Attorney Client Privilege in Florida and Michael Cohen

If you’re seeking legal advice from an attorney with the expectation that that person is going to provide some advice or counseling to you with an expectation of privacy, that’s generally considered confidential.

Attorney Client Privilege in Florida and Michael Cohen. What do the two have in common. Hello my name is Jonathan Pankauski. I’m a probate and Trust litigation attorney in West Palm Beach, Florida. The news has recently been filled with Michael Cohen, the lawyer for president Trump and his office and residents being raided pursuant to a search warrant and the feds got documents. One of the complaints is that Michael Cohen an attorney and he may have had attorney-client privilege information. Now if you’re involved in Florida litigation it’s important to know that, what you share with your attorney is generally attorney-client privilege, they can’t be disseminated or distributed to non-clients. But you should also know that this is a very important very broad duty of confidentiality that attorneys are under in Florida. Florida attorneys are required to keep what you tell them confidential.

Now, a problem arises or a challenger rises if there’s a question about whether you have an attorney or not. So did you sign a legal services contract have you paid for Legal Services. Have you complied with your lawyer or your law firms policies regarding accepting new clients. Are you really a new client or are you just talking to someone or you being interviewed by a lawyer and you think he or she may be a lawyer for you but you don’t recognize that. Understand whether you have an attorney-client relationship or not, Florida law is pretty clear if you’re seeking legal advice from an attorney with the expectation that that person is going to render some advice or counseling to you with an expectation of privacy that’s generally considered confidential. This can occur even if you don’t pay for those services or there is no formal hiring but the facts are very important and they can change from case to case. So if you’re communicating with your lawyer if you want to be extra safe make sure you put attorney-client privilege confidential at the very top of your communications and don’t share those communications with non-lawyers.