Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%

Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.

The Bankruptcy StrategistKickerFeaturesSectionsNewsLJN Newsletters

Beware: Not All Communications Between Court-Appointed Bankruptcy Professionals Are Privileged

By Norman N. Kinel and Terence D. Watson
May 02, 2015

It is virtually a given in all but the smallest Chapter 11 bankruptcies that financial advisers and/or investment bankers will be retained to assist in the representation of the debtor or any official committee. Bankruptcy attorneys rely on the expertise and assistance of these other professionals in addressing virtually every issue that arises in a case, including debtor-in-possession financing, assumption and rejection of executory contracts and leases, formulation and confirmation of a plan of reorganization or liquidation, and selling some or substantially all of the debtor's assets under section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code. Indeed, bankruptcy attorneys will provide legal advice to their clients based, at least in part, on the information and opinions obtained from other court-appointed non-attorney professionals. Consequently, a successful Chapter 11 representation requires a close working relationship between the client's attorneys and non-attorney professionals, and the latter are generally kept fully abreast of the attorney's strategies on behalf of their common client.

Many bankruptcy attorneys assume that otherwise privileged communications that are shared with non-attorney professionals are privileged, or that the disclosure of such privileged information in the presence of non-attorney professionals will not result in the waiver of any applicable privilege. However, where a communication otherwise protected by the attorney-client privilege is disclosed to, or made in the presence of a third party, the communication may no longer be, or deemed never to have been considered privileged. See, e.g., Westinghouse Elec. Corp. v. Republic of Philippines, 951 F.2d 1414, 1424 (3d Cir. 1991) (“voluntary disclosure to a third party of purportedly privileged communications has long been considered inconsistent with an assertion of the privilege.”). This raises significant issues in the bankruptcy context, where bankruptcy attorneys regularly exchange information with other court-appointed professionals who are not their clients or employees of their law firms.

This premium content is locked for LJN Newsletters subscribers only

  • Stay current on the latest information, rulings, regulations, and trends
  • Includes practical, must-have information on copyrights, royalties, AI, and more
  • Tap into expert guidance from top entertainment lawyers and experts

For enterprise-wide or corporate acess, please contact Customer Service at [email protected] or 877-256-2473

Read These Next
The DOJ's Corporate Enforcement Policy: One Year Later Image

The DOJ's Criminal Division issued three declinations since the issuance of the revised CEP a year ago. Review of these cases gives insight into DOJ's implementation of the new policy in practice.

The DOJ's New Parameters for Evaluating Corporate Compliance Programs Image

The parameters set forth in the DOJ's memorandum have implications not only for the government's evaluation of compliance programs in the context of criminal charging decisions, but also for how defense counsel structure their conference-room advocacy seeking declinations or lesser sanctions in both criminal and civil investigations.

Use of Deferred Prosecution Agreements In White Collar Investigations Image

This article discusses the practical and policy reasons for the use of DPAs and NPAs in white-collar criminal investigations, and considers the NDAA's new reporting provision and its relationship with other efforts to enhance transparency in DOJ decision-making.

Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the Rough Image

There is no efficient market for the sale of bankruptcy assets. Inefficient markets yield a transactional drag, potentially dampening the ability of debtors and trustees to maximize value for creditors. This article identifies ways in which investors may more easily discover bankruptcy asset sales.

Compliance Officers: Recent Regulatory Guidance and Enforcement Actions and Mitigating the Risk of Personal Liability Image

This article explores legal developments over the past year that may impact compliance officer personal liability.