In-House Counsel and the Attorney-Client Privilege

© Copyright Lex Mundi, Ltd. 2009
In-House Counsel and the Attorney-Client Privilege
BELGIUM
Liedekerke Wolters Waelbroeck Kirkpatrick
CONTACT INFORMATION
Aimery de Schoutheete
Liedekerke Wolters Waelbroeck Kirkpatrick
Boulevard de l’Empereur 3
B-1000 Brussels, Belgium
Tel: 32.2.551.15.15/ Fax: 32.2.551.14.14
[email protected]
www.liedekerke.com
This memorandum relates to the relevant Belgian legislation regulating the profession of
“in-house counsel” (Juristes d’entreprise / Bedrijfsjuristen) and its related “legal
privilege”.
Under Belgian law, a distinction is to be made between “professional secrecy”,
“confidentiality of documents” and “legal privilege.”
Professional Secrecy
Professional secrecy is an obligation imposed to all persons, which obtained secret
information because of their position or profession. The source of this obligation varies
from one profession to another. Violation of this obligation is punishable by law (art.
458 Criminal Code).
Confidentiality
Confidentiality (of documents) is often linked to professional secrecy, but is not
equivalent. The source of confidentiality can be a contract, a professional rule of
conduct, or a legal stipulation. Violation of confidentiality can be punished if data
covered by professional secrecy are disclosed.
Legal Privilege
This term is generally used in order to cover both confidentiality and professional
secrecy.
© Copyright Lex Mundi, Ltd. 2009
1.1 Organization of the profession
The profession of “in-house counsel” is regulated in Belgium by the law of March 1,
2000, creating the Institut des Juristes d’entreprise / Instituut voor Bedrijfsjuristen
(hereinafter referred to as the “Institut / Instituut”).
These “in-house counsels are the only ones entitled to bear the title of “Juriste
d’entreprise / Bedrijfsjurist” 1.
In order to become a Juriste d’entreprise / Bedrijfsjurist, the candidate must, amongst
others, be registered with the Institut / Instituut.
The Institut / Instituut is an autonomous public institution enjoying legal capacity
(personnalité juridique / rechtspersoonlijkheid) and created by the abovementioned law.
As required by law 2, the Institut / Instituut issues ethical rules, sets up a disciplinary
regime to be approved by Royal decree and exercises effective disciplinary power
through specific bodies, namely the commission de discipline / tuchtcommissie and the
commission d’appel / beroepscommissie, both chaired by magistrates appointed by the
King. The Juristes d’entreprise / Bedrijfsjuristen must abide by these rules and they are
sanctioned in case of infringement.
1.2 Legal Privilege
Article 5 of the law of March 1, 2000, as commented by the ethical rules issued by the
Institute, provides that all correspondence between a client and a Juriste d’entreprise /
Bedrijfsjurist containing or seeking legal opinion is confidential 3. Therefore, if a
manager asks his/her Juriste d’entreprise / Bedrijfsjurist a legal opinion, both the
correspondence seeking and containing the legal opinion will be confidential.
As a difference compared to the Advocat / Advocaat, the legal privilege of the Juriste
d’enetreprise is limited to his/her legal opinion and the document(s) seeking it.
Article 5 of the law of March 1, 2000, does not expressly refer to article 458 of the
Criminal Code. Yet, although the matter remains controversial, article 458 of Criminal
Code also applies, according to eminent authors to the Juriste d’entreprise / Bedrijfsjurist
where he/she gives a legal opinion so that any infringement to his/her duty not to reveal
what is confidential will give rise to criminal sanctions in the same way as for external
lawyers 4(Annex B).
1.3 Protection and seizure of documents
1
2
3
4
Article 6 of the Law of March 1, 2000
Article 2 of the Law of March 1, 2000
Article 5 of the Law of March 1, 2000
A Benoit-Moury et N. Thirion, « Secret professional, confidentialité et juriste d’enterprise : la nouvelle
donne », Journal des Tribunaux, Bruxelles, Larcier, 2001, n°33.
© Copyright Lex Mundi, Ltd. 2009
According to the same authors, the principles applicable in case of civil or criminal
enquiry at an Advocat’s / Advocaat’s office are applicable mutais mutandis in case of
enquiry at a Juriste d’entreprise’s / Bedrijfsjurist’s office as far as his/her legal opinions
are concerned 5.
As to the rules governing civil or criminal enquiries at the office of a Juriste d’entreprise
/ Bedrijfsjurist, there is no law or regulation on the subject.
However, the Institut / Instituut has issued guidelines describing the role of the President
of the Institut / Instituut in case of enquiries. Proposals of agreements and memoranda
are currently under discussion with the local Public Ministry containing some practices
already sanctioned by use.
It is worth mentioning some of these practices:
• The examining magistrate must personally lead the enquiry;
• The examining magistrate must warn the President of the Institut / Instituut in
advance and ask him to be present or represented during the enquiry;
• The examining magistrate is not allowed to seize confidential documents;
• In order to figure out whether a document is confidential, the President of the
Institut / Instituut of his/her delegates should be the only one looking at the
content of the document and making the selection;
• In case of disagreement regarding the confidentiality of a document, the document
has to be stored in an envelope to be addressed later on by the President of the
Institut / Instituut and the examining magistrate.
Annex
Article 458 of the Belgian Criminal Code
Les médecins, chirurgiens, officiers des santé, pharmaciens, sages-femmes, et toutes
autres personnes dépositaires par état ou par profession, des secrets qu’on leur confie,
qui, hors les cas où ils sont appelés à render témoignage en justice et celui oú la les oblige
à faire connaître ces secrets, les auront révélés, seront punis d’un emprisonnement de huit
jours à six mois et d’une amende de cent à cinq cents francs.
(Translated from French to English)
«Doctors, surgeons, health officers, pharmacists, mid-wives and all other persons who,
either by profession or otherwise, have knowledge of confidential information, will be
punished by eight days of imprisonment and 500 Francs if they reveal the confidential
information, except in instances when they are called to testify in court and when they are
obliged by law.»
Article 5 of Law of March 1, 2000 creating the Institut des Juristes d’entreprise /
Instituut voor Bedrijfsjuristen
5
A Benoit-Moury et N. Thirion, « Secret professional, confidentialité et juriste d’enterprise : la nouvelle
donne », Journal des Tribunaux, Bruxelles, Larcier, 2001, n° 6029, p. 791, n°30.
© Copyright Lex Mundi, Ltd. 2009
Les avis rendus par le juriste d’entreprise, au profit des son employeur et dans le cadre de
son activité de conseil juridique, sont confidentiels.
(Translated from French to English)
Opinions given by company lawyers to the benefit of their employers and within the
framework of their activity as legal counsel are confidential.