Legal Professional Privilege in the Common Law World: A Guide to Six Major Jurisdictions, 2nd Edition | 2026*

Legal Professional Privilege in the Common Law World: A Guide to Six Major Jurisdictions, 2nd Edition | 2026*

Legal Professional Privilege in the Common Law World offers a comprehensive comparative study of legal professional privilege (LPP), also referred to as attorney-client privilege, across six leading common law jurisdictions: England, Australia, Canada, Singapore, Hong Kong, and the United States. It examines the legal principles protecting confidential communications between lawyers and clients in relation to legal advice, litigation, and associated preparatory documents.

Taking a comparative perspective, the authors explore both the fundamental role of LPP in safeguarding the lawyer-client relationship and the ongoing challenges courts face in balancing privilege with effective law enforcement and the administration of justice. Drawing on significant case law from each jurisdiction, the book provides practical guidance for judges, legal practitioners, and academics while addressing areas where the law remains uncertain and highlighting the growing influence of cross-jurisdictional developments.

Building on the earlier edition, Legal Professional Privilege for Corporations, this revised edition continues its strong emphasis on corporate privilege while also covering the application of LPP to all clients. It examines key issues such as shareholders' access to privileged corporate documents, waiver of privilege, handling of privileged material that has left a client's control, conflict of laws in privilege disputes, and the crime-fraud (or iniquity) exception. This edition also expands its comparative analysis by including Singapore and Hong Kong alongside the original jurisdictions.

Table of Contents of Legal Professional Privilege in the Common Law World: A Guide to Six Major Jurisdictions, 2nd Edition | 2026

1: Introduction

2: The Evolving Rationale For Legal Professional Privilege

3: The Corporate Client

4: The Client's Legal Advisers

5: The Client's Purpose

6: Control Of Corporate Privilege

7: Waiver And Loss Of Corporate Privilege

8: The Crime-Fraud Exception And Procedural Aspects Of Privilege

9: Re-Examining The Scope Of Privilege

About The Authors:

Prof. Andrew Higgins is Professor of Civil Justice Systems at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Mansfield College. A qualified barrister in both England and Australia, he is the General Editor of the Civil Justice Quarterly and previously served as an Academic Member of the Civil Justice Council.

Jocelyn R. W. Plant is a barrister in London. She previously worked as a litigation associate in New York and served as a judicial law clerk at the Supreme Court of Canada and the British Columbia Court of Appeal. She holds law degrees from the University of British Columbia and the University of Oxford and is qualified to practise in Ontario, New York, and England and Wales.

John Yap is a London-based barrister specialising in commercial litigation and international arbitration. He has a strong academic and professional interest in Asian legal systems, having conducted research in Singapore and Hong Kong before joining the Bar. He earned both his BA in Jurisprudence and BCL from the University of Oxford with outstanding academic distinction.

Find more books like Legal Professional Privilege in the Common Law World: A Guide to Six Major Jurisdictions, 2nd Edition: Evidence Law