Attorney-client privilege covers ethics advice that lawyers get from their law firm’s general counsel, and the communications do not need to be disclosed to the client, said a unanimous five-judge panel of the New York Appellate Division last week, in a closely-watched case. In Shock v. Shnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP, the court ruled that the law firm was the “real client” in getting the advice from the GC, and held that the fiduciary exception didn’t apply.
Continue Reading Firm counsel privilege prevails; New York joins favorable trend in recognizing doctrine
fiduciary exception
Privilege shields internal firm discussions about conflict, N.D. Cal. magistrate rules
By Karen Rubin on
Internal discussions among Orrick’s chief legal officer and other firm lawyers about a conflict of interest remain privileged under federal common law, a federal magistrate judge for the Northern District of California has held, in quashing a third-party subpoena directed to the firm — even though the firm still represented the client at the time of the discussions. The opinion is the latest in the line of federal and state cases that have been developing a jurisprudence of law-firm privilege.
Continue Reading Privilege shields internal firm discussions about conflict, N.D. Cal. magistrate rules