last link doctrine
last-link doctrine. The rule that an attorney need not divulge nonprivileged information if doing so would reveal information protected by the attorney–client privilege, particularly if the information would provide essential evidence to support indicting or convicting the client of a crime. • This doctrine is often relied on as an exception to the rule that a client’s identity is not privileged. For example, if divulging the client’s name would supply the last link of evidence to indict or convict the client of a crime, the name need not be disclosed. [Cases: Witnesses 201(1). C.J.S. Witnesses §§ 329–330, 332–335, 337–340.]
