Sometimes You’ve Got to Bend the Truth a Little
This one really made me laugh out loud: “An honest attorney (but not enough to hurt your case)”. You know what they say: it’s funny because it’s true. In his book “101 Things I Learned in Law School”, Matthew Frederick claims this: “Lawyers must be honest, but they don’t have to be truthful. Honesty and truthfulness are not the same thing. Being honest means not telling lies. Being truthful means actively making known all the full truth of a matter.”
He continues: “Lawyers must be honest, but they do not have to be truthful. A criminal defense lawyer, for example, in zealously defending a client, has no obligation to actively present the truth. Counsel may not deliberately mislead the court, but has no obligation to tell the defendant’s whole story.” After reading this I feel I understand this ad much better. I guess a lawyer has to find the perfect balance.