Opinion ID: 2427845
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Letter of December 27, 1989

Text: This letter from Valero's outside counsel, Gregory King of the law firm of Bracewell & Patterson, to Stan McLelland, the general counsel of Valero, transmits a draft of a tolling agreement between Valero and Tejas and gives specific legal advice regarding the draft. Valero contends that both the letter and the attached draft are protected by the attorney-client privilege. The Long Trusts argue that since this and other drafts of the Tolling Agreement were produced, Valero has waived any claim of privilege. This argument is meritless. The cover letter is, on its face, privileged. The fact that drafts of the tolling agreement were produced does not entitle the Long Trusts to discover what legal advice may have been conveyed to Valero about the tolling agreement. The particular draft attached to the letter giving legal advice is also privileged because the Long Trusts are not entitled to know which drafts were reviewed by counsel for the purpose of giving legal advice. See generally Marathon Oil Co. v. Moyé, 893 S.W.2d 585, 589 (Tex.App.Dallas 1994, orig. proceeding) (providing that privilege attaches to legal advice and factual information included in communications between attorney and client); Pittsburgh Corning Corp. v. Caldwell, 861 S.W.2d 423, 425 (Tex. App.Houston [14th] 1993, orig. proceeding) (stating that it is inconceivable that sound legal advice could be obtained without a communication of facts in holding that factual recitations in written attorney-client communication were privileged); GAF Corp. v. Caldwell, 839 S.W.2d 149, 151 (Tex.App. Houston [14th] 1992, orig. proceeding) (holding that facts communicated to attorney in obtaining legal advice are part of the complete communication between client and counsel and the entire communication is privileged). The fact that a party sought legal advice on any particular subject matter is itself privileged unless put in issue by the party claiming the privilege. See Republic Ins. Co. v. Davis, 856 S.W.2d 158, 163 (Tex.1993) (orig.proceeding). No contention has been made that Valero has put at issue the fact that it sought legal advice or the nature of that legal advice. If a copy of this particular draft was sent to Tejas or otherwise had general, nonprivileged circulation, those copies of the draft must be produced. But the Long Trusts are not entitled to discover which draft among many was attached to this letter.