LawWiki
HomeCodesSearchGlossaryAPIAbout
LawWiki

Plain English summaries of California law with zero-hallucination AI. Every summary is verified against official source text.

Product

  • Search
  • Codes
  • About

Legal

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Disclaimer

© 2026 LawWiki. All rights reserved.

HomeEvidence CodeDiv. 8Ch. 4Art. 3.5§ 968 Crime Or Harm Exception

§ 968 Crime Or Harm Exception

Evidence Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 968 Crime Or Harm Exception

Key Takeaways

  • •If someone uses a lawyer referral service to help them commit a crime or fraud, the service doesn’t have to keep their info secret.
  • •If a staff member at the service thinks someone’s plan could seriously hurt or kill a person, they can share the info to stop it.
  • •The service can break confidentiality only if they really believe the situation is dangerous.

Example

Someone calls a lawyer referral service asking for help to fake a will to steal money from their family.

The service doesn’t have to keep this secret because the person is trying to commit fraud. They can tell the police or others to stop the crime.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 968 Crime Or Harm Exception

There is no privilege under this article if either of the following applies: (a) The services of the lawyer referral service were sought or obtained to enable or aid anyone to commit or plan to commit a crime or a fraud. (b) A staff person of the lawyer referral service who receives a confidential communication in processing a request for legal assistance reasonably believes that disclosure of the confidential communication is necessary to prevent a criminal act that the staff person of the lawyer referral service reasonably believes is likely to result in the death of, or substantial bodily harm to, an individual. (Added by Stats. 2013, Ch. 123, Sec. 2. (AB 267) Effective January 1, 2014.)

Last verified: January 22, 2026

Key Terms

privilegelawyer referral servicecrime or a fraudconfidential communicationcriminal actsubstantial bodily harm

Related Statutes

  • § 956.5 Lawyer Duty To Prevent Harm
  • § 966 Lawyer Referral Service Privilege
  • § 965 Client And Lawyer Definitions
  • § 967 Lawyer Referral Service Privilege
  • § 1035.8 Sexual Assault Counselor Privilege

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Evidence Code. Section 968.
View Official Source