Criminal defense
Felony and misdemeanor charges in Virginia general district and circuit courts and in Maryland district and circuit courts — assault, theft, drug offenses, weapons charges, probation violations, and post-conviction matters.
Virginia and Maryland attorneys for matters that cross the state line
The Potomac is a jurisdictional wall. You can live in Maryland, work in Virginia, and be charged, sued, divorced, or injured on whichever side of the river the event happened to occur — and the two states will not treat that event the same way.
Law Offices Of SRIS, P.C. has practiced since 1997. Mr. Sris — Owner and Founder, former prosecutor — is admitted in both states, and the firm's Of Counsel attorneys hold their own admissions in the states where they appear.
1997
Practicing since
States
VA, MD, DC, NJ, NY
Location
Virginia & Maryland
Languages
English and Spanish
§ 02 — Practice areas
Ten practices, argued on both sides of the river
Every matter is assessed under the law of the state where it arose — and against the second state's law for consequences that attach there.
Federal defense
Charges brought in the federal district courts sitting in Virginia and Maryland: fraud, identity theft, conspiracy, firearms, controlled substances, and offenses charged alongside a state case from the same conduct.
Family law
Divorce, custody, visitation, child and spousal support, property division, separation agreements, adoption, and modification or enforcement of existing orders in both states.
Personal injury
Motor vehicle and commercial truck collisions, premises liability, and catastrophic injury claims — filed under the negligence rules and limitation periods of the state where the injury occurred.
Traffic and DUI
DUI, refusal, reckless driving, driving on a suspended license, and commercial driver's license exposure. Virginia treats several driving offenses as criminal charges that Maryland handles as civil infractions.
Immigration
Family petitions, adjustment of status, consular processing, waivers, removal defense, and appeals — including the immigration consequences attaching to a Virginia or Maryland criminal or traffic disposition.
Sex offense defense
Charges carrying registration exposure, collateral consequences, and pretrial conditions that begin operating long before trial.
Business and contract law
Entity formation, operating agreements, partnership documents, shareholder arrangements, contract drafting, and enforcement across both states.
Civil and commercial litigation
Breach of contract, business torts, commercial lease disputes, non-compete matters, consumer claims, collection defense, and shareholder disputes.
Trust and estate
Wills, trusts, advance medical directives, powers of attorney, guardianship and conservatorship, probate, and estate administration under Virginia and Maryland procedure.
Not sure which applies?
Describe the charge, claim, or dispute and the county it sits in. That one fact determines everything after.
Call (888) 437-7747 →§ 04 — Where the two states diverge
This is the part clients most often learn too late
Four places where the same facts produce two different outcomes depending on which side of the Potomac they occurred.
Family law
Divorce grounds
Virginia
The no-fault route generally requires a separation period — one year, shortened to six months where there are no minor children and the parties have a signed agreement.
Maryland
Grounds were rewritten effective October 1, 2023: absolute divorce now rests on mutual consent, a six-month separation, or irreconcilable differences. The former fault-based grounds were retired.
Traffic
Speeding and reckless driving
Virginia
Certain driving conduct is charged as a criminal misdemeanor — a court appearance, a criminal record on conviction, and license consequences that follow the driver across state lines.
Maryland
Most comparable conduct runs through the civil citation and points system. A driver who assumes the Maryland outcome applies in Virginia has already made the first mistake.
Personal injury
Fault and filing windows
Virginia
A contributory negligence jurisdiction: a plaintiff found even slightly at fault can be barred from recovery entirely. The personal injury limitation window is the shorter of the two.
Maryland
Also a contributory negligence jurisdiction — a rule most states abandoned decades ago. Which state's law governs is determined by where the injury occurred, not where the client lives.
Procedure
Court structure
Virginia
Misdemeanors and preliminary hearings run through general district court, felonies through circuit court, with juvenile and domestic relations matters in their own court.
Maryland
Work is divided between district and circuit court on different lines, including a right to jury trial that attaches at a different point. The same charge is litigated on a different timetable.
§ 03 — The attorneys
The attorneys who appear on these matters
VA · MD · DC · NJ · NY
Mr. Sris
Owner & Founder · Former Prosecutor
Founded the practice in 1997. His prosecutorial background informs how a criminal, traffic, or federal file is prepared and how the State's proof is examined. In 2019 he testified before the Virginia House Courts of Justice Committee in support of HB 635 on equitable distribution.
