Are there legal problems for attorneys when they change a witness's testimony?

[LiberalFighter]

Without his knowledge and doing so on behalf of a different client?

[elleng]

1. Yes

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Oh, yeah. Bigly.

They could kiss their law licenses goodbye. Conflict of interest, violation of the duty of loyalty to a client, possible subornation of perjury.

[LiberalFighter]

3. May it happen bigly!

[Whiskeytide]

4. I've clearly missed a story. But yes, the ...

... way you have stated the question, that would be in violation of about a half dozen legal and ethical rules, and would surely jeopardize the lawyer’s license.

A lawyer can, however, submit an errata sheet or similar document to correct something in the testimony, or to correct a typo. But that doesn’t “change” the testimony. The original testimony remains in the record and the clarification is added to it. And that is only done with the knowledge and most often the signature of the declarant.

Now I have to go look for the story relevant to this.

[BigmanPigman]

5. Yep...heard it a couple times on CNN and MSNBC today.

They are toast.

[MaryMagdaline]

6. Yes. Assuming they are changing it to a known falsehood

If, for example, my client says they quit trying to build the trump tower in 2015, and I find an email from client to Russian govt in 2016 inquiring about trump tower, I should advise the witness and I should suggest a correction. (In fact, if I suspect the client will never get the facts state, I might suggest they shut up altogether)

If I change the truth to something that is false, I better have not known it was false