Why It's Important to Be Honest with Your Lawyer

If you've been charged with a crime, it's essential to tell your attorney everything. Failing to be truthful may result in your case being dismissed or worse. An innocent verdict could be overturned.

When you don't reveal the facts from the beginning, your lies will likely resurface later. This can be devastating for your case, for you, and for your lawyer.

Consequences of False Statements

You can be arrested for giving a false statement to an attorney, and depending on the circumstances, this could be considered a federal crime. If you're dealing with the IRS, DEA, FBI, or other federal agency your little white lie could get you in serious trouble.

Sometimes individuals who have been charged with making false statements in exchange for leniency later confess that they don’t remember ever making the false statement in the first place. In other cases, federal prosecutors have prosecuted individuals by taking statements out of context, or by asking questions in a manner designed to confuse or intimidate the interviewee.

Although a government agent might not confront a cooperating witness with a false statement charge until after the witness has testified, if a false statement is made at any time, even when you're talking to your lawyer during the initial stages, the cooperating witness’s plea agreement can immediately be revoked and you could face prosecution for all of your previous crimes.

Harsh penalties exist for dishonesty in any legal situation. This holds true for lawsuits involving car accidents, divorce court, and personal injury, especially when child custody or a lot of money is at stake. Many times, people have lost custody of their children or faced financial ruin over one small untruth.

You Could Lose Your Attorney and Your Money

The code of conduct Rule 3.3 states that an attorney cannot make a false statement of fact nor fail to correct a statement they know to be false. Doing so may put them under scrutiny for assisting in perpetuating a fraud.  Simply put, attorneys have a duty to be truthful in their dealings with the court.

Rule 11 intends to ensure that your lawyer doesn't submit documents that are untruthful, unsupported by law, or inappropriate for a given purpose.

Lawyers need to be particularly wary of signing an affidavit that contains false, misleading, or incomplete information. If a party comes into possession of evidence contradicting the representations contained in the affidavit and brings this to the attention of the court, the attorney could be subject to disciplinary action by the state bar association.

Any misrepresentation you make could cause your lawyer to withdraw from your case. Once a lawyer withdraws from a case, a new attorney would need to be hired and the fees for the first lawyer would not be reimbursed to you. This is why it's so important to select a Kentucky personal injury lawyer you trust from the very beginning. Discuss your case with Wilt and Thompson, PLLC. Call us at 502-253-9110 or visit our website to learn more.

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Wilt and Associates, LLC