Judge Mehta, however, discerned the fine line between client communications and their content. He elucidated that while the substance of Covington’s interactions might be privileged, the act of communication itself stands exposed.
His analogy painted a clear picture, “Revealing a client’s name doesn’t unveil the legal counsel sought or the firm’s response concerning the cyber onslaught.”
With the stakes high, he ordered the firm to relinquish just seven out of 298 client names to the SEC, highlighting the agency’s failure to justify its need for the other 291 names.
The Clock Ticks
The SEC, in a strategy reminiscent of chess grandmasters, committed to not vying for the names of the residual clients. The ball now lies in Covington’s court, set to disclose six client names by the impending Friday. Meanwhile, all eyes rest on the lone resisting client, as the deadline looms for it to step into the legal arena with an appeal.
