The great responsibility we as lawyers face is to protect the interests and legal rights of our clients. We act as their line of defence in our adversarial legal system, which is an extraordinary responsibility. To carry out that function effectively, lawyers must be able to communicate confidentially with their clients, and these communications must be shielded from undue government interference.
Before the US Constitution was drafted, common law already recognised the need to protect attorney-client privilege and the confidential attorney-client relationship as an essential means of preventing government coercion and abuse. It is a system so well designed it has lasted for centuries.
