UK Supreme Court confirms legal advice privilege only applies to advice from lawyers

January 24 2013

The UK Supreme Court delivered its judgment in the Prudential case yesterday, confirming by a majority of five to two that legal advice privilege (LAP) cannot be claimed to protect confidential communications between accountants and their clients for the purpose of requesting or providing legal advice, even in tax matters.

Unlock this content.

The content you are trying to view is exclusive to our subscribers.

To unlock this content:

Take a Free Trial or Login

Topics

more across site & shared bottom lb ros

More from across our site

Direct Tax

GAAR grandfathering ‘restored’ pursuant to Tiger Global: analysis

Authors from Khaitan & Co evaluate the recent CBDT notification, whereby legacy investments made by investors continue to be exempt from the applicability of GAAR

Sanjay Sanghvi, April 08 2026

Direct Tax

Baker McKenzie appoints ex-KPMG lawyer as Austrian tax head

Dual-qualified corporate tax specialist Christoph Schimmer joins the firm after stints at Deloitte, Cerha Hempel and DLA Piper

Tom Baker, April 08 2026

Direct Tax

Pillar two and the new global tax disorder

Geopolitical rivalry is reshaping global tax cooperation, as the OECD’s minimum tax framework fragments and the EU grapples with the ensuing legal fallout

Renáta Bláhová, April 06 2026

Direct Tax

Trust is a tax virtue, says Marco Sandoli

LED Taxand’s partner tells ITR about entrepreneurial inspirations, the importance of people skills, and what makes tax cool

April 06 2026

Direct Tax

A taxing week: Three cheers for the firms betting on real estate

Shiny new offices like Ryan’s in London Bridge aren’t just a cost – they signal that a firm is willing to align with its clients’ interests

Tom Baker, April 03 2026

Direct Tax

This week in tax: Deloitte UK appoints tax specialist as CEO

Darren Graves will succeed Richard Houston, who is set to lead Deloitte EMEA; in other news, Morgan Lewis hired a three-partner tax team in New York

Sam Sholli, April 03 2026

Transfer Pricing

India announces record number of APAs for 2025/26 financial year

India also signed its first-ever bilateral APAs with France, Ireland, Indonesia and Sweden last year, the CBDT revealed

Sam Sholli, April 02 2026

Direct Tax

Chile’s GAAR one year on: enforcement, sustainability and limitations

Chile’s revamped GAAR marks a shift toward structural scrutiny, pushing MNEs to strengthen tax governance, economic substance and compliance strategies

Patricio Casas Farías, April 02 2026

Transfer Pricing

Inside Canada’s ‘most consequential TP shift in decades’

New reforms represent the most seismic shift in Canadian TP legislation since its enactment and a clear inflection point for MNEs, ITR has heard

Sam Sholli, April 01 2026

Indirect Tax

Gavel of judge with coins against European Union flag

This month in indirect tax: European Commission refers Spain to CJEU for VAT failures

Spain did not transpose EU VAT rules for SMEs or works of art; in other news, an increased VAT threshold came into force in South Africa

Sam Sholli, April 01 2026