When an employee talks to in-house or outside counsel for the purpose of obtaining legal advice for the company, that communication will be privileged and can be protected from disclosure.  Likewise, when in-house counsel is meeting with several employees at the same time for the purpose of gathering information to be used for legal advice, the communication that takes place will be privileged.

Notwithstanding the fact that the attorney-client privilege applies to communications between a lawyer and a client, many people still believe that communications amongst employees are protectable even if no attorney is present, as long as they are discussing an ongoing or potential litigation.  That is a misguided notion, and looking at the facts of a 4^th Circuit case, US v. Tedder, reveals how dangerous having such a misconception can be.… Keep reading