When you are injured in an accident and seek help from a personal injury attorney, you will entrust him with a lot of personal information. You will provide details about the accident and your injuries. In order to determine your damages, you will also tell him about your earnings, your medical history, and how the injuries have affected your life.
Some of what you tell your attorney could be embarrassing or uncomfortable, but you need to speak freely with him so he can provide you with the best possible representation. It is therefore important for you to know that what you tell your attorney is protected by attorney-client privilege. Nearly every conversation a lawyer has with his client is excluded from being discovered by someone else.
Not only does the attorney-client privilege prevent other people from gaining access to information you share with your attorney, it also prevents your attorney from sharing your information with anyone else.
Confidentiality Rules for a Personal Injury Attorney
Rule 3-100 of the Rules of Professional Conduct put forth by the State Bar of California establishes rules for protecting a client’s confidential information. According to the relevant code of conduct, an attorney: “shall not reveal information protected from disclosure by Business and Professions Code section 6068, subdivision (e)(1) without the informed consent of the client…”
The only exception to this rule is if revealing confidential information is necessary to prevent a criminal act that an attorney believes is likely to result in death or serious bodily injury.
Business and Professional Code 6068 says it is the duty of an attorney to maintain his client’s confidence and to do everything possible to preserve the secrets of his client. The California Evidence Code also provides rules for attorney-client privilege. The code protects the strong relationship between attorney and client by ensuring attorneys do not have to testify, or otherwise provide evidence, against their clients.
The attorney-client privilege rules are essential to making sure that attorneys are able to properly represent their clients. Without the protections ensuring private communications, clients might not be comfortable opening up to their lawyers about details their attorneys need to know.
Clients need to be aware, though, that attorney-client privilege and confidentiality rules apply only to information shared with their lawyers, not with a third party. If someone else is present when a client and his lawyer are speaking, the information in the conversation had in front of the third party is generally not considered privileged.
With the advent of technology, a great deal of information is now being transmitted online. This may concern some clients. To protect their clients’ information, attorneys need to implement safeguards such as the use of passwords, firewalls and encryption.
How a Long Beach Personal Injury Attorney Can Help
Your Injuries are Personal to Me
When you are hurt, you need to get legal help from an attorney who cares about your case and who will maintain confidentiality in order to protect your privacy. I will keep your confidence and ensure anything you share remains private at all times. I will also work hard to help you make the strongest claim possible in your injury case. Your injuries are personal to me, so I will handle every aspect of your case until your claim is resolved.
Call the Law Office of Michael D. Waks at 888-394-1174 or use the convenient online contact form to schedule a free consultation to speak with a Long Beach personal injury attorney to learn how I can help you if you’ve suffered a car accident injury.
You will be under no obligation and you will never pay any money unless you recover compensation for your losses.
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