Opinion ID: 2516086
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Requirement of Confidentiality

Text: Because the purpose of the privilege is to encourage clients to confide in their attorneys, it applies only to statements made in circumstances giving rise to a reasonable expectation that the statements will be treated as confidential. Lanari v. People, 827 P.2d 495, 499 (Colo.1992); see also D.A.S. v. People, 863 P.2d 291, 295 (Colo. 1993) (noting that there must be circumstances indicating the intention of secrecy for a communication to be privileged); People v. Tippett, 733 P.2d 1183, 1192 (Colo.1987) (stating that communications must be private or secret to be privileged). If a client communication is made to an attorney in the presence of a third party, then the communication is ordinarily not considered confidential. D.A.S., 863 P.2d at 295; McCormick, supra, § 91, at 364 ([T]he presence of a casual disinterested third person within hearing to the client's knowledge would demonstrate that the communication was not intended to be confidential.). Since confidentiality is one of the elements that must be shown in order for the attorney-client privilege to attach, a communication made in the presence of a third party will not ordinarily receive the protection of the attorney-client privilege. [9] No blanket privilege for all attorney-client communications exists. Rather, the privilege must be claimed with respect to each specific communication and, in deciding whether the privilege attaches, a trial court must examine each communication independently. [10] Thus, a communication between attorney and client that satisfies the requisites of the privilege will be protected, while a separate attorney-client communication that does not satisfy the privilege's criteria will not be protected. The burden of establishing that a particular communication is privileged rests on the party asserting the privilege. D.A.S., 863 P.2d at 294.