Attorney-client privilege in the AI era: What does ‘Heppner’ mean for practitioners?

New York Judge Jed S. Rakoff’s ruling in United States v. Heppner — that a criminal defendant’s written exchanges with AI platform “Claude” are not protected by the attorney-client privilege or the work product doctrine — has spread like wildfire throughout the legal community. And for good reason. As Judge Rakoff noted, “more than half of United States households have adopted AI in some form.” Originally published in Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly - April 17, 2026.... By: Conn Kavanaugh