Mysteries of Legal Professional Privilege
10 January 2019
Thursday, 10 January 2019. This day marked the first time, (and hopefully not the last time) that Skrine and Essex Court Chambers co-hosted a talk for their friends and clients. The topic of the talk: Mysteries of Legal Professional Privilege.
The event was billed as a golden opportunity for in-house counsel and management personnel to get an insight from practitioners from three different jurisdictions on this interesting and relevant topic. The speakers were David Foxton QC (Head of Essex Court Chambers, London), Tham Lijing (Essex Court Chambers Duxton, Singapore) and our very own Lee Shih.
Approximately 30 people attended the event, and were treated to a range of beverages and delectable canapes upon arrival.
The talk began with the speakers giving a detailed explanation on the different types of legal professional privilege enshrined in statute and common law, and the manner in which they were interpreted in the different jurisdictions. One common theme across the jurisdictions was the trend of regulators and enforcement agencies seeking production of documents and communications. The courts would have to determine whether some those documents were privileged and therefore, would not need to be disclosed. The utility of the information being passed on was clearly evident from the furious scribbling by members of the audience, filling up pages of notes, while hanging on to the words of the speakers.
After a short Q&A session, the event broke off for a cocktail reception. Armed with plates of mini cheesecakes and sago gula melaka, old friends of the firm met new friends, as the guests mingled with lawyers from Essex Court Chambers and Skrine.