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Watching a new lawyer try to explain 'privilege' to a client was painful
Honestly, I was in a meeting last week where this junior associate kept telling the client 'everything you tell us is secret'. That's not how it works at all, and the client started listing stuff they'd already told their business partner. I had to jump in and explain the whole 'common interest' thing, which got messy. Has anyone else had to clean up a basic privilege mess like that?
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richard_wells597d ago
My first year out of law school, I made a similar mistake with a family business client. I gave the blanket "it's confidential" speech without considering the spouse who was in the room for every meeting. The real lesson is that privilege isn't a magic spell you just say out loud. You have to map out who is on the team and who isn't, right from the start. It's a basic step, but skipping it can ruin a case before it even starts.
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