Attorney-Client Privilege in the Americas: Professional Secrecy of Lawyers

Description

One of the major challenges facing the legal profession today is how to adapt and apply the concept of attorney-client privilege (or professional secrecy) in an increasingly globalised world. Rules on attorney-client privilege differ significantly from country to country. This book explores such differences within 32 jurisdictions in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. Together with its complementary volume Professional Secrecy of Lawyers in Europe (Cambridge, 2013), this book explores the creation of a common definition for attorney-client privilege which can be accepted by a wide variety of countries and international institutions. Practice and interpretation within each jurisdiction is mapped and explored, including reference to local laws, ethical rules and case law. This book is a useful resource for those working on transactions or litigations which involve several countries.

James R. Silkenat is a partner in the New York office of Sullivan and Worcester. He served as President of the 400,000 member American Bar Association in 2013-14 and has published widely in the areas of international law and business. He is a an Honorary Bencher of the Middle Temple Inn in London and is a former Legal Counsel of the World Bank Group's International Finance Corporation. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the World Justice Project and is the recipient of the Business Law and Leadership Award of the Lawyers Alliance for New York. Dirk Van Gerven is a partner in the Brussels office of NautaDutilh, a leading Benelux law firm, and a member of the Brussels and New York Bars. He has extensive experience in all areas of corporate and financial law. He served as President of the Dutch-speaking section of the Brussels Bar from 2010 to 2012 and has published widely in the fields of corporate and financial law and professional ethics. Van Gerven has also been a member of the supervisory board of Belgium's Financial Services and Markets Authority (previously the Banking, Finance and Insurance Commission) since 2003, presiding over it since 2011, and is Vice President of Cepani, the Belgian arbitration institute.