If the purpose is legal advice, the communication is privileged if it's confidential and between lawyer and client. On the other hand, if the lawyer is acting as a business negotiator or advisor, the communication probably is not privileged. An in-house lawyer fulfills multiple roles!
Therefore, controversy has emerged over the scope of the attorney–client privilege between the counsel and the president and vice president, namely with John Dean of Watergate notoriety. It is clear, however, that the privilege does not apply in strictly personal matters.
Rule 4-4.2, Rules of Professional Conduct, provides that, in representing a client, a lawyer cannot communicate with a person the lawyer knows to be represented by another lawyer in the matter unless the other lawyer gives consent.
Identify privileged documents (including notes of privileged conversations) as such, using headers such as “privileged and confidential attorney-client communication” or “privileged and confidential prepared at the request of counsel.” In addition, maintain dates and names of participants, meetings, and distributions ...
Email communications are not covered by the privilege simply because an OGC attorney is copied on the email. The privilege only applies if the communication has a substantial purpose of seeking legal advice from an OGC attorney.
For those lawyers who are employees of one company, they are not considered to have a private practice or a public practice. These lawyers are called “in-house counsel.” That means they are directly employed by one client and are typically prevented from being able to take on any other clients.
Although historically courts held there was no privilege, more recently courts—including one California court—have concluded that communications between attorneys and their firm's in-house counsel are privileged.
Attorney-client privilege extends to intended documents that weren't delivered. For example, if you mail your attorney relevant documents that get lost in the mail, the contents are still covered under attorney-client privilege.
Rule 4-1.17 provides that the seller must attempt to serve each client with written notice of the contemplated sale, including the identity of the purchaser and the fact that the decision to consent to the substitution of counsel or to make other arrangements must be made within 30 days.
(a) PROOF OF SERVICE. Within twenty-one days after service of a summons and complaint, a party must file proof of service.