing cold. A firm that does it occasionally does not.

What we handle

We handle every type of California protective order, on both sides, at every stage:

• Domestic Violence Restraining Orders (DVRO) — for people in a domestic or dating relationship.
• Civil Harassment Restraining Orders — for neighbors, coworkers, strangers, and other non-domestic disputes.
• Workplace Violence Restraining Orders — filed by employers to protect employees.
• Gun Violence Restraining Orders (GVRO) — California’s “red flag” orders.
• Elder & Dependent Adult Abuse Restraining Orders — protecting adults 65+ and dependent adults.
• School & Student Protective Orders — postsecondary and campus-related matters.
• Criminal Protective Orders and Emergency Protective Orders — coordinated with any parallel criminal case.
• Post-judgment work — renewals, modifications, and terminations, motions to vacate defaults, and appeals.

Whether you need to obtain an order or defend against one, we know the statute, the burden of proof, and the courtroom that decides it.

We represent both sides — our single biggest advantage

We represent both petitioners and respondents in contested restraining order hearings throughout Southern California. That is rare, and it is the foundation of how we win.

When you’ve fought on both sides of these hearings, you stop guessing. You know what makes a petition airtight — and exactly where a weak one breaks. You know how the other side will build its case, because you’ve built that case yourself, hundreds of times.

• Seeking protection? We make your petition specific, corroborated, and free of the overreach that hands the defense an opening — and we carry it through the hearing. → Get a restraining order
• Wrongly accused? We hold the other side to the burden the law actually requires, and attack the gaps a one-sided firm would miss. → Fight a restraining order · How we represent both sides

Where the other options fall short

If you’ve searched for help, you’ve seen the alternatives. Nolo, Avvo, Justia, LegalMatch, and FindLaw publish general articles and then route you to whoever pays for the referral. Large content sites like Shouse publish explanations of the law. None of them stand beside you at a contested hearing.

And none of them can say what we can say: we represent both petitioners and respondents in contested restraining order hearings throughout Southern California. A directory hands you a phone number. We try the case.

What’s actually at stake

People underestimate restraining orders until the consequences arrive. A single order can trigger:

• Firearm surrender under Cal. Fam. Code § 6389 and a federal firearm ban under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(8). → Restraining orders and firearms
• A rebuttable custody presumption against the restrained parent under Cal. Fam. Code § 3044, with a five-year lookback.
• CLETS entry — visible to law enforcement statewide.
• Criminal exposure — violating even a temporary order is a separate crime under Cal. Penal Code § 273.6.
• Immigration, professional-licensing, and employment consequences that outlast the order itself.

These are the stakes we litigate every day — and why having a firm that does only this matters. [Attorney verify statutory references before publishing.]

Courts we regularly appear in

Restraining order practice is intensely local — family-law and civil-harassment matters are heard in different departments, sometimes different buildings, with different calendars and expectations. We appear regularly across Southern California’s courthouses, including:

• Orange County — Lamoreaux Justice Center, Central Justice Center, Harbor Justice Center, North Justice Center → Orange County
• Los Angeles County — Stanley Mosk Courthouse, Van Nuys Courthouse, Chatsworth Courthouse, Long Beach Courthouse → Los Angeles County
• Riverside County — Riverside Historic Courthouse → Riverside County
• San Bernardino County — Victorville Courthouse → San Bernardino County

We also handle matters in Ventura County and San Diego County. We confirm current routing before every filing.

Why we built this firm

We founded The Restraining Order Law Firm to bring the discipline of high-stakes trial litigation to a kind of case most firms treat as paperwork — and to do it for both sides of the courtroom. [Founder’s personal motivation / year founded — confirm and insert.] The firm is a d/b/a of Barhoma Law, P.C. and the dedicated restraining order practice of Power Trial Lawyers, the trial firm led by founding attorney Matthew Barhoma. Same attorneys, same standard, built for one mission. Matthew leads a team of attorneys and legal professionals who handle these cases across Southern California’s courts every day.

A recognized legal authority

Matthew Barhoma is a sought-after legal analyst whose commentary has been featured across Fox News, CNN, Forbes, the Associated Press, the Los Angeles Times, Business Insider, Newsweek, People, Rolling Stone, The Guardian, the Orange County Register, ABC, Court TV, and Law&Crime. He has been named to the Los Angeles Business Journal’s “Leaders of Influence: Minority Attorneys.”

These are legal-analyst commentary appearances — expert analysis of cases in the news, not matters handled by the firm. The point is simple: this is a lawyer the national media trusts to explain the law. → Meet our attorneys · Awards & recognition

[BUILD: render outlets as an “As Seen In” logo strip; link each to its verified source. Full press list lives on the dedicated Media page + attorney bio. Verify every reference before publishing.]

A record of results

We measure our work by outcomes — more than 500+ restraining order matters handled across Southern California, with our own cases drawing media coverage, including a recent Orange County DVRO trial win. In one representative matter, we defended a client against a civil harassment restraining order we believed was frivolous and restored the Second Amendment rights the temporary order had put at risk. → Case results

While many firms handle restraining orders as part of a broader family law or civil litigation practice, The Restraining Order Law Firm focuses exclusively on protective-order litigation. Our goal is straightforward: to be the leading restraining order litigation practice in Southern California by concentrating our resources, training, and courtroom experience on a single area of law.

Prior results do not guarantee or predict the outcome of any future case; every matter turns on its own facts.

What our clients say

“I hired Matthew Barhoma… after being served with a civil harassment restraining order. Matthew successfully represented me throughout the case and protected my Second Amendment rights, which were at risk because of what I believed was a frivolous TRO… the case was won and my gun rights were restored… He was clear, responsive, strategic, and confident every step of the way.” — Richard K.

“Matthew was extremely attentive in all court appearances and truly fought for me. As matters can get highly emotional, I felt like he had my back every step of the way.” — Kate Landhuis

“Matthew and the team… took on a case for us and we were very happy with the results. He was able to get what I would consider to be our best-case outcome.” — Stephen Snow

“I don’t usually leave reviews, but I had to for this firm. They handled a very sensitive restraining order matter with total discretion and professionalism. I felt safe, heard, and supported.” — Victor Ramos

→ Read more client reviews

[Reviews are from clients of Matthew Barhoma / Power Trial Lawyers, the firm’s litigation brand. Testimonials reflect individual experiences; results depend on the specific facts of each case and are not a guarantee or prediction of outcome.]

Talk to us

Whether you need protection or you’re fighting an order, the next decision matters — and the timeline usually won’t wait. We represent both petitioners and respondents in contested restraining order hearings throughout Southern California. Let us help you with yours.

Call or text (888) 808-2179 — free, confidential, 24/7. · Request a consultation · Emergency help

Frequently asked questions