How I decided what to disclose about a prior visa denial in a different category

Had a prior denial in an unrelated visa category years earlier, and wanted to share how I approached this, since I know disclosure questions like this create real anxiety and I don't see them discussed much here. I was upfront and complete about this with my attorney early on, rather than treating it as something to minimize or hope wouldn't come up — an attorney needs the full, accurate picture to advise properly, and immigration forms generally require honest disclosure of prior immigration history regardless of how it might feel to admit to. This isn't legal advice about your specific disclosure obligations, which is exactly the kind of question that needs a licensed attorney's direct guidance, not a community post. What I'd say generally: if you have something in your immigration history that feels uncomfortable to disclose, the discomfort itself isn't a reason to omit it — bring it to your attorney directly and let them advise on how it should be handled, rather than making that call yourself based on how it feels.