The Applicability of the Attorney-Client Privilege to Non-Attorney Members of the Legal Team

Given the complexity of issues often facing attorneys in both litigation and transactional practices, attorneys often need to utilize the expertise of non-attorney professionals--accountants, public relations experts, and many other types of consultants--to assist them in representing clients. Attorneys who include non-attorney professionals on the legal team must be sensitive to the fact that including them in communications that would otherwise be protected by the attorney-client privilege may result in loss of the privilege.