Working Remotely and Safeguarding the Attorney-Client Privilege: Legal Ethics
Preventing Inadvertent Waiver, Maintaining Confidentiality and Privilege in a Work From Home Environment

Course Details
- smart_display Format
On-Demand
- signal_cellular_alt Difficulty Level
- work Practice Area
Ethics
- event Date
Tuesday, June 2, 2020
- schedule Time
1:00 p.m. ET./10:00 a.m. PT
- timer Program Length
90 minutes
-
This 90-minute webinar is eligible in most states for 1.5 CLE credits.
This CLE course will prepare attorneys to comply with the fundamental rule that a lawyer must not reveal information relating to a client's representation unless the client has given informed consent when the attorney must work in unusual conditions, such as when forced to relocate on short notice to a non-office or home environment, to work remotely, and in an open-office configuration.
Description
All jurisdictions have some version of the ABA's Model Rule 1.6, which provides that a lawyer "shall not reveal information relating to the representation of a client." The duty of confidentiality is much broader than the attorney-client privilege.
An attorney must not disclose any information communicated in confidence by the client nor any information related to the representation, regardless of the source. There is no exception in the rule for "publicly available" or "generally available" information. However, some states exclude from the definition of "confidential information" information that is known to a sizeable percentage of people in the local community, trade, or field.
Attorneys, therefore, have conformed their conduct and outfitted their regular workplaces to meet these obligations and make compliance second nature. From time to time, however, attorneys and their clients find themselves unexpectedly and by necessity working from a new location, using unfamiliar tools, in temporary workspaces not optimized for confidentiality and under acute personal and professional stress.
Listen as the panel discusses ways lawyers working remotely, at home, or in open-offices can inadvertently disclose confidential information and ways to mitigate those risks.
Outline
- Duty of confidentiality
- Individual clients
- Organizational clients
- Over-inclusion on email and conferencing
- Prospective clients
- Continuation of the duty after the attorney-client relationship ends
- Confidentiality vs. attorney-client privilege vs. work product
- Authority
- Coverage
- Operation
- Responsibility
- Duration
- Improper release/breach
- What constitutes a breach of confidentiality
- Are all breaches of confidentiality equal?
- Protecting the attorney-client privilege in emails, videoconferencing, texting
Benefits
The panel will review these and other essential matters:
- Model Rule 1.6, ABA Formal Opinions 479 and 480, and state law comparisons
- Reasonable precautions to prevent information from getting into the hands of unintended recipients
- What level of competency in cybersecurity is required by Model Rule 1.6
- The duty to protect information that could lead to the discovery of confidential information
- How the concepts of confidentiality, attorney-client privilege, and work product are related but different
Unlimited access to premium CLE courses:
- Annual access
- Available live and on-demand
- Best for attorneys and legal professionals
Unlimited access to premium CPE courses.:
- Annual access
- Available live and on-demand
- Best for CPAs and tax professionals
Unlimited access to premium CLE, CPE, Professional Skills and Practice-Ready courses.:
- Annual access
- Available live and on-demand
- Best for legal, accounting, and tax professionals
Unlimited access to Professional Skills and Practice-Ready courses:
- Annual access
- Available on-demand
- Best for new attorneys
Related Courses

AI and the Legal Industry: Ethical Issues, Privacy/Security Considerations, Best Practices for Using AI
Wednesday, June 4, 2025
1:00 PM E.T.

Working Remotely and Safeguarding the Attorney-Client Privilege: Legal Ethics
Available On-Demand

Anti-Burnout Strategies for Solos and Associate Attorneys
Available On-Demand
Recommended Resources
5 Top Tips to Support Your SQE Candidates with Qualifying Work Experience Submissions
- Talent Development