What is the work-product doctrine?

What is the work-product doctrine?

• A. Public records.
• B. Materials prepared in anticipation of litigation by or for a party or its attorney.
• C. All communications between client and attorney.
• D. Facts obtained in ordinary discovery.

Answer: (B)

The work-product doctrine protects materials prepared in anticipation of litigation by or for a party or its attorney. This means notes, memos, trial strategies, documents, and other items created specifically to help prepare for a case are shielded from discovery, reflecting the attorney’s mental impressions and planning rather than just the factual evidence itself. It’s a distinct protection from the attorney-client privilege, which covers confidential communications between client and attorney for seeking or receiving legal advice; work product focuses on the material created in preparation for litigation, not every communication. Public records aren’t protected by this doctrine, and facts obtained in ordinary discovery aren’t automatically off-limits—the protection mainly covers the prepared materials that reveal the attorney’s thought processes or strategies.

The work-product doctrine protects materials prepared in anticipation of litigation by or for a party or its attorney. This means notes, memos, trial strategies, documents, and other items created specifically to help prepare for a case are shielded from discovery, reflecting the attorney’s mental impressions and planning rather than just the factual evidence itself. It’s a distinct protection from the attorney-client privilege, which covers confidential communications between client and attorney for seeking or receiving legal advice; work product focuses on the material created in preparation for litigation, not every communication. Public records aren’t protected by this doctrine, and facts obtained in ordinary discovery aren’t automatically off-limits—the protection mainly covers the prepared materials that reveal the attorney’s thought processes or strategies.