Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
have.access.to.will.be.produced..All.of.us.therefore.will.beneit.
from.understanding.that.some.information.that.is.exchanged.
or.stored.in.certain.proscribed.ways.might.be.exempt.from.
being.produced.in.court.because.it.is.considered.“privileged.”
Let's. begin. with. the. legal. deinition. of.
privileged.
information
:
n
..statements.and.conversations.made.under.circumstances.of.
assured.conidentiality.which.must.not.be.disclosed.in.court..
These.include.communications.between.husband.and.wife,.
attorney.and.client,.physician.or.therapist.and.patient,.and.
minister.or.priest.with.anyone.seeing.them.in.their.religious.
status..In.some.states.the.privilege.is.extended.to.reporters.
and.informants..Thus,.such.people.cannot.be.forced.to.tes-
tify.or.reveal.the.conversations.to.law.enforcement.or.courts,.
even. under. threat. of. contempt. of. court,. and. if. one. should.
break.the.conidentiality.he/she.can.be.sued.by.the.person.
who.had.conidence.in.him/her..The.reason.for.the.privilege.
is.to.allow.people.to.speak.with.candor.to.spouse.or.profes-
sional.counselor,.even.though.it.may.hinder.a.criminal.prose-
cution..The.extreme.case.is.when.a.priest.hears.an.admission.
of.murder.or.other.serious.crime.in.the.confessional.and.can.
do.nothing.about.it..The.privilege.may.be.lost.if.the.one.who.
made.the.admission.waives.the.privilege,.or,.in.the.case.of.an.
attorney,.if.the.client.sues.the.attorney.claiming.negligence.in.
conduct.of.the.case..(www.dictionary.law.com)
*
This.deinition.does.a.good.job.of.summing.up.the.legal.
understanding. of. privileged. communications.. This. can. also.
be.called.
attorney-client.privilege
.if.it.is.speciically.address-
ing.your.communications.with.your.lawyers.about.a.case.
How.would.this.affect.you.as.someone.engaged.in.a.legal.
issue?.For.one,.you.should.understand.that.if.you.e-mail.or.
text.or.otherwise.communicate.anything.to.your.attorney,.or.
your.wife,.physician,.therapist,.or.a.religious.counselor/minis-
ter.of.some.kind.with.some.assurance.of.conidentiality,.those.
*.
law.com,.Legal.Terms.and.Deinitions,.“privileged.communication”:.http://dic-
tionary.law.com/Default.aspx?selected=1615..Retrieved.2011-06-17.
