I recently studied a case where a theif was given the perfect solution to get out of a crime, all he had to do was lie and say he was a drug addict and opposed to getting a prison sentence, he would get 90 dys in rehab. Is it unethical for an attorney to tell the theif to lie to get a better sentence? He was not a druggie, just a crook.
Read the u.s. supreme court case of Nix v. Whiteside. Not only can the lawyer not advise a client to lie, if the lawyer knows that the client intends to commit perjury that lawyer cannot participate in that effort. There are some who do it, of course, just as their are unethical plumbers. The majority, however, take their obligations quite seriously. I know one lawyer who never even strays close to the line. As he explains it, this is the only way he knows how to make a living and he won’t do anything to jeopardize that.
sure why not, i mean if he is a legitimate crook he will end up going throught the system again but who knows maybe he will get more of a correctional therapy at a rehab.
If he went to jail he would probly come put worse and more dangerous. Jail is not the answer I feel to many crimes and a secondar solution should be created especialy when 1 out of every 100 american is incarerated. Jail is not a successful thing it is suposed to correct people over time but it doesnt it make them worse.
I would say that this situation is unethical, but I doubt that it is breaking the law for the lawyer to suggest this. On the other hand, if the person were to testify that he or she has such a problem and they actually don’t, I think they could be charged with purgery becuase they lied to a public official under oath.
Unethical? Yes. Unexpected, given this day and age? No. Lawyers simply have different words for lying today.
Yes, it is unethical for an attorney to tell his client to lie in court. It is also grounds for getting disbarred
I am sure it is unethical, but it may also be illegal.
I think it is unethical for a lawyer or a doctor to lie.