There are a number of manipulative things that an attorney can do (on cross-examination, to an opposing witness): badgering, leading, and limiting testimony to yes-no responses. The ABA describes "Qualities of a good cross-examination", which encourages questions answered "no".
Full Answer
A: “I cannot answer your yes or no question with a mere “yes” or “no” and yet still state the whole truth, which I took an oath to give here today.” or A: “I cannot answer your yes or no question with a mere “yes” or “no” without my answer being misleading, and I …
Does your attorney not respond to you? Review this Top 20 List of What to Do When Your Lawyer Won’t Respond. Put it in Writing. 1. Put you*re question/request in writing. Lawyers are required to reasonably respond. 2. Send your request by email, fax or overnight mail. 3. Do not repeatedly contact the lawyer.
Of course, if the lawyer is trying to pressure the witness to give simple answers to complicated questions and give a yes or no answer to a question that really doesn’t have one, the judge will not go along with it. In that case, the judge may well say, “The witness gets to decide what their answers will be, you get to choose the questions.”
Mar 07, 2017 · "No, I haven't". It is important to not give the wrong answer, since perjury is a serious crime, so it is important that a witness be allowed to give an unambiguously true answer. The attorney who called you to testify is not your attorney, and has no obligation to protect you from such tricky questions. You may state that you don't understand ...
The judge is there to act as referee -- if the attorney is asking a yes/no question that's legally valid, they may compel the witness to answer it, as asked or with additional information. This answer is not a substitute for professional legal advice.
A: The lawyer should be responsive to your questions within 24-48 hours after you left a message. If the lawyer is not responsive, perhaps he or she is on vacation and unable to return.Dec 28, 2019
If your lawyer still does not respond, you can send him or her a letter explaining the communication problems. If at this point you do not hear anything from your lawyer, you should consult with a legal malpractice attorney.Sep 27, 2018
There is, however, no rule that requires a lawyer to know what the truth is. ... The client tells the lawyer his version of the facts. Lawyers shouldn't lie, but they don't have to fact-check their clients. The lawyer is skeptical of the client's story, but he's under no obligation to fact-check the client.Nov 30, 2009
Throughout the process of getting your financial settlement after becoming injured, there may be periods of time that you do not hear from your attorney. Although this can be unnerving, it is a normal part of the legal process.Oct 25, 2018
As a general rule, give your lawyer 1-2 days to return your non-urgent phone call; very often, your lawyer may be out of the office for a half-day, whole day, or longer if he/she is in court. ... If your lawyer absolutely refuses to return your calls, get another lawyer.Feb 21, 2021
Attorney misconduct may include: conflict of interest, overbilling, refusing to represent a client for political or professional motives, false or misleading statements, knowingly accepting worthless lawsuits, hiding evidence, abandoning a client, failing to disclose all relevant facts, arguing a position while ...
Legal malpractice is a type of negligence in which a lawyer does harm to his or her client. Typically, this concerns lawyers acting in their own interests, lawyers breaching their contract with the client, and, one of the most common cases of legal malpractice, is when lawyers fail to act on time for clients.
Five things not to say to a lawyer (if you want them to take you..."The Judge is biased against me" Is it possible that the Judge is "biased" against you? ... "Everyone is out to get me" ... "It's the principle that counts" ... "I don't have the money to pay you" ... Waiting until after the fact.Jan 15, 2010
For example, in a custody, divorce, criminal, or civil case, your lawyer might not be fighting properly. It might be a sign of incompetence or even a conflict of interest in your client attorney relationship. If you believe that my lawyer is not fighting for me, it may be due to the lawyer's style and mannerisms.Jul 24, 2020
In California, the Rules of Professional Conduct govern a lawyer's ethical duties. The law prohibits lawyers from engaging in dishonesty.Jun 17, 2015
Lawyers must be honest, but they do not have to be truthful. A criminal defence 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.
If you have called your attorney, left messages, sent emails, and you still haven't heard a response, the best course of action is to send a certified letter to his or her office questioning the failure to communicate and informing them that you are prepared to find a new lawyer if the situation does not improve.Mar 29, 2021
One of the most common reasons that lawyers fail to communicate with their clients is because they are simply too busy. If you feel like you are getting the runaround, it may be time to take a more direct approach and call your lawyer directly.Jul 10, 2021
Legal malpractice is a type of negligence in which a lawyer does harm to his or her client. Typically, this concerns lawyers acting in their own interests, lawyers breaching their contract with the client, and, one of the most common cases of legal malpractice, is when lawyers fail to act on time for clients.
