An illegal act can be described as something that is done deliberately. An example would be if you set up a meeting in your office and didn’t tell the client that you were going to be there. Would you think that they would take your test so quickly? You might think it’s okay if it’s your supervisor talking, but would you really take it seriously if it was your secretary? We’ve all heard stories where some sleazy employee sat at the bar and swigged a bit too many drinks before saying that he’d take my legal exam. It happens all the time and you can be sure that many of the people in question did indeed take the exam illegally.
Unethical behavior can also take place while taking the exam. This can include making notes on your exam or deliberately missing class notes. It also includes giving answers that don’t accurately match what you know. For example, if the question was about estate planning and you wrote down ‘cash flow’, you might intentionally write ‘estate tax’ on your answer because you’re afraid the lawyer may ask you about it during the case.
Taking my law exam in this country isn’t quite the same as taking a class course. While you’ll still be studying, your focus will be on trying to get every question you can answer. If you miss an answer, go back and get it right. The law isn’t the greatest science, so your answers aren’t going to hold up in court. If an illegal act was to take place during a real court case, your answer would almost certainly need to be changed!
Even if the company in question has a reputation for following all the rules, there could be an illegal executive branch that isn’t following the letter of the law. For example, imagine you received a ticket from a cop. Though the ticket was correct in every respect, it wasn’t your fault and you didn’t appear in court to fight it. If you took my law exam and faced this issue, you would probably have nothing to lose, but everything to gain. You would go on to take my case, win, and walk away with your ticket removed.
Similarly, if you were a customer who bought from a gas station and they weren’t following all the rules, it wouldn’t apply to you. There are no legal loopholes for people to try to exploit when buying products and services at the gas station. If the company in question is just trying to make a buck off of you, your viewpoint won’t stand a chance. So don’t ever take my law school diploma or degree into account when making decisions about what to do, where to go, or what to buy. Just like there’s no such thing as free lunch, there’s nothing such as free law.
The same goes for lawyers. You don’t take someone’s word over the internet, you don’t take a friend’s recommendation, and you don’t take someone’s word over meeting them in person. It’s never a good idea to blindly follow the advice of a lawyer without knowing all the facts. When things go wrong, it’s usually not your fault, but getting involved in legal proceedings is complicated and you really don’t want to put yourself or your family through that. Even if you win the case against your competitors, chances are they’ll still sue you for coming out ahead in the settlement.
If you do find yourself in one of these unethical practices, take the time to contact the legal firm handling your case and let them know what happened. Ask them what you can do to remedy the situation. In many cases, there aren’t any easy solutions. That’s why the professionals are the best ones to turn to for help. They’ll tell you how to proceed, what to do next, and help you keep from going further than you need to go in that particular case.
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