More Privilege Articles

Privilege

Court Applies the General Rule Finding a Privilege Waiver When Clients Disclose Privileged Communications to Public Relations Consultants

One of the most dangerous misperceptions among corporate clients is that disclosing privileged communications to such friendly outsiders as public relations consultants does not waive privilege protection as long as there is a confidentiality agreement in place. A steady stream of cases have rejected that approach, yet large corporate clients and sophisticated law firms continue to rely on that mistaken view.

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Privilege

Delaware Court Provides Transactional and Practical Guidance: Part II

In his previous Privilege Point, McGuireWoods partner, Thomas Spahn, described a Delaware Chancery Court’s analysis of pre-closing privileged transactional documents in: (1) a stock sale (in which the statutory “default” position is that the buyer acquires those documents, unless the seller explicitly negotiates their exclusion); and (2) an asset sale (in which the seller retains ownership of those, unless the buyer explicitly negotiates for their transfer). Here, he picks up where he left off.

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Privilege

Delaware Court Provides Transactional and Practical Guidance: Part I

Corporate stock and asset sale transactions necessarily implicate ownership of: (1) ordinary day-to-day privileged communications about environmental matters, labor matters, etc., and (2) privileged communications about the transactions themselves. Buyers and sellers normally agree that the buyer should receive the first type, but disputes frequently arise about the second type.

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