Short answer. No — not without your consent. An attorney cannot be examined as to any communication made by the client, or the advice given on it, in the course of or with a view to professional employment. The privilege extends to the lawyer's staff, and it belongs to you, the client. It does have defined exceptions.
What the law says
An attorney or person reasonably believed by the client to be licensed to engage in the practice of law cannot, without the consent of the client, be examined as to any communication made by the client to him or her, or his or her advice given thereon in the course of, or with a view to, professional employment
Rule 130, Section 24 — Disqualification by reason of privileged communication[s]. Read the full provision →
What the law says
If the services or advice of the lawyer were sought or obtained to enable or aid anyone to commit or plan to commit what the client knew or reasonably should have known to be a crime or fraud
Rule 130, Section 24 — Disqualification by reason of privileged communication[s]. Read the full provision →
The scope of the protection
The Rules disqualify an attorney — or even a person reasonably believed by the client to be licensed to engage in the practice of law — from being examined, without the client's consent, as to any communication made by the client to him or her, or his or her advice given thereon in the course of, or with a view to, professional employment. Two details deserve notice. The protection covers both directions of the exchange: what you told the lawyer and what the lawyer advised. And with a view to professional employment means the initial consultation is covered even if you never actually hired that lawyer.
The lawyer's staff are silenced too
A privilege that stopped at the attorney would leak through every person who helps run a law practice. So the rule extends the disqualification: an attorney's secretary, stenographer, or clerk, or other persons assisting the attorney cannot be examined, without the consent of the client and their employer, concerning any fact acquired in that capacity. The rule even protects the communication in the hands of a third person who may have obtained the information, provided the original parties took reasonable precaution to protect its confidentiality — so a leak does not automatically destroy the privilege.
Where the privilege ends
The rule lists its own exceptions, and the first is the one every client should understand: there is no privilege if the services or advice of the lawyer were sought or obtained to enable or aid anyone to commit or plan to commit what the client knew or reasonably should have known to be a crime or fraud. Confessing a past act to obtain a defence is protected; recruiting a lawyer's help for a future crime or fraud is not. The other exceptions are narrower: disputes between claimants through the same deceased client, issues of breach of duty between lawyer and client, documents the lawyer attested, and litigation between former joint clients over communications made to their common counsel.
The privilege is yours — guard it
Consent is the hinge: the lawyer cannot be examined without the consent of the client, which means the privilege is yours to assert and yours to lose. Speak to your lawyer in settings that stay confidential, and think before repeating the same matters to friends or in writing to outsiders — the privilege shields the lawyer-client exchange, not everything you have ever said on the subject. If the other side subpoenas your lawyer or their files, tell your counsel plainly that you do not consent, so the objection is raised before any testimony is taken rather than argued about after.