Abstract

The legal counsel’s privilege discussed in this article is one of the legal professional privileges. In the first part of the study outlined are the legal grounds for the duty to keep privileged information secret, the values covered by the legal counsel privilege, the time for which a counsel is bound by secrecy, the entities protected by the privilege and their rights with respect to disposing of the object of privilege, as well as the extent of confidentiality and the duties of entities entitled to gain access to privileged information. Further on, the article presents, among other things, the criteria of access to privileged information, the entities controlling preservation of confidentiality, as well as sanctions for illegitimate disclosure of privileged information. It has been emphasized that special caution must be exercised when passing privileged information via electronic and similar media. Other legal professional privileges include: solicitor’s privilege, defence counsel’s privilege, notary’s privilege and bailiff’s privilege (solicitor’s privilege was discussed in „Monitor Prawniczy” Nr 23/2013; other privileges will be discussed in subsequent issues).