The establishment of the attorney-client relationship involves two elements: a person seeks advice or assistance from an attorney; and the attorney appears to give, agrees to give or gives the advice or assistance.
An attorney-client relationship may be implied when: (1) a person seeks legal advice from an attorney; (2) the advice sought is within the attorney's professional competence: (3) and the attorney actually gives the advice.
While the duty of confidentiality allows disclosure in certain situations, such as when disclosure is necessary to abide by a court order, the privilege, if it applies to a communication, prevents court compulsion. Each doctrine has it exceptions and nuances different from those of the other doctrine.
If an attorney-client relationship exists, an attorney owes a duty of confidentiality to the clients. Except in those situations where a court appoints an attorney, the attorney-client relationship is created by contract, either express or implied.
A lawyer shall not knowingly reveal confidential information of a client or former client to a person that the client has instructed is not to receive the information or anyone else…” Tex.
Rule 3: Label the top of the communication or the subject line of an email: "Privileged and Confidential: Attorney-Client Privileged Communication." This notice should be prominent and easily viewable as soon as someone receives the communication.
For example, your indictment may be a public record, but if your attorney gives you a copy of the indictment, you aren't required to disclose that you were given the document because that fact is privileged. Attorney-client privilege extends to intended documents that weren't delivered.
Rule 3: Label the top of the communication or the subject line of an email: "Privileged and Confidential: Attorney-Client Privileged Communication." This notice should be prominent and easily viewable as soon as someone receives the communication.
No matter how the attorney-client privilege is articulated, there are four basic elements necessary to establish its existence: (1) a communication; (2) made between privileged persons; (3) in confidence; (4) for the purpose of seeking, obtaining or providing legal assistance to the client.