Opinion ID: 1920961
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Meetings with the board's attorney or attorneys to discuss pending litigation by reason of the confidentiality thereof.

Text: The only factual information that the trial court had concerning this exception was that the present lawsuit was discussed at a closed meeting of seven or eight members. Under the circumstances we hesitate to make a precedent-setting decision adopting either the rule, adopted by a majority of the courts, favoring recognition of this exception or the minority rule refusing to recognize it, or possibly some modification of either. One argument advanced in behalf of recognizing this exception is that attorneys are governed by canons of ethics adopted by the supreme courts of various states and the ethical duties of an attorney as an officer of the court should not be interfered with. Times Publishing Co. v. Williams, 222 So.2d 470, 475 (Fla.App.1969). We do not feel that the canons of ethics need be blindly used if that use is purposeless. The confidentiality of conversations and communications between client and attorney is based on the assumption that the client may not disclose everything to his attorney if the information disclosed may be used against him. The results of non-disclosure are patentthe attorney cannot properly advise his client without knowledge of all the facts. An attorney without the facts is in no position to suggest and negotiate settlements in civil cases nor to engage in plea bargaining in criminal cases. Furthermore, it would be difficult for an uninformed attorney to prepare for trial and to try a lawsuit. Obviously, the machinery of justice would be adversely affected if clients were not free to discuss legal matters with their attorneys without fear of disclosure. [8] We fail to see any particular purpose in keeping confidential a meeting between the school board and its attorney over matters pertaining to this case, but there may be purposes that would surface in a case with a different factual setting. The real client in this case is not the school board but rather the public. In some instances, the best protection for the public might be a full public disclosure of any conference between a school board and its attorney. Where tort claims against the school district are being discussed by and between the school board and its attorney, disclosure might not be in the best interests of the public nor in the best interests of the administration of justice. Another basis cited for favoring this exception is the legislative policy underlying the statutory attorney-client privilege. Thus, Minn.St. 595.02(2) provides: An attorney cannot, without the consent of his client, be examined as to any communication made by the client to him or his advice given thereon in the course of professional duty; nor can any employee of such attorney be examined as to such communication or advice, without the client's consent. California has an open meeting law somewhat similar to that of Minnesota. A California court recognized this exception to its open meeting law in these words: The two enactments [the statutory privilege and the open meeting law] are capable of concurrent operation if the lawyer-client privilege is not overblown beyond its true dimensions. As a barrier to testimonial disclosure, the privilege tends to suppress relevant facts, hence is strictly construed. [Citation omitted.] As a barrier against public access to public affairs, it has precisely the same suppressing effect, hence hereto must be strictly construed. As noted earlier, the assurance of private legal consultation is restricted to communications `in confidence.' Private clients, relatively free of regulation, may set relatively wide limits on confidentiality. Public board members, sworn to uphold the law, may not arbitrarily or unnecessarily inflate confidentiality for the purpose of deflating the spread of the public meeting law. Neither the attorney's presence nor the happenstance of some kind of lawsuit may serve as the pretext for secret consultations whose revelation will not injure the public interest. Sacramento Newspaper Guild v. Sacramento County Bd. of Supervisors, 263 Cal.App.2d 41, 58, 69 Cal.Rptr. 480, 492 (1968). Arkansas has an open meeting law quite similar to that of Minnesota and has refused to recognize an exception based on the attorney-client relationship. Laman v. McCord, 245 Ark. 401, 432 S.W.2d 753 (1968). Plaintiffs would have us adopt the minority rule espoused by the Arkansas court, or in the alternative, pass upon this exception when the case is appropriately raised and argued before the court. Open meeting laws and their exceptions are a developing field of law and at this stage we are inclined to employ judicial restraint. We think this exception is too broad and that if any exceptions are to be made because of an attorney-client relationship, it should be done on a case-by-case basis or at least in a case with a more detailed factual setting than is presented by this record.