attorney-client privilege
Lawyer-client confidentiality protection
Attorney-client privilege is the legal protection that keeps communications between a lawyer and their client confidential.
Neither party can be forced to disclose what was said, and courts generally cannot compel testimony about these conversations.
The privilege belongs to the client, who alone can waive it.
It survives even the client's death.
The protection applies only when seeking legal advice—not business advice from a lawyer acting in another capacity: She invoked attorney-client privilege when asked about her conversations with counsel.
- legal adviceGuidance on law matters
- confidentialityQuality of protecting secrets
- off the recordNot meant for reporting
- non-disclosureMandated secrecy obligation
- counselExpert guidance offered
lawyer up · representation · fiduciary duty · litigation · legal ethics · ethical standards · testimony · plead the fifth · Miranda rights · confidential communication · exemption · sealed records · waiver · ethical guidelines · privacy rights · legal accountability · duty of care · malpractice insurance
- Public Defensepublic defender, defense counsel, court-appointed counsel, court-appointed lawyer, right to counsel
- lawlaw, lawyer, lawyers, court, courts
- secrecysecrecy, secret, secrets, confidential, classified
- legal themes in fictioncourtroom drama, jury duty, wrongful accusation, verdict, acquittal
- courtroom ethicsconfidentiality, impartiality, conflict of interest, prosecutorial misconduct, judicial bias
- legal conventionsdue process, precedent, burden of proof, statute of limitations, habeas corpus
attorney, attorneys, client, clients, privilege, privileges, privileged, privileging, clientele