Belguim Liedekerke . Wolters . Waelbroeck . Kirkpatrick

Attorney Client Privilege Survey
© Copyright Lex Mundi Ltd. 2005
Belguim
Liedekerke . Wolters . Waelbroeck . Kirkpatrick
Boulevard de l'Empereur 3
Brussels, B-1000
Belgium
Tel 32.2.551.15.15
http://www.liedekerke-law.be
This memorandum relates to the relevant Belgian legislation regulating the profession of “inhouse
counsel” (Juristes d’entreprise / Bedrijfsjuristen) and its related “legal privilege”.
Under Belgian law, a distinction is to be made between “professional secrecy”, “confidentiality of
documents” and “legal privilege.”
Professional Secrecy
Professional secrecy is an obligation imposed to all persons, which obtained secret information
because of their position or profession. The source of this obligation varies from one profession
to another. Violation of this obligation is punishable by law (art. 458 Criminal Code).
Confidentiality
Confidentiality (of documents) is often linked to professional secrecy, but is not equivalent. The
source of confidentiality can be a contract, a professional rule of conduct, or a legal stipulation.
Violation of confidentiality can be punished if data covered by professional secrecy are disclosed.
Legal Privilege
This term is generally used in order to cover both confidentiality and professional secrecy.
1.1 Organization of the profession
The profession of “inhouse counsel” is regulated in Belgium by the law of March 1, 2000,
creating the Institut des Juristes d’entreprise / Instituut voor Bedrijfsjuristen (hereinafter referred
to as the “Institut / Instituut”).
These “inhouse counsels are the only ones entitled to bear the title of “Juriste d’entreprise /
Bedrijfsjurist”1.
In order to become a Juriste d’entreprise / Bedrijfsjurist, the candidate must, amongst others, be
registered with the Institut / Instituut.
The Institut / Instituut is an autonomous public institution enjoying legal capacity (personnalité
juridique / rechtspersoonlijkheid) and created by the abovementioned law.
1
Article 6 of the Law of March 1, 2000
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Attorney Client Privilege Survey
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As required by law2, the Institut / Instituut issues ethical rules, sets up a disciplinary regime to be
approved by Royal decree and exercises effective disciplinary power through specific bodies,
namely the commission de discipline / tuchtcommissie and the commission d’appel /
beroepscommissie, both chaired by magistrates appointed by the King. The Juristes d’entreprise
/ Bedrijfsjuristen must abide by these rules and they are sanctioned in case of infringement.
1.2 Legal Priviledge
Article 5 of the law of March 1, 2000, as commented by the ethical rules issued by the Institute,
provides that all correspondence between a client and a Juriste d’entreprise / Bedrijfsjurist
containing or seeking legal opinion is confidential3. Therefore, if a manager asks his/her Juriste
d’entreprise / Bedrijfsjurist a legal opinion, both the correspondence seeking and containing the
legal opinion will be confidential.
As a difference compared to the Advocat / Advocaat, the legal priviledge of the Juriste
d’enetreprise is limited to his/her legal opinion and the document(s) seeking it.
Article 5 of the law of March 1, 2000, does not expressly refer to article 458 of the Criminal
Code. Yet, although the matter remains controversial, article 458 of Criminal Code also applies,
according to eminent authors to the Juriste d’entreprise / Bedrijfsjurist where he/she gives a legal
opinion so that any infringement to his/her duty not to reveal what is confidential will give rise to
criminal sanctions in the same way as for external lawyers 4(Annex B).
1.3 Protection and seizure of documents
According to the same authors, the principles applicable in case of civil or criminal enquiry at an
Advocat’s / Advocaat’s office are applicable mutais mutandis in case of enquiry at a Juriste
d’entreprise’s / Bedrijfsjurist’s office as far as his/her legal opinions are concerned5.
As to the rules governing civil or criminal enquiries at the office of a Juriste d’entreprise /
Bedrijfsjurist, there is no law or regulation on the subject.
However, the Institut / Instituut has issued guidelines describing the role of the President of the
Institut / Instituut in case of enquiries. Proposals of agreements and memoranda are currently
under discussion with the local Public Ministry containing some practices already sanctioned by
use.
It is worth mentioning some of these practices:
• The examining magistrate must personally lead the enquiry;
• The examining magistrate must warn the President of the Institut / Instituut in advance
and ask him to be present or represented during the enquiry;
• The examining magistrate is not allowed to seize confidential documents;
• In order to figure out whether a document is confidential, the President of the Institut /
Instituut of his/her delegates should be the only one looking at the content of the
document and making the selection;
• In case of disagreement regarding the confidentiality of a document, the document has to
be stored in an envelope to be addressed later on by the President of the Institut / Instituut
and the examining magistrate.
Article 2 of the Law of March 1, 2000
Article 5 of the Law of March 1, 2000
4 A Benoit-Moury et N. Thirion, « Secret professional, confidentialité et juriste d’enterprise :
la nouvelle donne », Journal des Tribunaux, Bruxelles, Larcier, 2001, n°33.
5 A Benoit-Moury et N. Thirion, « Secret professional, confidentialité et juriste d’enterprise :
la nouvelle donne », Journal des Tribunaux, Bruxelles, Larcier, 2001, n° 6029, p. 791, n°30.
2
3
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Attorney Client Privilege Survey
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Annex
Article 458 of the Belgian Criminal Code
Les médecins, chirurgiens, officiers des santé, pharmaciens, sages-femmes, et toutes autres
personnes dépositaires par état ou par profession, des secrets qu’on leur confie, qui, hors les cas
où ils sont appelés à render témoignage en justice et celui oú la les oblige à faire connaître ces
secrets, les auront révélés, seront punis d’un emprisonnement de huit jours à six mois et d’une
amende de cent à cinq cents francs.
(Translated from French to English)
«Doctors, surgeons, health officers, pharmacists, mid-wives and all other persons who, either by
profession or otherwise, have knowledge of confidential information, will be punished by eight
days of imprisonment and 500 Francs if they reveal the confidential information, except in
instances when they are called to testify in court and when they are obliged by law.»
Article 5 of Law of March 1, 2000 creating the Institut des Juristes d’entreprise / Instituut voor
Bedrijfsjuristen
Les avis rendus par le juriste d’entreprise, au profit des son employeur et dans le cadre de son
activité de conseil juridique, sont confidentiels.
(Translated from French to English)
Opinions given by company lawyers to the benefit of their employers and within the framework
of their activity as legal counsel are confidential.
2100 West Loop South, Ste. 1000 y Houston, Texas 77027 y USAyTel: 1.713.626.9393 y www.lexmundi.com