Rethinking Work Product

Authors

Elizabeth G. Thornburg, Southern Methodist University, Dedman School of LawFollow

Abstract

This article analyzes the traditional and law & economics explanations purporting to justify the exclusion of work product materials from discovery. It argues that none of these arguments are well founded and that, instead, the privilege increases costs and decreases the system's ability to produce appropriate settlements and accurate fact finding. To the extent that the privilege serves legitimate ends, narrower and more narrowly tailored protections would provide the necessary protection.

Publication Title

Virginia Law Review

Document Type

Article

Keywords

discovery, work product, privilege, deposition, interrogatory, federal rules

Recommended Citation

Elizabeth G. Thornburg, Rethinking Work Product, 77 Va. L. Rev. 1515 (1991)