Pleading the Fifth Amendment in a civil domestic, however, can have a dramatic effect on the clients civil domestic case. Asserting the Fifth Amendment privilege protects the person from self-incrimination in the criminal process. However, North Carolina courts have held that the Fifth Amendment is intended to be shield and not a sword. Thus, if a person pleads the Fifth Amendment in a civil domestic action, the trier of fact (judge or jury, depending on the issues involved), is allowed to infer that the answer to the question would have been negative to the persons interest. If the privileged information sought from the client is material and essential to the defense of the clients claim, the client must decide whether to come forward with the privileged information or whether to assert the privilege and forego the claim in which such information is necessary. Therefore, a lawyer should consider carefully when a client should plead the Fifth Amendment, weighing the likelihood that the client will actually face criminal prosecution versus the potential impact on the clients civil domestic action.