When you hire an attorney, you are not just bringing someone in to argue on your behalf — you are entering into a working partnership built on trust. One of the most important things to strengthen that partnership is to be completely honest about your situation, even if some parts feel uncomfortable, embarrassing, or downright difficult to admit.
Your Attorney Needs All Relevant Facts
While you don’t need to share every detail of your life, your attorney needs to know everything relevant in your case. Leaving out information — especially things you assume won’t come up — can do serious damage. The last thing any attorney wants is to be caught off guard, especially during a negotiation or worse in the middle of a trial. When a lawyer is surprised by the information that the opposing counsel presents, it can damage your credibility in the eyes of the court.
It is human nature to hide things that might make you look foolish or that you are ashamed of, but your lawyer is not there to judge you. Your attorney is there to help you craft the best possible outcome and the truth is that we all make mistakes. Being honest about those mistakes gives your attorney the opportunity to prepare a strategy that minimizes any potential fallout or frames the issue in a way that doesn’t make you look irresponsible or dishonest.
Remember that Conversations with Your Attorney Are Protected
You can have confidence your conversations with your attorney are protected under attorney-client privilege. That means anything you say will stay between you and your lawyer, with only limited exceptions such as if there is a risk of harm to yourself or someone else. Outside of that nothing you say can be repeated without your consent. There is no downside to being candid, while the potential risks of hiding the truth are significant.
The Importance of Honesty to Your Attorney and Your Case
Honesty also helps your lawyer maintain their professional integrity. Attorneys are bound by ethical rules that prohibit them from presenting false testimony. If they discover you have lied or withheld critical facts, it puts them in a very difficult position, ethically and and you in a difficult position legally. This in turn can damage your case.
Ultimately, honesty builds trust and ensures your attorney can represent you effectively and confidently. Even if the truth is hard to share, it is far better to say it upfront than to have it surface unexpectedly. In the legal world surprises are rarely a good thing, especially when they could have been avoided with a little candor.
Lisa R. Murray is an experienced divorce attorney in the Collaborative Divorce and Mediation processes. She can help you through the challenges in your divorce and guide you in your goals of your post-divorce life. She can be reached at 650-523-6322.