The Problem With Little White Lies is that once you tell one lie, you are forced to tell another. And people who tell little white lies in court come across as liars. Yes, when you are in court and answering questions from your lawyer, your spouse's lawyer and the Judge, your personality comes across loud and clear. If you are bare bones honest, it shows. If you are fudging things a bit to try to help your case, that shows too. And if you are down and out lying, that pretty much comes across loud and clear.
Judges don't want you to shade the truth They don't want you to spin the facts. They want you to be honest, fess up if you didn't always act appropriately and put your best foot forward without shading the truth. Be yourself. Be honest. Resist the temptation to portray yourself as perfect. Even more difficult, resist the temptation to portray your spouse as the devil incarnate.
Judges have seen a lot of liars come and go. They know when people are coloring the facts. They know that if you are exaggerating some facts and minimizing others that you probably can't be trusted to be honest about anything.
Those little white lies add up quickly. And it only takes one or two to bring you down in a judge's eyes. That's all it takes. A few little lies here and there and viola! You just ruined your credibility in the Judge's eyes.
So be prepared to do the right thing. Be candid about the good and bad. Judges understand that emotions run high in a marriage and sometimes folks are pushed over the edge. They would rather you own up to it than act as if something didn't happen.
Saying and doing the right thing is often the best thing. Don't fall into the trap of telling innocent little white lies in court. They aren't innocent. They are lies. And lies never hold up under scrutiny no matter how smart you think you are. Trust me, your Judge is smarter and seen it all before. And that's the truth.
