Your Attorney Should be Brutally Honest

Hiring an attorney can be an intimidating process and picking the right one for you is both confusing and overwhelming. Let me give you some advice, steer clear of any attorney that is giving you guarantees in the outcome of a case. No one can see the future, and in a case that is presented in front of a judge or jury, anything can happen.

Here is a core value of mine, brutal honesty. Regardless of if my client's always like it, one thing they can expect from me is the honest answer. I want to make sure my clients are fully prepared for what awaits them. They pay me to keep them informed, give them advice, and represent them based on their decisions. If I do not give them the absolute raw truth, without a filter, then they are not going to be able to make the best decisions possible.

A lot of attorneys will throw on the rose colored glasses and sugar coat information as they give it to their clients, or worse, blow smoke up their potential client's backside in order to secure the case. I would never hire an attorney that isn't willing to give me the unfiltered truth and tell me information or opinions that I may not like hearing.

So, if you get the feeling you aren't getting absolute brutal honesty, do not hire that attorney or law firm. Keep looking! I have lots of people in my life that are willing to tell me the things I want to hear to keep me happy. That is not what I need from my lawyer. It is also not something I would ever do for my clients.

I find that my client's appreciate this commitment to brutal honesty from me. Even if they don't like hearing a hard truth in the moment, they realize it is better to hear it from me than to have it be a surprise later.

Should you be absolutely honest with your attorney?

Give your attorney the same courtesy by telling them the entire truth. I tell my clients frequently, I can't help guard against things that I do not know. You need to tell me everything, even if it may hurt your case. It is much worse if your attorney gets blind sided in Court. Telling me early on allows me to prepare defenses or strategies to avoid certain topics.

You want the best representation you can get. It all starts with the communication between lawyer and client.

Nelson Johnson, Attorney at Law