Preliminary note

The duty of confidentiality is regarded as one of the core principles of the legal profession in Sweden. It is a prerequisite for the safeguarding of individuals’ civil rights, including the right to privacy and the right to a fair trial. In order for an advocate to be able to protect his or her client's interests it is necessary that the advocate is given access to all relevant information regarding the assignment. In order for a client to be able to provide the advocate with this information the client must feel assured that the information will be kept confidential and that it will not be revealed to an outside party without the client's consent.

In Sweden the duty of confidentiality is a duty owed by an advocate to his or her client not to disclose information obtained by the advocate in the exercise of his or her profession. The applicable rules and regulations regarding the duty of confidentiality do not in principle apply to lawyers in general, but only to members of the Swedish Bar Association (advocates; Swe. advokater) and indirectly to the advocate's associates and staff.