This week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia provided some much-needed guidance about attorney-client privilege to general counsel whose roles as businesspeople often blur with their legal responsibilities.

On Tuesday, the federal appellate court upheld a lower court ruling that certain files belonging to Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. and requested by the Federal Trade Commission are protected by the attorney-client privilege and thus do not have to be turned over to the agency.