Matthew B.

Matthew Barhoma is a Los Angeles restraining order attorney and founder of Barhoma Law, P.C., operating as Power Trial Lawyers — one of Southern California’s most recognized law firms for restraining order litigation. Over the course of more than seven years of dedicated courtroom practice, Mr. Barhoma has handled over 500 restraining order matters, appeared in more than 300 evidentiary hearings, litigated over 200 contested restraining order proceedings, and tried more than 100 bench trials across Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, and San Diego counties. His practice spans every category of California protective order — from temporary restraining orders and permanent restraining orders to gun violence restraining orders, elder abuse protective orders, workplace violence restraining orders, juvenile restraining orders, school violence restraining orders, and college misconduct protective orders — as well as the full lifecycle of post-judgment practice, including restraining order renewals, modifications, terminations, and appeals. Few attorneys in Southern California have litigated the breadth and volume of restraining order matters that Mr. Barhoma brings to each new client engagement.

Mr. Barhoma represents both petitioners seeking protection and respondents fighting to defend their rights. He has aided hundreds of individuals in obtaining restraining orders under California Code of Civil Procedure § 527.6, Family Code § 6300, and the Welfare and Institutions Code protective order statutes, securing orders against harassers, stalkers, abusers, and threatening former business partners. In equal measure, he has stood beside hundreds of respondents wrongly accused or disproportionately restrained, fighting to preserve their reputations, their careers, their professional licenses, their custody rights, their security clearances, and their Second Amendment rights. That dual perspective — a comprehensive understanding of both the petitioner’s burden and the respondent’s exposure — gives his clients a strategic advantage that single-sided practitioners cannot offer.

A Courtroom Attorney Built for High-Stakes Litigation

Mr. Barhoma’s courtroom depth distinguishes him from attorneys who treat restraining order matters as routine proceedings. He has litigated multi-day bench trials across Southern California’s most demanding courthouses, navigating contested evidentiary hearings, credibility disputes, competing declarations, and complex factual records that require a seasoned trial attorney. In a recent five-day civil harassment trial in Orange County, Mr. Barhoma successfully overturned a granted temporary restraining order, securing a full defense verdict and restoring his client’s firearm rights — a critical outcome for a gun owner whose Second Amendment rights had been placed in jeopardy by what he believed was a frivolous TRO. In a separate Long Beach matter, he secured a complete bench verdict in his client’s favor following a contested trial involving serious allegations with far-reaching consequences for his client’s professional standing and personal life. He prevailed in a restraining order bench trial in Palm Springs on behalf of his client, and successfully defended an elder abuse restraining order in Riverside County. In a particularly complex multi-party matter in Los Angeles County, he simultaneously defended three related clients against coordinated restraining order proceedings and prevailed in all three matters.

On the petitioner side, Mr. Barhoma secured a five-year domestic violence restraining order with a substantial attorney’s fees award on behalf of his client at the Van Nuys Courthouse — the maximum duration permitted under California Family Code § 6345. He obtained a five-year civil harassment restraining order in Los Angeles on behalf of a Chinese family systematically harassed and legally threatened by a former business partner, following a demanding bench trial. He understands that for petitioners, a restraining order is often the last line of protection — and he litigates accordingly.

His criminal defense background further sharpens his restraining order practice in ways that matter deeply. Mr. Barhoma has successfully obtained dismissals of domestic violence criminal charges through DA reject decisions, and has leveraged those outcomes strategically in concurrent domestic violence restraining order proceedings — delivering simultaneous victories that preserve his clients’ freedom, their firearms rights, and their custody arrangements in a single coordinated strategy.

Restraining Order Appeals and Appellate Experience

Mr. Barhoma’s restraining order practice extends beyond the trial court. He has successfully defended appeals of restraining orders, and has obtained reversals and remands in the California Court of Appeal on behalf of clients — victories he deploys directly in restraining order appellate practice. His appellate fluency is rare in this area of law, where most practitioners litigate only at the trial level. For clients facing adverse TRO rulings, wrongly granted permanent orders, or orders entered without proper procedural safeguards, Mr. Barhoma’s command of both California restraining order statutes and appellate procedure represents a critical and often decisive advantage. He handles domestic violence restraining order appeals under the Family Code, civil harassment appeals under CCP § 527.6, CLETS order challenges, restraining order modification and termination proceedings, and interstate enforcement disputes under the full faith and credit provisions applicable to California protective orders.

Representation at the Highest Level

Mr. Barhoma’s litigation experience extends to matters of national prominence. He served as counsel in proceedings involving Daystar Peterson, known professionally as Tory Lanez, the Grammy-nominated recording artist whose case became one of the most high-profile criminal and civil matters in recent years — covered extensively by the Los Angeles Times, Billboard, and national media. His ability to navigate high-stakes, media-intensive litigation, where legal strategy, public narrative, and client protection must operate simultaneously, reflects a level of practice sophistication that benefits every client he represents, regardless of whether their matter makes headlines.

Before founding his own firm, Mr. Barhoma served as in-house counsel and contracts manager for the backlot division of NBC Universal, where he managed and negotiated complex production and facility agreements, including engagements with major entertainment figures and franchises such as the Kanye West and Keeping Up with the Kardashians production teams. That institutional experience reinforced his command of high-value negotiations and complex contractual dynamics — disciplines that translate directly into the strategic precision he brings to restraining order litigation today.

