Is It Best to Be Honest with Your Lawyer?

Honesty when working with your attorney is a must. You have a lot to gain by being open and truthful with your legal team. Honesty promotes better accountability on both sides. Also, the lawyer will better understand your case and be more equipped to help you pursue justice.

Greater Accountability

The best thing about honesty between a client and attorney is that it establishes trust. Having legal representation depends on teamwork. Each player is responsible for their actions. Honesty is a principle that governs a lawyer past client representation. When it comes to the client, being honest underlines accountability for their actions and responsibility for their future deeds.

Saving Money

A proficient lawyer will always serve the client’s best interest in the legal field. Nevertheless, when you are keeping a secret from your lawyer relating to important aspects of your life you jeopardize the case.

An attorney will decide the best course of legal action based on the information they receive. If that info is incomplete or dishonest, it will lead the case down a dangerous path. Re-directing the process will take more work, time, and money.

Being honest with your attorney from the beginning will help them take the right approach the first time around. Although sharing personal information can be awkward, keep in mind you are dealing with a legal expert, and doing so is in your best interest.

Planning Legal Action

If a client is dishonest, the lawyer could potentially be making choices that are not in their best interest. The specifics of a case determine the best course of legal action.

For instance, if you provide false information about exactly how an incident occurred, the lawyer will build the case in line with this report. But, if the opposing counsel can locate evidence and deconstruct the storyline, your credibility will be in question.

This is why it is so vital to do all you can to ensure the attorney has all the right facts and information before making any kind of decision about your case. Having a personal injury lawyer who understands your situation and works on your behalf will allow you to have the best result possible.

Attorney-Client Privilege

An attorney will keep the client’s personal information confidential, although there are some exceptions to this. The client-attorney privilege is in place when a case is being discussed. If you stress over keeping secrets from your attorney, a lack of honesty can lead to bad repercussions.

Such a provision is essential because it means that anything talked about with your attorney can not be used against you in a court of law. For an attorney to ensure the best outcomes for a client, they have to be completely honest with them too.

Better Negotiations

Negotiations are a fundamental part of the legal process. Your lawyer can negotiate with the opposing counsel to settle before the case goes to trial. However, for effective negotiations, your lawyer needs to hold the right cards.

If they know all the details regarding the accident as well as any info the other side might hold against you, they can work around that and secure you the best offer possible.

One of the worst things that can occur is for your lawyer to be blindsided. Getting caught off-guard can put them in an inferior position to the opposing counsel. Therefore, you need to try to provide your lawyer with as much information as possible. Even if it might seem unimportant to you, a legal expert may find hidden value in a piece of information.

Remember that a lawyer will always represent their client’s best interest. But, to do so, they need to have all the proper facts of the case. To increase your odds of a successful legal outcome, be transparent with your lawyer and do not hold back any information. If you are in need of legal representation then do not hesitate to reach out to an experienced lawyer at Thomas K. McKnight Law Office today.