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Trustee's Ability To Waive Individual Debtor’S Attorney-Client Privilege, Rebecca Leaf

Bankruptcy Research Library

(Excerpt)

Courts disagree about whether a trustee may waive an individual debtor's attorney-client privilege. Although the Supreme Court has addressed the issue in the case of corporate debtors, it has not done so in the case of individual debtors. Thus, lower courts have adopted three approaches to cases involving individual debtors: allowing the trustee to always waive privilege, never allowing the trustee to waive privilege, and a balancing approach.

This memo explores the importance of the attorney-client privilege, its relevant statutory bases, Supreme Court precedent, and the three approaches mentioned above. This memo also considers the advantages and disadvantages of …