Does someone have to be admitted to the bar to qualify for
attorney-client privilege? I don't think so, that just determines who
can appear in court.

Does he have to have graduated law school? I don't think so.

Can I have a client-attorney relationship with my neighbor, whose
full-time job is as a plumber?

I read on Nextdoor today about kids seen carrying a flat screen tv,
probably stolen. If my kid brought one home, G-d forbid, I'd want to
return it without getting him in legal trouble. I'd like to hire my
childless neighbor or friend to take the tv to the police station but be
able to legally refuse to say from whom he got it, etc. Instead of
hiring a lawyer at what, 300/hour?

I guess this would apply to leaving babies in front of a hospital too,
instead of bringing them inside where it's warm and where they will be
noticed immediately, especially if you put them on the counter.

--
I think you can tell, but just to be sure:
I am not a lawyer.

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If you don't have a law license, you aren't a lawyer and attorney-client privilege doesn't apply. And lawyers these days cost anywhere from $100
(really cheap) to $700 ("white shoe" law firm).

Other possibilities include therapist-client privilege and
minister-parishioner privilege ("the confessional", but not restricted
to the Catholic Church).

You might be able to find a priest/minister in some minor church willing
to do this for a small fee. I don't think the Universal Life Church.

You might want to look up https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_status_of_the_Universal_Life_Church
and see if ULC ordinations are valid in your state. If they are, you
might be able to use that. BUT DON'T COUNT ON IT. I am not a lawyer and
this is REALLY TRULY NOT LEGAL ADVICE.

Some areas have "legal coffee shops", where you can sit down with an
actual lawyer over coffee or something and get advice for fairly cheap.

On 3/10/2023 12:06 PM, micky wrote:

Does someone have to be admitted to the bar to qualify for
attorney-client privilege? I don't think so, that just determines who
can appear in court.

Does he have to have graduated law school? I don't think so.

Can I have a client-attorney relationship with my neighbor, whose
full-time job is as a plumber?

I read on Nextdoor today about kids seen carrying a flat screen tv,
probably stolen. If my kid brought one home, G-d forbid, I'd want to
return it without getting him in legal trouble. I'd like to hire my childless neighbor or friend to take the tv to the police station but be
able to legally refuse to say from whom he got it, etc. Instead of
hiring a lawyer at what, 300/hour?

I guess this would apply to leaving babies in front of a hospital too, instead of bringing them inside where it's warm and where they will be noticed immediately, especially if you put them on the counter.

--
I do so have a memory. It's backed up on DVD... somewhere...

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micky <misc07@fmguy.com> wrote:

Does someone have to be admitted to the bar to qualify for
attorney-client privilege? I don't think so, that just determines
who can appear in court.

Actually that's incorrect. Bar membership is not only to represent a
person in court, but to represent them out of court or to practice
law in general.

Does he have to have graduated law school? I don't think so.

Bar membership is up to the states. Until fairly recently in many
states graduation from law school was not required to practice law.
In California and I believe six other states, someone can qualify to
take the bar by "reading the law," which does not require graduation
from law school.

Can I have a client-attorney relationship with my neighbor, whose
full-time job is as a plumber?

Not unless he's passed the bar and is a current member of the bar.

I read on Nextdoor today about kids seen carrying a flat screen
tv, probably stolen. If my kid brought one home, G-d forbid, I'd
want to return it without getting him in legal trouble. I'd like
to hire my childless neighbor or friend to take the tv to the
police station but be able to legally refuse to say from whom he
got it, etc. Instead of hiring a lawyer at what, 300/hour?

Your friend doesn't have to talk - doing so might incriminate
himself.

I guess this would apply to leaving babies in front of a hospital
too, instead of bringing them inside where it's warm and where
they will be noticed immediately, especially if you put them on
the counter.

Some states have laws that allow leaving babies in front of a
specified place, such as hospitals, if the infant was newly born.
That's a completely different issue.


--
Stu
http://DownToEarthLawyer.com


--
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG antivirus software.
www.avg.com

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IANAL but if you need to pass information is this manner, the "Priest–penitent privilege" is much easier to use.

Check out

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priest%E2%80%93penitent_privilege

"Rule 506 Communications to clergy. (a) Definitions. As used in this
rule:

(1) A "member of the clergy" is a minister, priest, rabbi,
Christian Science practitioner, or other similar functionary of a
religious organization, or an individual reasonably believed so to be by
the communicant."

My wife attended training at her local church who then declared her a "minister" so she could deliver "pray counseling". Those counseling
sessions would have been protected.

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On 3/11/2023 7:36 AM, Stuart O. Bronstein wrote:

I guess this would apply to leaving babies in front of a hospital
too, instead of bringing them inside where it's warm and where
they will be noticed immediately, especially if you put them on
the counter.

Some states have laws that allow leaving babies in front of a
specified place, such as hospitals, if the infant was newly born.
That's a completely different issue.

In California the general "safe surrender" location is fire stations.
EVen there you're supposed to look for a sign that designates it --
although if you try to hand over a baby to a station that isn't
equipped, I imagine one of the firefighters would tell you where the
nearest safe surrender station is.



--
I do so have a memory. It's backed up on DVD... somewhere...

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