(a) There is no privilege under this article if the services of the lawyer were sought or obtained to enable or aid anyone to commit or plan to commit a crime or a fraud.

(b) This exception to the privilege granted by this article shall not apply to legal services rendered in compliance with state and local laws on medicinal cannabis or adult-use cannabis, and confidential communications provided for the purpose of rendering those services are confidential communications between client and lawyer, as defined in Section 952, provided the lawyer also advises the client on conflicts with respect to federal law.

Terms Used In California Evidence Code 956

  • client: means a person who, directly or through an authorized representative, consults a lawyer for the purpose of retaining the lawyer or securing legal service or advice from him in his professional capacity, and includes an incompetent (a) who himself so consults the lawyer or (b) whose guardian or conservator so consults the lawyer in behalf of the incompetent. See California Evidence Code 951
  • Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
  • Law: includes constitutional, statutory, and decisional law. See California Evidence Code 160
  • lawyer: means a person authorized, or reasonably believed by the client to be authorized, to practice law in any state or nation. See California Evidence Code 950
  • State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Evidence Code 220

(Amended by Stats. 2017, Ch. 530, Sec. 2. (AB 1159) Effective January 1, 2018.)