§ 564-B:2-205 — Confidential Communications

(a) A communication between an attorney and a client acting as a trustee, trust advisor, or trust protector is privileged and protected from disclosure to the same extent as if the client was acting in his, her, or its individual capacity and was not acting as a trustee, trust advisor, or trust protector.
(b) The privilege is not waived by (1) a fiduciary relationship between the trustee, trust advisor, or trust protector and a beneficiary of the trust or (2) the use of trust property to compensate the attorney for legal services rendered to the trustee, trust advisor, or trust protector.
(c) If an attorney's client is a trustee, trust advisor, or trust protector, then the attorney's client is only the person acting as trustee, trust advisor, or trust protector. A successor trustee, successor trust advisor, or successor trust protector is not the attorney's client solely by reason of succeeding the person with whom the attorney had an attorney-client relationship.
(d) A trustee, trust advisor, or trust protector and his, her, or its successor may agree to share privileged communications relating to some or all matters involving the trust. The disclosure of privileged communications under the agreement does not waive the disclosing party's privilege. Unless the agreement provides otherwise, privileged communications disclosed under the agreement shall not be disclosed to a third party without the disclosing party's consent or a court order.
(e) This section shall not impair or abridge the law governing exceptions to the attorney-client privilege relative to claimants through the same deceased.

Legislative History

2014, 195:13, eff. July 1, 2014.