california when asserting attorney client objection privilege log

by Miguel Renner 6 min read

When a party submits a deficient privilege log, a trial court may order that party to provide a further privilege log that includes the necessary information to rule on an asserted attorney-client privilege and work product protection objection, and it may impose monetary sanctions and evidence, issue, and even terminating sanctions if a responding party persists in failing to provide the court with the requested information.

Full Answer

What is an objection to an attorney-client privilege?

Feb 11, 2013 · Superior Court, supra, 112 Cal. App. 4th at p. 294 [“[T]he failure to provide a privilege log ….., in itself, did not waive either attorney client or work product privileges. [A] forced waiver of the attorney-client privilege is not an appropriate sanction for a tardy ‘privilege log,’ so long as the privilege is invoked in a timely manner.”];

Are boilerplate objections protected by attorney-client privilege?

Aug 27, 2019 · when a party submits a deficient privilege log, a trial court may order that party to provide a further privilege log that includes the necessary information to rule on an asserted attorney-client...

What is the lawyer-client privilege in California?

May 12, 2020 · On: May 12, 2020. In: 9th Circuit, Attorney-Client Privilege, California, California Central District, Waiver. Print PDF. Lord Chancellor and noted philosopher Francis Bacon once quipped that “A prudent question is one-half of wisdom.”. Today, one might say that a wise lawyer avoids privilege objections by asking prudent questions.

What is California privilege log compliance?

Nov 19, 2021 · When the defendant in a FCRA case offered a blanket, boilerplate privilege objection—in addition to a relevancy objection—but produced no privilege log, the court showed no mercy. Finding that the producer’s actions amounted to “bad faith,” and observing that parties assert privilege too “cavalierly” and otherwise “abuse” the privilege too often, the Court issued …

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What is required in a privilege log in California?

The Catalina Island court went on to specify what need be included in a sufficient California privilege log: “the identity and capacity of all of the individuals who authored , sent or received each allegedly privileged document” “the document's date” ... “the precise privilege or protection asserted”Jul 13, 2020

What should a privilege log contain?

A party withholding privileged documents from discovery complies with Rule 26(b)(5)(A) by producing a log containing the following information for each withheld document: the date, type of document, author(s), recipient(s), general subject-matter of the document, and the privilege being claimed (e.g., attorney-client).

How do you assert attorney-client privilege?

No matter how the attorney-client privilege is articulated, there are four basic elements necessary to establish its existence: (1) a communication; (2) made between privileged persons; (3) in confidence; (4) for the purpose of seeking, obtaining or providing legal assistance to the client.

How do you respond to interrogatory objections?

2030.210. (a) The party to whom interrogatories have been propounded shall respond in writing under oath separately to each interrogatory by any of the following: (1) An answer containing the information sought to be discovered. (2) An exercise of the party's option to produce writings.

Can a third party assert attorney-client privilege?

The general rule is that, by allowing a third party to be present for a lawyer-client conversation, the defendant waives the privilege. That generally means that the prosecution can force the third party to reveal the contents of the conversation.

How do you determine if a document 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.Jun 29, 2018

What are non privileged documents?

Non-Privileged Documentation . Means documentation, whether hard copy or electronic, which is not subject to any legal privilege preventing its discovery and/or disclosure in a legal proceeding.

Is attorney-client privilege a constitutional right?

The sixth amendment to the United States Constitution provides that "[in all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to ... have the assistance of counsel for his defense.""1 This amendment has long been construed as a guarantee of both access to counsel and the right to effective assistance of counsel ...

When can privileged communication be broken?

Some relationships that provide the protection of privileged communication include attorney-client, doctor-patient, priest-parishioner, two spouses, and (in some states) reporter-source. If harm—or the threat of harm—to people is involved, the privileged communication protection disappears.

Which of the following may not be protected under the attorney-client privilege?

Which of the following may not be protected under the attorney-client privilege? A client who orally confesses to a crime. Correct!

Are California Form interrogatories objection proof?

See California Code of Civil Procedure §§2030.030(a)(2) and 2030.060. Their use was usually the first volley in the discovery battle. For years the Courts had found that the Form Interrogatories were objection proof as to form with minor exceptions.Jul 14, 2010

What does overbroad objection mean?

A. Blanket, unsupported objections that a discovery request is “vague, overly broad, or unduly burdensome” are, by themselves, meaningless, and disregarded by the Court.

How do you respond to plaintiff's interrogatories?

Your answers to the interrogatories should usually be short, clear, and direct and should answer only the question that is being asked. This is not the time to set out your entire case or defense to the other side. Take the time to make sure your answers are correct and truthful.

When can a lawyer break confidentiality?

When can a solicitor breach confidentiality? A solicitor cannot be under a duty of confidentiality if the client is trying to use them or the firm to commit fraud or other crimes. A client cannot make a solicitor the confidant of a crime and expect them to close up their lips upon any secret they dare to disclose.Jan 7, 2021

What is the difference between confidentiality and attorney-client privilege?

The main difference between attorney-client privilege and attorney-client confidentiality is that the former is an evidentiary principle while the latter is an ethical principle.

Are retainer agreements privileged California?

The privilege issue appears to hinge on which law applies—federal common law or California state law. Under federal common law, retainer agreements between clients and counsel are generally not protected by the attorney client privilege.Jul 23, 2019

What Is The Lawyer-Client Privilege?

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The lawyer-client privilege is set out in Evidence Code 954. This statute provides that: 1. A client does not need to disclose any confidential communications between him/herself and his/her attorney that take place within the lawyer-client relationship; and 2. The client may also prevent the attorney (or another third part…
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What Are Exceptions to The Lawyer-Client Privilege?

  • There are two major exceptions to the lawyer-client privilege under the California Evidence Code. These are:
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What Is Waiver of The California Attorney-Client Privilege?

  • In addition to the exceptions to the privilege discussed above, you can also waive—that is, eliminate—the lawyer-client privilege by voluntarily doing either of the following: 1. Disclosing a significant part of the privileged communication between you and your lawyer to a third party, or 2. Consenting to the disclosure of that privileged communication by anyone else.36 And if you fail …
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For Legal Representation…

  • If you have additional questions about the lawyer-client privilege in California, or you would like to discuss your case confidentially with one of our attorneys, do not hesitate to contact us at Shouse Law Group. (For cases in Colorado, see our article on attorney-client privilege law in Colorado.) We have local criminal law offices in and around Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange County, Riverside, …
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