Marc Scott Berris

Marc S. Berris is a partner in the Twin Cities law firm of Segal, Roston & Berris where he practices exclusively in the area of criminal defense in both trial and appellate courts throughout Minnesota.

Marc is a graduate of the University of Minnesota and a cum laude graduate of the William Mitchell College of Law, and is admitted to practice in all Minnesota state courts, the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.

While still a law student, Marc served as an intern in the Minneapolis City Attorney’s Office where he prosecuted misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor offenses. This experiences give Marc the ability to analyze cases from the prosecutor’s perspective, making him one of the most effective criminal defense attorneys in Minnesota.

Additionally, Marc is one of only a very small number of attorneys who maintains an active peace officer license.  This status allows Marc to attend the very same training programs as the officers who have arrested his clients, allowing him to cross-examine these witnesses in a way that only an “insider” can.  Marc has been certified in the administration of Standardized Field Sobriety Testing by the Minnesota State Patrol, and as a DataMaster DMT-G operator by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.  The DataMaster is the exclusive evidentiary breath test instrument used in the State of Minnesota, and Marc is the only defense attorney in the state to hold this certification.

Marc’s clients have included professional and collegiate athletes, pilots, doctors, lawyers, educators, child care providers, truck drivers, police officers and persons in nearly every other field of employment. Marc has successfully negotiated resolutions to thousands of criminal cases, and regularly wins both dismissals and acquittals for his clients. He has also successfully argued appellate cases before both the Minnesota Court of Appeals and the Minnesota Supreme Court.

Marc is also one of just a small handful of lawyers with substantial experience representing firearms owners, both in connection with the defensive use of a firearm, and in challenging denials of pistol carry permits or transferee permits. He is an NRA-certified firearms instructor and board member of the Minnesota Association of Defensive Firearm Instructors (MADFI), a nonprofit organization created to train, certify and support firearms instructors who wish to conduct training for citizens seeking a Minnesota Permit to Carry a Pistol under the Minnesota Citizens’ Personal Protection Act of 2005.

Marc is a member of both the Minnesota and Hennepin County Bar Associations and the Minnesota Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.  He is also a member of the Minnesota Society for Criminal Justice, a 50-member, invite-only organization composed of the very best criminal defense lawyers from all throughout Minnesota.

Marc’s talent has been recognized by his peers. He has been repeatedly named a “SuperLawyer” and a “Top 40 Criminal SuperLawyer” by Minnesota Law and Politics, Mpls/St. Paul and Twin Cities Business magazines, a designation awarded to only five percent of all Minnesota lawyers.

In addition to his law practice, Marc is a former Adjunct Professor of Law at the William Mitchell College of Law, and for more than a dozen years served approximately 12 times a year as a Conciliation Court Referee in the Hennepin County Conciliation Court.  When he isn’t working – which isn’t too often – Marc enjoys hiking, mountain biking, cheering on the Minnesota Wild, riding his motorcycle, especially with the Red Knights Motorcycle Club, doing anything his wife and sons want to do, and serving his community as a volunteer firefighter.  (Yes, really.)

If you have been charged with a crime, call Marc Berris at for a no-charge consultation about your case.