As the saying goes, there are three truths. There is your truth, your spouse’s truth, and then what actually happened. It isn’t a generic concept, but a scientific reality that everyone has their own perception. What’s important is that you share your own perception, using the most data and facts possible, with your Las Vegas divorce attorney.
Attorney Client Privilege
Whether you hire an attorney, maid, or surgeon, it’s always important to provide the correct information and tools. In the case of an attorney, the truth is always the most important tool. Remember, this isn’t a friend who might spill a secret. This is a professional who is bound by the law to keep your information in confidence unless you are planning a felony or the information can help your case. And sometimes, even the ugly truth can help your case.
Discredit through Omission
Let’s say that you have a pending DUI, and you don’t want to go back in front of the judge, so you keep that information to yourself. You received the DUI when you left the house one night after a domestic battery occurrence. You left to try to get to safety, so you think it’s okay not to mention this information. However, your spouse did tell his or her lawyer.
If you had told your lawyer, he or she may have been able to present this as evidence of the extremes you went to in order to get away from the situation, citing your otherwise impeccable record as proof of your normal way of living. When your spouse’s lawyer brings it up, it will be to put a glaring light on the fact that you committed a crime. Since you tried to hide it, you lost credibility with the judge, so your version may be taken as a means to further hide your true nature.
And that’s just one example. Give your Las Vegas divorce attorney the tools he or she needs to do the job you hired them for. Give them the truth.
What’s at Stake?
Some people are so afraid to tell the truth that they end up losing much more than is necessary. This is not about who is the good guy or who is the bad guy. It’s about ending your marriage while sustaining the least amount of damage possible. When you don’t tell your lawyer the truth, it will eventually come out anyhow, and the penalty could be anything from loss of finances to loss of your children. Relationships and divorce are messy events. No one is an angel, and there probably isn’t anything you could tell your lawyer that he or she hasn’t heard at least once before. At any rate, their job isn’t to judge you, but to help you navigate the realm of legally ending your relationship.
When you make the decision not to share the truth with your lawyer, you essentially give your spouse’s lawyer everything needed to make you come out on the losing end.
