Tanenbaum Keale LLP partners Pamela Kaplan and Marina McGuire moderated an interactive workshop related to attorney-client privilege through the full spectrum of written and digital communications at the National Association of Women Lawyers’ (NAWL) General Counsel Institute, a three-day event held in New York.
TK hosted and sponsored a session titled “That Email Said WHAT?: Attorney-Client Privilege and the In-House Attorney,” allowing participants to look at how emails, memos and other documents can end up in “gray-area” situations. Workshop panelists included Johnson & Johnson Senior Counsel Kelly Belnick, Genmab US Inc. Director of Legal Counsel Lori Chapin, and Champion Home Builders, Inc. Associate General Counsel Caren Ries.
The presentation included a look at how communications within-house counsel can add complexity to the process of privileged communications, as in-house attorneys often walk an interesting tightrope as both business advisors and legal counsel. Panelists provided tips and best practices to remove ambiguity and keep intended privileged communications privileged and avoid problematic litigation.
NAWL, one of the largest organizations in the country dedicated to advancing women in the legal profession and advocating for the equality of women under the law, sponsors the General Counsel Institute to offer a comprehensive program dedicated to in-house counsel and enhancing their legal and leadership skills. Tanenbaum Keale maintains an active membership in NAWL.
Kaplan’s practice at TK focuses on assisting clients in their effort to reach favorable outcomes in product liability and automotive matters in addition to mass torts. She has a significant track record in handling complex asbestos and environmental and toxic tort litigation. McGuire handles all aspects of complex and high-stakes products liability and environmental and toxic tort litigation, predominantly concentrating her work on defense of large companies, including pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, in both federal and state courts.