The divisive issue of privilege for in-house lawyers has once again sparked controversy at the International Bar Association (IBA) conference, as a leading European general counsel spoke out on the need for corporate lawyers to be protected.
The conference saw Dutch chemicals company Akzo Nobel’s general counsel Jan Eijsbouts, who is spearheading the company’s long-running defence against the European Commission’s (EC’s) powers to seize documents drawn up by in-house lawyers, clash with the commission’s competition director Emil Paulis.
