A recent privilege dispute in E.D.N.Y. case La Liberte v. Reid provides a prime opportunity to review the law and practical aspects surrounding attorney-client privilege, work product protection, and the crime-fraud exception...more
James MacDonald vs. Sally Wagenmaker, et.al., 2024 IL App (1st) 230089 (March 1, 2024) - Brief Summary - An Illinois appellate court reversed a discovery order compelling the defendant law firm to produce privileged...more
Allegations of defamation and conspiracy to defame alone are insufficient to establish the crime-fraud exception and defeat the attorney-client privilege, the Illinois Appellate Court recently held. In MacDonald v....more
Providers negotiating with doctors and other medical professionals who are bound by enforceable restrictive covenants is tricky business. By virtue of his/her/their position, these physicians may owe fiduciary duties to the...more
All or most courts recognize what they call the "crime-fraud exception" to attorney-client privilege protection. Although courts take differing positions on numbering this crime-fraud exception's factors, most agree on the...more
It is not uncommon for an attorney to execute all or part of his or her client’s wishes, which may be in breach of a fiduciary duty owed by the client to a third party. The third party can certainly sue the client for...more