The Dangers of Blind-Copying a Client on Emails

By Samson Habte, Bloomberg BNA

The best way for an attorney to keep a client in the loop on e-mail messages exchanged with opposing counsel is to use “forward” and skip the “cc” or “bcc” option, the New York state bar’s ethics committee has advised .

Using either of the copy commands risks exposing the client’s e-mail address or response if the client chooses the “reply all” button to react, the panel said.

The opinion responds to an inquiry from a lawyer who asked whether she may ethically send her client a blind copy of an e-mail to opposing counsel ...