Practicing since 1997
Every parent is certain they are the better parent. That certainty is not evidence. We represent parents in custody, visitation, support, modification and relocation matters in Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, New Jersey and New York.
Consultations are by appointment. Please do not send detailed case information through this website.
The order you leave with is the one you live under until you can meet the standard for changing it. Six things it settles:
Results may vary.
Authority over schooling, non-emergency medical care, mental health treatment, religious upbringing — whether you are consulted or merely informed.
Where the child lives, and the exact allocation of weekdays, weekends, holidays, breaks and summers. Vagueness produces conflict later.
What happens at deadlock. Orders that anticipate it keep parents out of court; orders that don't bring them back.
Calculated by guideline in each jurisdiction, with the parenting schedule as an input in several of them.
How parents communicate, where exchanges happen, travel notice, and what happens when someone is late.
Notice required before either parent may move, and the material change in circumstances required to change anything.
Practice
First orders establishing legal custody, physical custody and a parenting schedule — after a separation, a divorce, or between parents who were never married.
Where custody is decided alongside property, support and the dissolution. The procedural posture differs from a standalone petition, and in several jurisdictions so does the court.
Petitions to change an existing order on a material change in circumstances — relocation, a changed work schedule, a change in the child's needs or in either household.
Where one parent proposes to move with the child. Notice requirements and burdens differ across the five jurisdictions, and moving early can be severe.
An order in place and not being followed — denied parenting time, unilateral schedule changes, withheld information, unpaid support.
Establishment, modification, enforcement, arrears, and the treatment of income that is variable, self-reported or disputed.
Establishing legal parentage — ordinarily the precondition to any custody or visitation right for an unmarried father.
Petitions by grandparents and other non-parents face a materially higher standard and turn on threshold questions before best interests is reached.
Which state has authority to decide under the UCCJEA, and enforcement of an order entered elsewhere. Jurisdiction is decided before the merits.
Custody proceedings running alongside a protective order case or a CPS investigation — separate tracks, different standards, each affecting the other.
Whether the 1980 Hague Convention applies depends entirely on the country involved. India, for example, is not a party. Where it does not apply, the return mechanism is unavailable and the matter proceeds under that country's domestic law. Status should be confirmed against the U.S. Department of State's published list before any strategy depends on it.
Procedure
STEP 1
A petition is filed in the court with jurisdiction and the other parent is formally served. In several jurisdictions the family court is a distinct court with its own procedure.
STEP 2
A court can enter a temporary custody, visitation and support arrangement while the case is pending. It often becomes the later reference point.
STEP 3
Written questions, document requests and depositions. Financial, school and medical records and communications between the parents are the usual material.
STEP 4
Most courts direct parents to mediation or a settlement conference first. An agreement here gives parents control over terms a court would otherwise set.
STEP 5
In contested cases a court may appoint a guardian ad litem to represent the child's interests, order a custody evaluation, or both.
STEP 6
Evidence, witnesses and argument before a judge. Custody matters are decided by the court rather than a jury.
STEP 7
A final order issues. Appeal deadlines are short. Modification later requires a material change in circumstances.
Preparing your case
General information only. It is not legal advice and does not address the circumstances of any particular case.
Assume everything will be read aloud. Every message, post and voicemail may be exhibited — including messages to third parties about the other parent.
A log kept as things happen — pickups, appointments, homework, bedtimes — carries more weight than a reconstruction assembled before a hearing.
School and medical records, report cards, attendance, appointment confirmations, receipts for the child's expenses.
Email or a co-parenting application creates a record. Keep it brief, logistical, and about the child.
Document each violation and take it to the court. Self-help tends to damage the position of the parent who resorts to it.
Do not discuss the case with the child, question the child about the other household, or use the child to carry messages.
It appears among the statutory factors, and it is among the few things a parent can visibly affect while a case is pending.
A dedicated sleeping space, appropriate supplies, a workable routine. Expect an evaluator or guardian ad litem may visit.
Teachers, coaches, childcare providers, neighbors — people who have observed the parenting, not people who will vouch for character.
Avoid
Withholding the child over unpaid support, or stopping support over denied time, converts one party's violation into two.
Relocating before satisfying notice or consent can result in an order to return and a lasting credibility problem.
Every message the child carries becomes evidence about the parent who did it.
Arrangements that function for months acquire weight as the status quo.
Recording rules differ by jurisdiction; an unlawful recording can create criminal exposure and be excluded anyway.
How and when a new relationship is introduced to the child is a recurring issue in contested cases.
Appeal deadlines in family matters are short and are not extended by a pending modification.
The team
Assignment depends on where the case is pending, because each attorney is admitted in specific jurisdictions.
VA · MD · DC · NJ · NY
Owner & Founder — Former Prosecutor
Practicing since 1997. In 2019 testified in support of Virginia House Bill 635 before the House Courts of Justice Committee.
VA · DC
Of Counsel
In practice since 1994. J.D., Catholic University (1994). Fourteen years representing social workers under a CPS contract in Alexandria, Virginia.
VA · FL
Of Counsel
In practice since 2005. J.D. and M.A., University of Florida. Ph.D., UC Santa Barbara (2017). Family, employment and business litigation.
Admissions outside these five jurisdictions are listed for completeness and do not indicate that the firm accepts matters in those jurisdictions through this site.
| Attorney | VA | MD | DC | NJ | NY | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mr. Sris | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | — |
| Matthew Greene | ● | ● | — | |||
| Samantha Rae Powers | ● | Florida |
Of Counsel attorneys contract directly with Law Offices Of SRIS, P.C.
Answers
If your question is not here, the answer usually depends on the jurisdiction where the case is pending.
Ask us directlyCustody matters move on court-set deadlines, and the early stage of a case carries more weight than most parents expect. If you have been served, are considering filing, or are facing a modification or relocation question, call.
Consultations are by appointment. Please do not send detailed case information through this website.
