Knowra Attorney-client privilege Attorney-client privilege Attorney-client privilege protects confidential communications between a lawyer and client made to obtain or provide legal advice. It generally belongs to the client and can be waived by the client.
Confidential communication : A communication intended to remain private between people or within a protected relationship. Confidentiality is a condition for privilege; disclosure to outsiders can destroy protection.
Attorney-client relationship : The professional relationship in which a lawyer provides legal services to a client. Privilege depends on a lawyer-client relationship, though its existence alone protects no communication.
Discovery (law) : The pretrial process through which parties obtain relevant information from one another. Privilege claims can withhold otherwise responsive communications during civil discovery.
Solicitor-client privilege : A common-law protection for confidential communications between a client and a legal adviser, especially in Canada. The Canadian doctrine is related but has its own scope and terminology.
Legal advice : Counsel about legal rights, duties, or options given by a lawyer acting professionally. Privilege covers communications made to obtain or provide legal advice, not every exchange with a lawyer.
Work-product doctrine : A litigation-related protection for materials prepared by or for a party or its representative. It protects certain litigation materials, unlike privilege's focus on confidential legal communications.
In-house counsel : A lawyer employed by an organization to provide legal services within it. Communications with in-house counsel may be privileged when made in a legal, rather than business, role.
Legal professional privilege : A legal protection, especially in the United Kingdom, covering confidential lawyer-client communications and litigation materials. Some jurisdictions group protections differently from the narrower American privilege label.
Waiver of privilege : The intentional relinquishment of a legal protection over information or communications. The client can surrender privilege, sometimes by disclosing protected communications.
Confidentiality : The practice or condition of restricting information to authorized people. Confidentiality is broader than privilege and can apply even when no evidentiary protection exists.
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