The California Supreme Court recently held, in Los Angeles Board of Supervisors v. Superior Court (2016) that attorneys’ invoices may not be protected by the attorney-client privilege after litigation ends. The issue arose out of a lawsuit brought by the ACLU to obtain billing records by law firms representing the City of Los Angeles to defend litigation brought by jail inmates. The ACLU’s position was that these law firms engaged in “scorched earth” tactics. The Court affirmed some limitations on production of these bills. The Court conceded that information could be protected if it tells the client “of the nature or amount of work occurring in connection with a pending legal event” or even an uptick in amounts spent “could…
