Solicitor-Client Privilege in the Context of Tax Advice

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to set out the essential principles of privilege and to highlight why privilege, as a fundamental concept to the proper administration of justice, does not apply to communications other than those made with a lawyer for a legal purpose. The general discussion of privilege is to provide a basic understanding of privilege to facilitate the discussion surrounding whether it is appropriate to extend it to tax accountants. Lastly, the paper provides general recommendations for tax advisors regarding the protection of documents from disclosure.