When you're on the witness stand, if you refuse to answer a question posed to you, the judge may hold you in contempt of court. The judge has the discretionary power to have people found in contempt fined or even put in jail for a (usually short) period of time.
As a general rule, give your lawyer 1-2 days to return your non-urgent phone call; very often, your lawyer may be out of the office for a half-day, whole day, or longer if he/she is in court. ... If your lawyer absolutely refuses to return your calls, get another lawyer.Feb 21, 2021
Five things not to say to a lawyer (if you want them to take you..."The Judge is biased against me" Is it possible that the Judge is "biased" against you? ... "Everyone is out to get me" ... "It's the principle that counts" ... "I don't have the money to pay you" ... Waiting until after the fact.Jan 15, 2010
Attorney misconduct may include: conflict of interest, overbilling, refusing to represent a client for political or professional motives, false or misleading statements, knowingly accepting worthless lawsuits, hiding evidence, abandoning a client, failing to disclose all relevant facts, arguing a position while ...
If your lawyer still does not respond, you can send him or her a letter explaining the communication problems. If at this point you do not hear anything from your lawyer, you should consult with a legal malpractice attorney.Sep 27, 2018
A: The lawyer should be responsive to your questions within 24-48 hours after you left a message. If the lawyer is not responsive, perhaps he or she is on vacation and unable to return.Dec 28, 2019
Perhaps the most common kinds of complaints against lawyers involve delay or neglect. This doesn't mean that occasionally you've had to wait for a phone call to be returned. It means there has been a pattern of the lawyer's failing to respond or to take action over a period of months.
For example, in a custody, divorce, criminal, or civil case, your lawyer might not be fighting properly. It might be a sign of incompetence or even a conflict of interest in your client attorney relationship. If you believe that my lawyer is not fighting for me, it may be due to the lawyer's style and mannerisms.Jul 24, 2020
You should never be afraid or feel like an intrusion to contact your attorney every three weeks or so, or more frequently if there is a lot going on with your health or other matters related to your legal case. There is of course a limit to how much you should be contacting or sharing.Jun 17, 2020
Some lawyers play a trick on plaintiff's lawyers by making arguments that require the plaintiff to amend the case so that he or she spends an exorbitant amount in legal fees at the very early stages of the case. ... This usually requires pleading the case law, rules of procedure and some facts regarding the case.Aug 5, 2016
The court may order to answer yes/no first before the explanation. The explanation must be relevant to the yes/no answer. The court usually will not allow the witness to wander away from the question that was asked. It is also possible that a seeming yes/no question doesn't have a yes/no answer.
The United States Constitution protects every person from having “to be a witness against himself.” This is known as the privilege against self-incrimination, or “pleading the 5th.” The Fifth Amendment privilege extends to statements that would by themselves support conviction of a crime as well as to statements which ...
Interrogatories are written questions sent to someone involved in a legal matter. These questions are usually sent by the opposing party and must be directly related to the matter at hand. Your responses must be truthful, complete, and returned in a timely manner. If you are represented by an attorney, he or she will guide you through the process.
Interrogatories are written questions involving a legal matter. When you get them, look them over immediately since you only have 30 days to respond. If you have an attorney, go through the questions together, briefly discuss your answers, and identify if any are objectionable.
In legal terms, a “verified” answer is one that you have signed at the end. You need to include a statement at the end of your interrogatory answers that says, “I verify under oath that the answers to these interrogatories are true to the best of my ability,” and then sign it.
Contest questions that are vague, ambiguous or unintelligible. If possible, interpret each question in a way that can be answered. But if, no matter how you try, you cannot make sense of a question or find a way to give a specific answer, then object.
You may try writing him a letter and "serving" it on him. Express your genuine concerns. Sorry for your issue.
My colleague, Mr. Glass, provides some excellent advice and guidance. I particularly agree with the certified, return receipt letter suggestion. I would add that daily phone messages, perhaps a few each day, often gets someone's attention.
Sorry this is happening to you. It's hard to imagine how an attorney, in this day and age, can operate a personal injury practice and be a true solo. as these type of claims have only gotten more and more complex over time.