Can lawyers lie in negotiations?

Are lawyers permitted to lie in business negotiations on behalf of their clients? What about exaggerating, puffing, or bluffing? Under the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct, a lawyer may not make a false statement of material fact or law. Professor Carrie Menkel-Meadow of UC Irvine Law explains the gray areas of the black letter rule and explores the ethical boundaries of lawyer truthtelling and misstatements in negotiations.

 

 

Carrie Menkel-Meadow is the Distinguished and Chancellor's Professor of Law at UC Irvine School of Law and an expert in the dispute resolution field.