Many people who are charged with a crime think that the best course of action is to lie to their attorney and hope for the best. After all, what could possibly go wrong? The truth is, lying to your criminal defense attorney can have serious repercussions. Here’s why you should always be honest with your attorney, even if you think it means you’ll face a harsher sentence.
Your Attorney is Bound by Ethical Rules
First and foremost, your attorney is bound by ethical rules which prohibit him or her from withholding information from the court. This means that if you lie to your attorney and he or she discovers the truth, your attorney is obligated to inform the court. In other words, you’ve essentially painted a target on your back by lying to the one person who was supposed to be helping you.
Lying Makes it Harder to Defend You
Even if your attorney doesn’t discover the truth on his or her own, chances are good that the prosecution will uncover the lie during discovery. When this happens, it makes it much harder for your attorney to defend you because he or she will have been caught off guard. It also undermines your attorney’s credibility with the judge and jury, which can damage your chances of being found innocent.
The Truth Always Comes Out eventually
It’s also important to keep in mind that lies have a way of coming out eventually. Even if you manage to fool your attorney and the prosecutor, there’s always a chance that someone else will come forward with the truth. When this happens, it can result in additional charges being filed against you (such as perjury) and can lengthen your sentence if you’re convicted.
If you’ve been charged with a crime, it’s understandable that you might be tempted to lie to your criminal defense attorney in order to avoid a harsher sentence. However, this is a dangerous gamble that usually doesn’t pay off. The truth always has a way of coming out, and when it does it can end up costing you even more than if you had just been honest from the start. So whatever you do, don’t lie to your criminal defense attorney—it’s not worth the risk.
So, while it may be tempting to try and hide information or lie to your attorney, don’t. The truth always comes out in the end, and when it does, you could be looking at some very serious consequences. If you have any questions about what you should and shouldn’t tell your lawyer during representation, give Mashni Law a call – we would be happy to answer them for you.