Do attorney notes belong to the client?
The client is entitled to all papers and property the client provided, all litigation materials, all correspondence, all items the lawyer has obtained from others, and all notes or internal memorandums that may constitute work product.
What documents belong to the client?
documents sent or received by the firm as the agent of the client belong to the client. For example: communications sent to the firm by third parties and the firm’s communications with third parties as agent for the client.
Who owns the client’s legal file?
The papers in a client’s file belong to the client and must be released promptly to the client following termination of the attorney-client relationship if requested by the client. Rule 3-700(D)(2), Rules of Professional Conduct of the State Bar of California.
What rule is attorney-client privilege?
The attorney-client privilege is, strictly speaking, a rule of evidence. It prevents lawyers from testifying about, and from being forced to testify about, their clients’ statements. Independent of that privilege, lawyers also owe their clients a duty of confidentiality.
Are clients bound by attorney-client privilege?
The attorney-client privilege protects most communications between clients and their lawyers. But, according to the crime-fraud exception to the privilege, a client’s communication to her attorney isn’t privileged if she made it with the intention of committing or covering up a crime or fraud.