Businesses who employ in-house attorneys frequently assume that copying their lawyer on internal communications shields the communications from discovery because of the attorney-client privilege. In 1981, the U.S. Supreme Court articulated the rule that the attorney-client privilege protects communications (a) between attorneys and clients (b) that are maintained in confidence and (c) that were made
How final is a final arbitration award? In Escapes! To the Shores Condominium Association, Inc., et al. v. Hoar Construction, LLC, and Architectural Surfaces, Inc., the plaintiff condo association argued that an arbitration award that didn’t resolve all claims against all parties in the trial court was not final enough to be appealed. The
Once parties agree to arbitrate, courts generally defer to the arbitrator’s judgment regarding resolution of a dispute. The prevailing approach in many states is to not set aside an arbitration award unless the arbitrator clearly exceeded his or her authority and to exercise every reasonable assumption in favor of the validity of an award. The
Whether an arbitration agreement is enforceable is a frequently litigated matter in construction disputes. Federal policy strongly favors arbitration. Typically, the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) will preempt any contrary state law that might otherwise void an arbitration provision. On June 10, 2020, the South Carolina Court of Appeals reaffirmed this view when it overturned a