Although the U.S. Supreme Court originally granted cert and heard arguments on the issue of whether a more expansive definition of attorney-client privilege should be adopted, SCOTUS issued a one-sentence ruling on Monday dismissing the appeal as having been "improvidently granted." This issue is relevant to all attorneys providing guidance to a client company but it is likely to be especially interesting for in-house counsel as their advice often encompasses both business and legal matters due to the nature of their role. After this non-substantive SCOTUS decision, it remains important for counsel to ensure that legal advice is the "primary purpose" of any communication it intends to keep confidential and subject to attorney-client privilege.
