About Stephen A.
Stephen A. Cruz earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland - Baltimore in 2013 and continued at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, receiving his J.D. in 2017. He completed a standard course of study at Carey, where he developed the research and writing skills that form the backbone of his legal work. Those formative years set the stage for a practice grounded in close analysis and attention to statutory detail.
After law school, Cruz began practicing law in the mid-2010s and joined Croessmann & Westberg as an attorney. At the firm he has taken on a range of responsibilities typical of a practicing lawyer: counseling clients, preparing pleadings and motions, and conducting legal research. Colleagues describe him as thorough in document preparation and careful in courtroom procedure. He has handled matters that require a steady command of procedure and a readiness to respond to changing factual patterns.
Cruz is admitted to practice in Maryland and the District of Columbia. He holds current membership in the District of Columbia Bar. That dual-jurisdiction standing allows him to take on matters that arise on both sides of the Potomac. Maintaining active professional memberships has also meant keeping up with continuing legal education and the administrative requirements of two bar organizations.
His work to date combines written advocacy and client-facing responsibilities. He spends substantial time drafting briefs, negotiating with opposing counsel, and advising clients on compliance and procedural steps. Those tasks demand an ability to translate complex legal rules into practical next steps for clients. Cruz’s routine practice involves running discovery, preparing witnesses, and arguing pretrial motions when required.
Outside the immediate demands of litigation, Cruz has engaged in the office work that helps a small firm function: case intake, coordinating with court clerks, and managing deadlines. He is part of a practice that serves a local client base and that often requires careful calendaring and prompt responses to opposing parties and tribunals.
As of 2026 he continues to practice at Croessmann & Westberg, where his current practice focuses on matters arising in Maryland and the District of Columbia and on courtroom and pretrial work in those jurisdictions.
