The bar of Saint-Etienne has mobilized to defend the professional secrecy of lawyers. This Tuesday the National Assembly examined the bill “trust in the judicial institution” of the Keeper of the Seals Eric Dupont-Moretti, a bill whose article 3 would threaten the confidentiality of exchanges between lawyers and their clients according to them.
In Saint-Étienne, around twenty lawyers gathered on the steps of the Palais de Justice to express their concern.
“Professional secrecy would no longer be kept in certain matters, in particular in financial matters, tax evasion, money launderingexplains Me Solange Viallard-Valezy president of the bar of Saint-Étienne. And would not be kept in advice. And for us it is extremely important that in the context of our professional activity, when a client asks us for things, asks us for financial arrangements, especially for business lawyers, we can keep this professional secrecy because there, if the bill comes into force, it will mean that in the context of an investigation, all the documents can be seized, the consultations that have been made by a lawyer for his client can be seized“.
