Virtual Library Resource Summary
The Decline Of the Attorney-Client Privilege in the Corporate Context
Year: 2006
Description: The coalition of organizations involved in this survey believes that the attorney-client privilege and work product doctrine as applied in the corporate context are vital protections that serve society’s interests and protect clients’ Constitutional rights to counsel. The attorney-client privilege is fundamental to fairness and balance in our justice system and essential to corporate compliance regimes. Without reliable privilege protections, executives and other employees will be discouraged from asking difficult questions or seeking guidance regarding the most sensitive situations. Without meaningful privilege protections, lawyers are more likely to be excluded from operating in a preventive (rather than reactive) manner. In today’s complex business environment, it is increasingly important to encourage business executives and even line managers to regularly and without any hesitation – engage their lawyers in open discussions about anything that concerns them in furtherance of assuring the corporation’s legal health. It is our belief that attorney-client communications, and the confidentiality that fosters those communications, are more important than ever, and laudably serve society’s and our legal system’s public policy goals.
Material Type: Surveys
Keyword(s): Attorney-Client Privilege
