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Al Sadeq v Dechert LLP [2024] EWCA Civ 28: Iniquity principle, balance of probabilities threshold and disclosure guidance on legal professional privilege (England and Wales)

Published on: 05 February 2024

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Al Sadeq v Dechert LLP and others [2024] EWCA Civ 28

What are the practical implications of this case?

This judgment is must-read material for practitioners dependent on LPP, acting as a stark reminder of the dangers of misapprehending its limits. It is especially pertinent to those undertaking disclosure where LPP is claimed but attacked via the iniquity exception. It supplies not merely a thorough treatment of the governing principles and authorities, but also hands-on direction on the proper conduct of a disclosure review—and, if required, its litigation—when wrongdoing is said to be in play. Accordingly, it serves as both warning and roadmap for practitioners managing privilege disputes in complex disclosure, clarifying expectations, recommended steps, and approaches where alleged wrongdoing is in issue.

What was the background?

From 2010 to 2014, the claimant, Mr Al Sadeq, served first as a senior lawyer and subsequently as deputy CEO for a RAK-owned development corporation (the ‘Corporation’). In that period, it was said by Sheikh Saud bin Saqr al‑Qasimi, now the ruler of RAK (the ‘Ruler’), that the Corporation’s then chief executive, Dr Massaad (the ‘CEO’), together with others (including a Mr Quzmar), had participated in a scheme to defraud the Corporation. The...

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