Opinion ID: 407751
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Appellants' Speech Interests

Text: 21 Appellants' interest in speaking freely with their attorneys is interwoven with their right to effective assistance of counsel. Meaningful access to the courts is a fundamental right of citizenship in this country. Porter v. Califano, 592 F.2d 770, 780 (5th Cir. 1979). Indeed, all other legal rights would be illusory without it. Adams v. Carlson, 488 F.2d 619, 630 (7th Cir. 1973). Thus, while private parties must ordinarily pay their own legal fees, 35 they have an undeniable right to retain counsel to ascertain their legal rights. See Potashnick v. Port City Constr. Co., 609 F.2d 1101, 1117-19 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 449 U.S. 820, 101 S.Ct. 78, 66 L.Ed.2d 22 (1980). 22 Restrictions on speech between attorneys and their clients directly undermine the ability of attorneys to offer sound legal advice. As the common law has long recognized, the right to confer with counsel would be hollow if those consulting counsel could not speak freely about their legal problems. 36 Through the attorney-client privilege, the common law encourage(s) full and frank discussions between attorneys and their clients and thereby promote(s) broader public interests in the observance of law and the administration of justice. The privilege recognizes that sound legal advice or advocacy serves public ends and that such advice or advocacy depends on the lawyer being fully informed by the client. Upjohn Co. v. United States, 449 U.S. 383, 389, 101 S.Ct. 677, 682, 66 L.Ed.2d 584 (1981). Limitations on the attorney-client privilege have therefore been drawn narrowly, to remove the privilege only where the privileged relationship is abused. 37 Absent such abuse, or a waiver of the privilege, 38 our legal system jealously protects the confidential status of attorneyclient communications. Although an adversary may ordinarily inquire as to what the client knows, he  'cannot (compel him) to answer the question What did you say or write to your attorney?.'  Upjohn Co. v. United States, 449 U.S. at 396, 101 S.Ct. at 686 (quoting Philadelphia v. Westinghouse Electric Corp., 205 F.Supp. 830, 831 (E.D.Pa.1962)). 23 In this case, the government suggests that appellants have no legitimate interest in discussing government information with counsel. It argues that appellants, like other litigants, may request government information through standard FOIA and discovery procedures. Any claim of right to discuss such matters with counsel prior to formal receipt of the information, it suggests, is merely a plea for special treatment. 39 24 The government's argument ignores appellants' legitimate interest in an early assessment of their legal rights. The first step in the resolution of any legal problem is ascertaining the factual background and sifting through the facts with an eye to the legally relevant. Upjohn Co. v. United States, 449 U.S. at 390-91, 101 S.Ct. at 683. Maintaining the confidentiality of attorney-client communications facilitates this process by encouraging the client to supply his attorney with relevant information. Id. If the client were to act at his peril, 40 in pre-screening information that may be exempt from FOIA, however, these initial consultations could be seriously hampered. Because of the complexity of the law concerning FOIA exemptions, the client might unduly restrict his discussion of non-exempt information. 41 25 Thus, we conclude that appellants' speech interests are not only legitimate but, because they implicate appellants' fundamental right of access to the courts, are deserving of rigorous protection. Following the approach of Pickering and its progeny, we must now examine the government's interest in restricting appellants' speech in order to determine whether the Lauer memorandum passes constitutional muster. 26