Search Site
Menu

Ethics and Tactics

Advocating for clients requires honesty. Not surprisingly, the rules of professional conduct speak to this. Those rules, as promulgated by the Supreme Judicial Court in Rule 3.4(A) and (B) of 3:07, the Massachusetts Rules of Professional Conduct, prohibit a lawyer from counseling or assisting a witness to testify falsely. The rationale is that the adversary system, while expecting the evidence to be “marshaled competitively by the contending parties”, expects “fair competition” in the process. See Comment to Rule 3.4. Relevant material is not to be altered, concealed, or destroyed. Falsifying evidence, it is pointed out, is a criminal offense.

Not only is the above required by the law, it is a good tactical way to pursue a case. For example, a client signs interrogatory answers under the pains and penalties of perjury. If the lawyer has “put words in the client’s mouth”, one can only imagine the effect on a case when that is exposed in a deposition or at trial. In so doing, not only would the lawyer run afoul of any ethical requirement, the case would lose its value. Half-truths get exposed in the adversarial process. Believe me, I would rather be the one having the opportunity to expose the half-truth than the converse. The point is to have the moral high-ground is not only correct, it is better tactics.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Feinberg & Alban, P.C. fervently protects your rights
  • The Boston firm of Feinberg & Alban, P.C. specializes its practice in the area of personal injury.

    The attorneys serve the entire state of Massachusetts in addition to affiliating with lawyers in other states to handle cases outside of Massachusetts.

  • $7.7 Million Award for Feinberg & Alban Client in Personal Injury Trial

    Boston Attorneys Win Highest Injury Verdict in Massachusetts in 2011 & 2012.

Client Reviews
  • google
    5.0/5.0

    As someone who has unfortunately been in a major accident prior to the one for which I've recently needed legal counsel for, I can attest firsthand in the difficulty of finding a reputable, capable, knowledgeable, and experienced lawyer, and what to ...

    Read more

    Jason Smith

  • google
    5.0/5.0

    Man, I was hit by a car and it has changed my whole life. The bright spot in it was this law firm. Perry Feinberg really came to my bedside and kept me informed throughout the whole process. I would definitely recommend them .

    Read more

    Dachon Duvall

  • google
    5.0/5.0

    Colleen and Robert were very responsive during a long process, always ready to answer our questions. They exhibited that much-needed combination of listening to us as clients and guiding us with their expertise, through all the delays and obstacles e...

    Read more

    Doug Haslam

  • google
    5.0/5.0

    Attorney Colleen Santora was amazing! I was hit by a car, completely overwhelmed and really just needed to focus on getting better. Retaining her, truly gave me peace of mind that all of the upcoming medical bills would be taken care of. I healed ...

    Read more

    Hillary Nelson

  • google
    5.0/5.0

    While visiting boston, my husband was injured and required surgery, and the tribulations that followed. Living out of state, we had NO idea what to do, and we needed guidance. Collen and her team were and ARE a God sent. Colleen answered all of ...

    Read more

    Catherine Connor

See all reviews
Awards & Affiliations
Contact us

Quick Contact Form

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.