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Virginia · Maryland · DC · New York · New Jersey

Criminal Defense Across Five Jurisdictions

Law Offices Of SRIS, P.C. defends criminal matters in Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, New York, and New Jersey. The firm has practiced since 1997. Attorney admissions differ by attorney and are listed individually below.

Request a consultation Which attorney covers my jurisdiction

Section 01

The same conduct is not the same charge in five systems

Across these five jurisdictions the differences between criminal systems are structural rather than matters of degree, and they start with vocabulary.

New Jersey

Indictable · Disorderly persons

New Jersey does not use the words felony and misdemeanor. Serious offenses are indictable offenses, graded by degree from first to fourth, and they proceed in the Criminal Part of the Superior Court Law Division. Less serious offenses are disorderly persons offenses and petty disorderly persons offenses, and they proceed in the Municipal Court. Neither category is called a misdemeanor, so a New Jersey charge described that way has not been identified by any name New Jersey uses.

New York

Class A–E felonies

New York grades felonies from Class A through Class E and misdemeanors as Class A or Class B, with a separate category of violations that are not crimes at all. Misdemeanors are heard in the local criminal courts, and felonies proceed to the Supreme Court or a County Court.

Virginia

Class 1–6 felonies

Virginia classifies felonies from Class 1 through Class 6 and misdemeanors from Class 1 through Class 4. Misdemeanor trials and felony preliminary hearings are held in the General District Court. Felony trials are held in the Circuit Court, which also retries misdemeanor appeals from scratch rather than reviewing them.

Maryland

District & Circuit Courts

Maryland divides its trial work between the District Court of Maryland and the Circuit Courts, with jury trials available in the Circuit Court. Appeals go to the Appellate Court of Maryland, renamed from the Court of Special Appeals in 2022, and from there in limited circumstances to the Supreme Court of Maryland.

District of Columbia

Two prosecuting offices

The District of Columbia has a single trial court, the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, and a single appellate court, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. It also has a prosecution structure found nowhere else: the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia prosecutes most adult criminal cases, while the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia handles juvenile matters and certain other offenses. Which of the two holds a file affects who the defense is dealing with.

None of this is trivia. The grading system determines the exposure. The court determines the procedure, the timeline, and whether a jury is available.

And the answers are different in each of the five.

Section 02

When a matter touches more than one jurisdiction

Some matters do not stay in one system. Conduct near a state line, an investigation that begins in one state and results in charges in another, a license consequence that follows a driver home, a prior conviction from one jurisdiction that affects sentencing in another.

An attorney can appear only in a jurisdiction where that attorney is admitted. Which attorney is available for a given matter therefore depends on where the matter sits.

  1. 01

    Which jurisdiction has charged, or is likely to.

  2. 02

    Whether the matter needs counsel admitted in more than one of them.

  3. 03

    Whether a disposition in one place carries a consequence in another that would not be obvious from the charge itself.

Section 03

Matters the firm defends

  • Offenses against the person, including assault and related charges, and charges arising between family or household members
  • Homicide and manslaughter charges
  • Robbery and burglary
  • Weapons and firearms charges
  • Drug offenses, including possession, distribution, and possession with intent
  • Theft and property offenses, graded by value in each jurisdiction
  • Fraud, embezzlement, and financial offenses
  • Sexual offense allegations, including internet-based charges and allegations involving minors
  • Driving while intoxicated and driving under the influence
  • Reckless driving, driving on a suspended license, and leaving the scene
  • Probation and supervision violation proceedings
  • Federal charges filed in the district courts covering these jurisdictions, which operate under their own rules, procedure, and sentencing practice

Section 04

What the firm does on a criminal file

The firm generally works through a matter in the following order.

  1. Step 01

    Jurisdiction and posture first

    Which system the charge sits in, how the offense is graded there, which court has it, what the procedural clock looks like, and whether counsel admitted elsewhere will be needed.

  2. Step 02

    The record

    Charging documents, the officer's narrative, body-worn and dash camera footage, dispatch audio, recorded statements, and any custodial interview.

  3. Step 03

    The stop, the search, and the seizure

    Whether the initial contact was supported by the required suspicion, and whether any search rested on a warrant, on consent, or on a recognized exception. Where a constitutional defect appears, evidence may be subject to suppression, subject to the exceptions courts recognize.

  4. Step 04

    The statements

    Whether warnings were given, whether any waiver was knowing and voluntary, and whether questioning continued after a request for counsel. These are checked against recordings rather than against a summary in a report.

  5. Step 05

    The elements

    The prosecution must prove each element beyond a reasonable doubt. In a possession case that often turns on knowledge and control. In a fraud case it often turns on intent. Identifying which element carries the weight shapes everything after it.

  6. Step 06

    The forensic and expert evidence

    Chain of custody, laboratory method, instrument maintenance, and the qualifications of the analyst. Independent review may be sought where the matter warrants it.

  7. Step 07

    Resolution

    A matter may be tried or negotiated. Whether a particular disposition is available depends on the jurisdiction, the charge, the record, the prosecutor, and the judge. Results may vary.

