Below we offer best practices to ensure that privileged communications with contractors can be protected. Attorney-client privilege extends to anyone who is necessary for the communication.This publication is not intended to provide legal advice but to provide general information on legal matters. More than six years ago, in July 2003, I published an article in NYPRR entitled The Attorney-Client Privilege and Public Relations Firms. The attorney-client relationship affords a distinct, invaluable right to have communications protected from compelled disclosure to any third party. Your answer should probably be "Yes. " Having the client's helper on hand is useful, and carries minimal risk of waiving the attorney-client privilege. If the purpose is legal advice, the communication is privileged if it's confidential and between lawyer and client. Most courts will apply the exception even if the attorney had no knowledge of, and didn't participate in, the actual crime or fraud. Even though suit has not yet been filed, you retain several experts as consultants to assist you in the evaluation and defense of these expected suits.