VA · MD
Kristen M. Fisher
Of Counsel · Former Prosecutor
Former Maryland Assistant State's Attorney. J.D., Rutgers School of Law, 2004. Her dual admission and Maryland prosecution background support matters that begin in one state and follow the client into the other — criminal defense and traffic charges in particular.
VA
Bryan Block
Of Counsel · Former State Trooper
Former Virginia State Trooper. Practices in DUI, criminal, and traffic defense — the side of a Virginia traffic stop most clients never see, applied to the defense of the charge that came out of it.
VA · DC
Matthew Greene
Of Counsel
In practice since 1994. Practices in criminal defense and Child Protective Services matters, including cases where a criminal charge and a CPS investigation run against the same family at the same time.
VA · FL
Samantha Rae Powers
Of Counsel
J.D./M.A., University of Florida; Ph.D., UC Santa Barbara (2017). In practice since 2005. Practices in family law, employment law, and business litigation.
Additional Of Counsel attorneys practice with the firm in other jurisdictions. The attorney assigned to a matter depends on the state, the court, and the subject of the case, and is confirmed at engagement. Individual attorneys are admitted in specific jurisdictions; not all attorneys are licensed in all states.
§ 05 — How a matter moves
Four steps from the first call to the courtroom
01
Intake
You describe the charge, the claim, or the dispute, and identify the county and court. That single fact determines which state's law and which court's practice governs everything after.
02
Assessment
The matter is reviewed against the governing state's law and — where the facts touch both states — against the second state's law for consequences that may attach there.
03
Engagement
Scope, fee structure, and the attorney assigned to the matter are set out in a written agreement before work begins.
04
Representation
Filings, negotiation, hearings, and trial preparation proceed under the assigned attorney, with the firm's other admitted attorneys available where a matter reaches into a second jurisdiction.
§ 06 — Locations
Six locations serving Virginia and Maryland
Fairfax
VAArlington
VAAshburn
VARichmond
VAWoodstock
VARockville
MDVirginia counties served
Fairfax, Arlington, Loudoun, Prince William, Alexandria, Richmond, Chesterfield, Henrico, Stafford, Spotsylvania, Shenandoah, Rockingham, Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, Newport News, and surrounding counties and independent cities.
Maryland counties served
Montgomery, Prince George's, Anne Arundel, Howard, Frederick, Baltimore County, Baltimore City, Charles, Carroll, and Harford Counties.
Attorneys and staff speak English and Spanish.
§ 07 — Frequently asked
Questions we are asked before the first meeting
Yes. Mr. Sris is admitted in both Virginia and Maryland, and the firm's Of Counsel attorneys hold admissions in the states where they appear. A matter with facts on both sides of the Potomac can be assessed under both bodies of law rather than split between unrelated counsel.
Virginia law applies to the charge, because jurisdiction follows where the conduct occurred. Maryland law may still govern the consequences that follow you home — your driver's license, your professional license, and any Maryland case already open.
It can. The two states exchange conviction information, and a Virginia criminal driving conviction is generally reported to the licensing state. Because Virginia charges some driving conduct as a misdemeanor rather than an infraction, the record that follows you is different in kind from a Maryland citation.
It depends on the state where the injury occurred. Virginia's filing window for personal injury is shorter than Maryland's, and certain claims — including those against government entities — carry their own earlier notice deadlines. The date to work from is the date of injury, and it should be reviewed as early as possible.
Since October 1, 2023, Maryland grants absolute divorce on mutual consent, a six-month separation, or irreconcilable differences. The prior fault-based grounds for absolute divorce were removed by that amendment.
Virginia generally requires a separation period of one year, reduced to six months where the parties have no minor children and have executed a written separation agreement.
Yes. The firm represents clients in the federal district courts sitting in Virginia and Maryland, including matters charged federally alongside a related state case.
Call (888) 437-7747 to request a consultation. Have the court name, the county, the charge or claim, and any deadline notice available when you call.
§ 08 — Request a consultation
One file. One strategy. Two states.
Law Offices Of SRIS, P.C. · Practicing since 1997 · Virginia and Maryland. Consultations are by appointment.
Call (888) 437-7747