Everyone wants to make a good impression, especially if that impression can mean the difference between being permitted to spend time with our children. Clients often explain their issues with the intention of getting the attorney they hire to be “on their side.” To do this, clients will leave out important details or give a more agreeable version of their situation. This is a mistake and can lead to a worse result in court.
Your family law attorney’s job is to help you to set and obtain realistic goals. To do this, the attorney needs an honest and clear understanding of your entire situation. Being truthful with your attorney from the beginning of your case allow your attorney to fix or improve the problem areas of your case. For example, if you have a criminal history, your attorney can’t make it disappear, but your attorney can discuss what you have done to improve your life since you were in trouble. If the trouble is recent, your attorney can make suggestions for steps that you can take to show the court that you are serious about being a parent and are working to better yourself for your children.
The worst thing you can do is to hide your “bad facts” so that your attorney finds out too late to help you to improve the picture shown to the court or worse, your attorney finds out in the courtroom. If that happens, your attorney will be forced to try to minimize the damage to your case without being prepared with suggestions or alternatives. This could result in you not realizing your goals and having to spend more time in court. Honesty with your attorney is the best policy. Your attorney is here to help you get your best possible outcome. Providing all of the information, good or bad, helps them to help you.