Honesty is a key component in a successful attorney-client relationship. There is a difference between honesty and accuracy when it comes to reviewing testimony, especially with eyewitness testimony. If there is a car accident and there are five eyewitnesses, you will hear five different versions of what happened. Witnesses will see different models of the car, different colors, and different versions of the accident. While each will be honest in their testimony, they won’t necessarily be accurate. Their recollection depends on what they were focused on during the accident. The attorney, in a case like this, would talk to all of the witnesses but more importantly, he or she would try to find the car. [emember_protected custom_msg=”Click here and register now to read the rest of the article!”]
When our office is contacted by a client, there are specific steps we take to ensure we gather as much information and evidence as possible, and as quickly as possible. Our team will visit the site where the incident occurred, take photos, review laboratory reports, and examine many pieces of information. We review the circumstantial evidence, talk to eyewitnesses, and we review direct evidence.
To corroborate the evidence we find at the site, we rely on complete honesty from our clients. It is key to building a case. A trial is a morality play. Our office represents farmers as the plaintiff’s lawyer and often our claims are against large companies, like chemical companies. But in any type of case, it is imperative to be completely honest with your attorney. Share everything you know and as honestly as you recall it.
CREDITS
column by MICHAEL MARTIN
BIO: Michael Martin of Martin Law Office in Lakeland specializes in agriculture and environmental legal representation. A native of Polk County, Mike attended college at Sewanee in Tennessee, before obtaining a doctorate in law from the University of Florida and has tried numerous cases nationwide since that time. [/emember_protected]