What is common interest privilege Australia?

Common interest privilege is an exception to the usual rules of waiver. It allows for LPP to be maintained over a privileged document or communication when it is disclosed to another person, extinguishing confidentially as regards that other person, so long as that other person has a sufficient “common interest”.

How can I tell if a file is privileged?

The description of the document needs to contain sufficient facts to demonstrate why that document is privileged. Privilege logs are also commonly accompanied with a “players list” that not only shows the identity of attorneys, but also the positions of the non-lawyers on the communications.

Can attorney-client privilege be waived?

Unlike a client’s constitutional rights, which can only be intentionally and knowingly waived, the attorney-client privilege may be waived by a careless, unintentional or inadvertent disclosure.

What is an example of attorney-client privilege?

Virtually all types of communications or exchanges between a client and attorney may be covered by the attorney-client privilege, including oral communications and documentary communications like emails, letters, or even text messages. The communication must be confidential.

What is common interest privileged?

Friend or foe – common interest privilege between joint plaintiffs and joint defendants. Legal professional privilege (LPP) protects communications between a lawyer and a client if it was made for the dominant purpose of seeking or providing legal advice, or for use in anticipated legal proceedings.

What is subject to common interest privilege?

The doctrine that allows separately represented parties with common legal interests to share information with each other and their respective attorneys without destroying the attorney-client privilege. It is also known as the joint defense doctrine.

What is claim of privilege?

In the law of evidence, a privilege is a rule of evidence that allows the holder of the privilege to refuse to disclose information or provide evidence about a certain subject or to bar such evidence from being disclosed or used in a judicial or other proceeding.

What documents are legally privileged?

Legal professional privilege protects confidential communications and confidential documents between a lawyer and a client made for the dominant purpose of the lawyer providing legal advice or professional legal services to the client, or for use in current or anticipated litigation.

What is not protected by attorney-client privilege?

The attorney-client privilege protects most communications between clients and their lawyers. But, according to the crime-fraud exception to the privilege, a client’s communication to her attorney isn’t privileged if she made it with the intention of committing or covering up a crime or fraud.

Are emails between lawyers privileged?

As a general rule, any communications between a person and their attorney are presumed to be confidential—and thus covered by the lawyer-client privilege.

When does common interest privilege need to be waived?

Common Interest Privilege provides an exception to the general rule that if privileged documents are disclosed to a third party then privilege over those documents is waived.

What does the Law Council of Australia say about privilege?

As the Law Council of Australia (the peak national representative body of the Australian legal profession) states on its website: The proper administration of justice requires that clients are able to communicate freely and frankly with their lawyer, without fear of disclosing any information relevant to the legal advice they are seeking.

When does a common interest exist in Australia?

Australian Courts have refused to exhaustively define the circumstances in which a common interest will be seen to exist and there is no rigid definition as to what constitutes an identity of interest, rather is a question of the facts of each case ( Network Ten v Capital Television (1995) 36 NSWLR 275 at 280).

Is there a requisite identity of interest in Australia?

Australian courts have refused to define exhaustively the circumstances in which the requisite identity of interest exists and it is a question of fact in each case, Network Ten Ltd v Capital Television Holdings Limited (ibid) at 280.