RICHMOND -- Del. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, will join a Northern Virginia-based law firm that includes one of his legislative colleagues, Del. Dave Albo, R-Fairfax County.

The firm of Albo & Oblon has announced that Griffith will start Tuesday and continue working in Salem. The firm also has offices in Arlington, Washington and Norfolk. It handles criminal defense, employment law, government contracts, business law and civil litigation.

Griffith said he will continue to focus on criminal, civil and traffic cases, as he has done in his solo practice. A second attorney will be hired for his office to work in other areas, he said.

In a news release Tuesday, Griffith described the firm as "a relatively concentrated group of smart, aggressive lawyers; they are one of the few reasonably priced statewide law firms in Virginia."

Griffith, the majority leader in the House of Delegates, said joining the firm also will give him flexibility to continue his legislative work. He was first elected to the House in 1993.

It is not unprecedented for legislators to work together in a law firm. But Griffith's new firm has a policy that prohibits lobbying the General Assembly.

David Oblon, the firm's managing partner, said Griffith's hiring will be an asset to a firm that has expanded beyond its Northern Virginia base.

-- Michael Sluss