By:  Christina A. Daskas
Ford Motor Company

The attorney-client privilege was the first evidentiary privilege recognized in Anglo-American law.¹   Its purpose is "to encourage full and frank communication between attorneys and their clients and thereby promote broader public interests in the observance of law and administration of justice."²   The privilege is based upon the client's ability to communicate openly and freely and to seek legal advice from persons skilled and knowledgeable in the law.