"Our recent client conversations have taken the proverbial 180," he wrote.
Under certain circumstances, even attorney-client conversation could be retained.
Even more controversial are the rules about monitoring attorney-client conversations.
Assertions about the surveillance of the defendants and the confidentiality of attorney-client conversations have not been reconciled.
James Welch, legal director for Liberty, said: "Last year it was revealed that GCHQ were eavesdropping on sacrosanct lawyer-client conversations.
The stated justification for allowing monitoring of attorney-client conversations is to allow the military to gather intelligence.
With such equipment, the hacker could have easily eavesdropped on privileged attorney-client conversations or read trade secrets on a report lying on the conference room table.
For example, on October 31st, the Administration issued new regulations to permit wiretapping of certain attorney-client conversations involving incarcerated terrorism suspects.
"A judge would not willy-nilly permit the intervention in attorney-client conversations, I hope," said Gerald Lefcourt, a lawyer in Manhattan and a former president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
Traditionally, prosecutors may ask judges to wiretap lawyer-client conversations if they can demonstrate probable cause that the lawyer is being used to carry out a criminal enterprise.
