Do lawyers keep everything you tell them confidential?

Question

Do lawyers keep everything you tell them confidential?

Answer 1

NOBODY does !

Answer 2

The only time the Attorney-Client privileged is waived is when you, the client raise it, by claiming the attorney did something wrong.

Answer 3

NO! whatever turns the information into gold!!! Does that answer your question!

Answer 4

yes they have to keep it confidential because they owe a duty to their client to keep all the matters spoken between them to be confidential. if any lawyer breach this, the client can sue the lawyer for breach of trust.

but also it depends on what you told the lawyer. if u tell him that you are going to blow up a place or commit a murder he is not bound to keep that matter confidential.  

Answer 5

Unlike what Sissy Space Sick says, a lawyer is legally bound to keep anything you tell them confidential. Lawyer-client confidentiality.

Anything you tell them is not admissable in court if the lawyer chooses to testify against you, and he could be sued if he does break confidentiality.

Answer 6

http://www.law.cornell.edu/ethics/aba/mc...

this is discussed about 1/2 way down the page. Lots of "yes, but...".

My understanding (my own research)

- he HAS to protect what you tell him, even when he knows you are guilty

- he HAS to tell the court if you are going to commit certain crimes that you didn't already do

- he CANNOT knowingly allow you to lie under oath

- if he finds out YOU lied to him, he CAN withdraw from the case

He can be disbarred if he does not follow the ethical rules.  

Answer 7

A lawyer is required to protect the confidentiality of things told him under lawyer-client confidentiality.

That doesn't mean 'everything', though. If you tell your lawyer that you are going to commit a crime, he has to report it.

If you tell him that the Raiders are going to win the superbowl this year, he can tell everyone he meets "Guess what that fool thinks!", because it's not related to the issue.

Richard