Section 05

Our attorneys, and where each is admitted

Portrait of Mr. Sris, Owner and Founder

Mr. Sris

Owner and Founder · Former Prosecutor

Admitted in Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, New Jersey, and New York. He has practiced since 1997 and served as a prosecutor before entering private practice. His practice includes criminal defense.

VirginiaMarylandDistrict of ColumbiaNew JerseyNew York
Portrait of Kristen M. Fisher, Of Counsel

Kristen M. Fisher

Of Counsel · Former Maryland Assistant State's Attorney

Admitted in Virginia and Maryland. Her practice includes criminal defense, DUI defense, and traffic matters. She served as an Assistant State's Attorney in Maryland before entering private practice.

VirginiaMaryland
Portrait of Matthew Greene, Of Counsel

Matthew Greene

Of Counsel

Admitted in Virginia and the District of Columbia. His practice includes criminal defense and the defense of child protective services matters, which can run alongside a criminal charge on a separate track under separate standards.

VirginiaDistrict of Columbia
Portrait of Bryan Block, Of Counsel

Bryan Block

Of Counsel · Former Virginia State Trooper

Admitted in Virginia. His practice includes criminal defense, DUI defense, and traffic matters. He served as a Virginia State Trooper before entering the practice of law.

Virginia
Coverage by jurisdiction
VirginiaMr. Sris, Kristen M. Fisher, Matthew Greene, Bryan Block
MarylandMr. Sris, Kristen M. Fisher
District of ColumbiaMr. Sris, Matthew Greene
New YorkMr. Sris
New JerseyMr. Sris

All attorneys other than Mr. Sris serve as Of Counsel to Law Offices Of SRIS, P.C.

Section 06

Where the firm accepts matters

Virginia

Northern Virginia, Fairfax County, Arlington County, the City of Alexandria, Loudoun County, Prince William County, the City of Richmond, and the City of Virginia Beach.

Maryland

Montgomery County, Prince George's County, Anne Arundel County, Baltimore County, Baltimore City, and Howard County.

District of Columbia

Matters in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.

New York

New York City and the counties of New York, Kings, Queens, and Bronx.

New Jersey

Essex County, Hudson County, and Bergen County.

Procedure within each jurisdiction is set by that jurisdiction's statutes and court rules. Scheduling practice and local requirements vary by court, and counsel confirms those details for the specific court before appearing.

Section 07

Frequently asked questions

I was told my New Jersey case is a misdemeanor. Is that right?

New Jersey does not use that category. Serious offenses in New Jersey are indictable offenses, graded first through fourth degree and heard in the Criminal Part of the Superior Court Law Division. Less serious offenses are disorderly persons or petty disorderly persons offenses, heard in the Municipal Court. The useful question is which of those a charge actually is, because the answer changes the court, the procedure, and the exposure.

My matter involves two states. Does that change what happens?

It can. The first questions are which jurisdiction has charged or is likely to, whether counsel admitted in more than one is needed, and whether a disposition in one place carries a consequence in the other. A resolution that looks favorable in isolation sometimes carries a consequence elsewhere that was not apparent from the charge.

Is every attorney at the firm able to handle my case?

No, and that is the reason admissions are listed individually in Section 5. An attorney can appear only in a jurisdiction where that attorney is admitted. Which attorney is available for a given matter depends on where the matter sits.

Who prosecutes criminal cases in the District of Columbia?

The District has an arrangement found nowhere else. The United States Attorney for the District of Columbia prosecutes most adult criminal cases. The Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia handles juvenile matters and certain other offenses. Which of the two holds the file affects who the defense is dealing with.

I was convicted in a Virginia general district court. Is that the end of it?

Not necessarily. A misdemeanor conviction from a Virginia general district court may be appealed to the Circuit Court, where the case is tried again rather than reviewed. The deadline for noting that appeal is short.

Does the police report decide the case?

No. It is one document among several, and it is a summary written by a participant. Where recordings exist, they are compared against it. Discrepancies between a report and the footage are a common starting point.

I am under investigation but have not been charged. Is it too early to speak with a lawyer?

No. The period before a charge is filed is a stage of the case, not a stage before it. Counsel can communicate with investigators on a person's behalf, and decisions made during an investigation frequently affect what charges are brought.

Does a criminal charge affect a security clearance or immigration status?

It can. Reporting obligations for cleared personnel are set by federal directive and by agency policy and are commonly triggered by an arrest rather than by an outcome. Immigration consequences depend on the offense charged, the disposition entered, and the person's status. Both are considered while the case is open, because the disposition drives them.

What does representation cost?

Fees depend on the jurisdiction, the grading of the offense, whether the matter is contested, and whether it is likely to be tried. The firm charges a fee for the initial consultation and sets out a written fee arrangement after reviewing the matter.

Do I need a different lawyer for a federal charge?

A federal case proceeds under different rules, different procedure, and different sentencing practice from a state case. Confirming at the outset which system a charge sits in is part of the first conversation.

Section 08

A criminal charge moves on the court's schedule

Deadlines for appeal, for motions, and for preserving evidence begin running immediately, and the material a defense depends on is time-limited.

Law Offices Of SRIS, P.C. accepts criminal defense matters in Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, New York, and New Jersey, subject to the individual admissions listed above.

Request a consultation: (888) 437-7747

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