Recognition, Media, and Professional Standing

Mr. Barhoma has been recognized as a Super Lawyers Rising Star every year from 2021 through 2026 — a distinction awarded to fewer than 2.5% of attorneys in California. He holds top ratings from the American Association of Attorney Advocates, Avvo, Justia, and Martindale-Hubbell. He is a member of both the Los Angeles County Bar Association and the San Diego County Bar Association.

Beyond the courtroom, Mr. Barhoma is one of California’s most recognized legal commentators, having provided expert analysis for Fox News, ABC, CNN, Forbes, the Los Angeles Times, the Associated Press, CourtTV, and Law & Crime Network. His media presence reflects a depth of legal knowledge that national broadcasters and journalists consistently turn to when they need a practitioner who can articulate complex legal issues with authority and precision.

Restraining Order Cases Handled

Mr. Barhoma’s restraining order practice covers the full spectrum of California protective order law:

• Domestic Violence Restraining Orders (DVRO) — under California Family Code § 6300 et seq., representing petitioners and respondents in emergency, temporary, and permanent order proceedings
• Civil Harassment Restraining Orders — under California Code of Civil Procedure § 527.6, including neighbor disputes, stalking, harassment, and former relationship matters
• Elder Abuse Restraining Orders — under California Welfare and Institutions Code § 15657.03, representing both protected parties and those contesting alleged elder abuse findings
• Workplace Violence Restraining Orders — under California Code of Civil Procedure § 527.8, representing employers seeking protection for employees and employees contesting orders
• Gun Violence Restraining Orders (GVRO) — under California Penal Code § 18100 et seq., including emergency GVROs, temporary GVROs, and contested GVRO hearings with full Second Amendment analysis
• Juvenile Restraining Orders — proceedings in the juvenile court system involving minors as protected parties or restrained persons
• School Violence Restraining Orders — protective orders arising from school campus threats, violence, and harassment under California Education Code and CCP provisions
• College Misconduct Protective Orders — Title IX and campus conduct protective orders involving university disciplinary proceedings
• Temporary Restraining Orders (TRO) — emergency and ex parte TRO proceedings, including same-day filings and urgent opposition appearances
• Permanent Restraining Orders — contested hearings for orders of up to five years under Family Code § 6345 and CCP § 527.6
• Restraining Order Renewals — petitions to renew expiring orders and opposition to renewal proceedings
• Restraining Order Modifications — motions to modify the terms, scope, or protected parties of an existing order
• Restraining Order Terminations — motions to terminate orders that are no longer justified by the facts or the law
• Restraining Order Appeals — California Court of Appeal proceedings challenging or defending trial court restraining order rulings, including briefing, oral argument, and post-remand proceedings
• CLETS Orders — matters involving entry, modification, and removal of orders from the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System
• Interstate Enforcement — full faith and credit enforcement and challenges to out-of-state protective orders under federal and California law

Restraining Order Litigation Experience

Courts Where Matthew Barhoma Regularly Appears

Mr. Barhoma has appeared before judges across Southern California’s busiest restraining order courts, including:

Los Angeles County

• Stanley Mosk Courthouse (Downtown Los Angeles)
• Van Nuys Courthouse East
• Compton Courthouse
• Long Beach Courthouse
• Pasadena Courthouse
• Airport Courthouse
• Inglewood Courthouse

Orange County

• Central Justice Center (Santa Ana)
• Lamoreaux Justice Center (Orange)
• Harbor Justice Center (Newport Beach)

Riverside County

• Riverside Historic Courthouse
• Palm Springs Courthouse

San Bernardino County

• San Bernardino Justice Center
• Rancho Cucamonga Courthouse

San Diego County

• Vista Courthouse
• North County Division
• Downtown San Diego (Hall of Justice)

Ventura County

• Ventura Superior Court

Frequently Consulted On

Clients and co-counsel regularly seek Mr. Barhoma’s guidance on the intersection of restraining orders with the following high-stakes consequences:

• Domestic violence allegations — distinguishing genuine protective needs from strategic litigation abuse in family law and criminal contexts
• False allegations — defending against fabricated, exaggerated, or retaliatory restraining order petitions
• Firearm restrictions and Second Amendment rights — CLETS implications, Penal Code § 29825 exposure, gun relinquishment proceedings, and rights restoration following dismissal or reversal
• Custody and parenting rights — the impact of DVRO findings on Family Code § 3044 presumptions and custody modification proceedings
• Professional license consequences — the effect of restraining order findings on medical, nursing, legal, teaching, real estate, and contractor licensing
• Security clearance issues — disclosure obligations and adjudicative guidelines for federal and state clearance holders facing restraining order proceedings
• Appeal rights — grounds for appeal, preservation of error at trial, appellate timelines, and post-remand strategy following adverse rulings

Education and Credentials

Mr. Barhoma earned his Juris Doctor from California Western School of Law in 2016, where he was recognized for academic excellence and leadership in clinical legal work. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Irvine. He was admitted to the California State Bar in 2017 and has maintained an active, unblemished record of practice across Southern California’s most active civil and family law courts.

When a restraining order is filed — whether you need to obtain one or fight one — the outcome can reshape custody arrangements, employment, professional licensure, firearm ownership, and personal freedom. Matthew Barhoma has spent his career ensuring that outcome is the right one.

California State Bar No.: 319339 Bar Admission: 2017 J.D.: California Western School of Law, 2016 B.A.: University of California, Irvine Bar Memberships: Los Angeles County Bar Association | San Diego County Bar Association Recognition: Super Lawyers Rising Star, 2021–2026 | American Association of Attorney Advocates | Avvo | Justia | Martindale-Hubbell Courts: Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, and San Diego Counties