Can i be a lawyer without lying?

Raven F

Untrue, you do NOT have to lie to be an attorney. This is a false and ugly assumption. I work in the legal field and have known attorneys both honorable and oily. (I work for the honorable ones, btw.)

Lying is called perjury and can and will result in sanctions such as fines and even jail. Attorneys deliberately perjuring will have their license suspended or, in case of repeated offenses, revoked.

The perception that attorneys lie comes from those (mainly criminal defense and civil plaintiff attorneys but also some prosecutors and civil defense attorneys) who *twist the truth* so that it's not technically false, but may give the opposite appearance of what it is. They may cut off explanations that don't help their case, and they may exploit legal loopholes. Ethical? No, but there is much gray area in the law, unfortunately, under our current legal system. Fortunately, you'll find more ethical attorneys than unethical; it's just that the GOOD ones rarely make the news.

There is a process in all legal matters called *discovery*, wherein each party MUST provide the other side with all pertinent documents, evidence, etc. Withholding anything that is not attorney-client privilege or legally withheld by state statutory law, will get the attorney smacked but good, and may very well result in loss of license by the Bar Association. An attorney who is worth his or her fee will scrutinize every scrap of discovery to find loopholes or things that just don't add up, anything that may help the case. It often happens that after the discovery period, one side or the other goes, 'ohmigod, they have the goods on me, there is no way to win' and thus settles with the other party.

I hope that helps. It sounds like you might thrive in an environment where you can defend people who are actual victims of crimes or civil injustice, or perhaps prosecute the 'bad guys.' I would strongly suggest you apply to a legal firm to become a receptionist or law assistant (sometimes called legal secretary, but it's SO much more than that) and see if the lawyer route is really for you, if a legal career is truly what you want. You may decide to instead pursue the avenue of paralegal, which is a fascinating, busy field. Once you get into law school, you will find your niche.

Stormy W

you can if you want to get fired! LOL (:

Ryan M

Lying is a harsh term. Modify or twist the facts in your client's favor is more like it. You are thinking of criminal defense lawyers, those are the usual scumbags. Tax lawyers, patent lawyers, probate lawyers, bankruptcy lawyers, immigration lawyers, etc., are not really put into these positions unless they are unethical.

Philip Dru

You will probably have to adjust facts to benefit your clients. It's more of an arguing/deceiving than lying.

rwa000

if a lawyers lips are moving than he probably lying

ruyek714

You gotta understand that in this world, people can argue two opposite points. While everyone always thinks in terms of right and wrong, black and white, good and bad. If you look at any argument and can defend your position, even if everyone thinks its wrong, you can still manage to be correct. You aren't necessarily lying, but you are merely supporting your side.

Its true, if you are caught lying in court, licenses can be revoked. But the difference between a blatant lie, is different from a well designed manipulated argument.

If you understand that having a convincing argument is all it takes to push people to do anything, you can always be right (even if its wrong)

MHilinski

No you can not be a lawyer without lying

auroras

don't think so. at some point or another you will have to defend the guilty person. you will get paid to lie, and a lot of money. you can't only defend innocent people

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