§ 961 [No Privilege in Deceased Client's Document Validity]

When someone dies, their lawyer cannot use attorney-client privilege to hide information about legal documents the person signed while they were alive. This applies to documents like wills, property deeds, or other paperwork that affects who gets the person's property.

If there is a dispute about whether one of these documents is valid, the lawyer may have to share what the client said or did related to that document. The normal rule that protects private conversations between a lawyer and client does not apply in this situation.

This rule exists because the deceased person can no longer speak for themselves. Allowing the lawyer to share what they know helps courts figure out what the person actually wanted and whether the documents are legitimate.