What is protected by Attorney-Client Privilege?

Attorneys hear all kinds of information from their clients. If you speak with an attorney, you may be nervous about what you should tell him or her. You want your lawyer to help you, but you may have information that you don’t want to get out.  Fortunately, your communication with your attorney(s) is protected by Attorney-Client Privilege.  What does this mean?

The law creates privileges and protections for your communications with an attorney. Any of these communications remain private and cannot be used against you in court proceedings. This gives you the freedom you need to give your lawyer all the information he or she needs to best represent you at trial.

How Attorney-Client Privilege Works

If you are arrested, you may have to provide some information to prosecutors. This process is called “discovery,” and is a way to make sure both sides have access to all the relevant facts of a case. Privilege creates an exception to this rule. Once you speak with a lawyer, that information is protected by the attorney-client privilege. This keeps any communication that you make in confidence with a lawyer from being disclosed to a prosecutor.

The reason for attorney-client privilege is the special relationship that an attorney and client need to share. You cannot be open about your case if you know prosecutors might take any information you provide. No matter what you tell your attorney as part of his or her representation of you, the prosecuting attorney does not have a right to that information.

How It Helps You

The biggest benefit to this rule is that it allows you to be open. The more honest you are with your lawyer, the more completely he or she can represent you at trial. Understanding the facts fully can help him or her know what witnesses to call, whether to have you testify, and what evidence will be most helpful to your defense. It gives him or her the ability to advocate fully on your behalf.

If you have been arrested in Madison, Wisconsin, you need to be confident in your attorney’s ability to defend you. Contact Eisenberg Law Offices for experienced representation.