The Law Society is to intervene in a Court of Appeal case that could lead to legal professional privilege being extended beyond the legal profession.
Financial services firm, Prudential will argue that accountants should receive equal treatment with lawyers when disclosing legal advice on certain issues, in Prudential PLC and Prudential (Gibraltar) Limited v Special Commissioner of Income Tax and Philip Pandolfo (HM Inspector of Taxes).
Robert Heslett, president of the Law Society, which has been given permission to intervene in the case, said any extension of the right should be a matter for Parliament and not the courts.
“The case has the potential consequence of giving anyone who describes his/her self as a tax accountant or other professional the ability to withhold vital information from bodies such as HMRC, when legal professional privilege is intended to have a very specific purpose."
