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Evidence Act 2011
126Loss of client legal privilege—related communications
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126 Loss of client legal privilege—related communications
and documents
(1) If, because of the application of a relevant section, this division does
not prevent the presenting of evidence of a communication or the
contents of a document, the relevant section does not prevent the
presenting of evidence of another communication or document if it is
reasonably necessary to enable a proper understanding of the
communication or document.
A lawyer advises his client to understate her income for the previous year to evade
taxation because of her potential tax liability ‘as set out in my previous letter to you
dated 11 August 1994’. In a proceeding against the taxpayer for tax evasion,
evidence of the contents of the letter dated 11 August 1994 may be admissible (even
if that letter would otherwise be privileged) to enable a proper understanding of the
second letter.
(2) In this section:
relevant section means:
(a) section 121 (Loss of client legal privilege—generally); or
(b) section 122 (Loss of client legal privilege—consent and related
matters); or
(c) section 123 (Loss of client legal privilege—defendants); or
(d) section 124 (Loss of client legal privilege—joint clients); or
(e) section 125 (Loss of client legal privilege—misconduct).