What happens to a lawyer who lies in court to a judge

For the most part lawyers are considered advocates for their clients. They are expected to argue their client's side of the case.Many times what lay people consider perjury the court does not. In general lawyers are immune from what they say in the courtroom while representing a client. Perjury is when a witness not a lawyer is testifying falsely. A lawyer however can be sanctioned for misrepresenting facts to a court and/or false pleading. You might find my legal guide on selecting and hiring a lawyer helpful. You might find my legal guide on Is it Legal? Is it Illegal? helpful. You might find my legal guide on the understanding the different court systems helpful. You might find my legal guide on legal terms used in litigation helpful. (Even if you are not filing a lawsuit this information can be useful). LEGAL DISCLAIMER Mr. Sarno is licensed to practice law in NJ and NY. His response here is not legal advice and does not create an attorney/ client relationship. The response is in the form of legal education and is intended to provide general information about the matter in question. Many times the questioner may leave out details which would make the reply unsuitable. Mr. Sarno strongly advises the questioner to confer with a local attorney about this issue. .

Unless the lawyer testified under oath as a witness, he was not committing perjury no matter what he said.,

It is not clear from your question if, from your perspective, the lawyer "lied" on behalf of or against the client. Mr. Sarno answered the former and I agree with his comments. If, however, you were taking about a "lie" against the client - i.e., lawyer lied to the court about the client in a way that hurt the client - I would add these thoughts. If the lawyer actually lied and the client can prove it, the most likely arena to impose consequences would be in a disciplinary hearing before the state bar. A lawyer has ethical obligations to the client and the court, which include the duty of loyalty to the client, to not intentionally hurt the client, and a duty of candor to the court. To lie in a way that hurts the client would violated all of these ethical obligations. A perjury prosecution for any lie requires that the lie be told while under oath. So unless the lawyer took an oath and was testifying at the time of the lie, s/he could not be charged with perjury. Also, keep in mind that, whether you’re talking about perjury or a disciplinary hearing, a disagreement of facts between the client and lawyer will not necessarily lead a third party to conclude that the lawyer is lying. Many people can have an honest disagreement about who said what and what happened when. In the absence of clear proof of deliberate falsehood, the lawyer is not likely to be punished or branded a liar.