Section 13-3.—Materials Prepared in Anticipation of Litigation; Statements of Parties; Privilege Log

Current through August 12, 2025 (2026 Practice Book edition) · Last verified July 9, 2026

In one sentenceThis rule protects documents and tangible things prepared for litigation from routine discovery, shields an attorney’s mental impressions and legal theories completely, and requires a privilege log when a party withholds documents on a claim of privilege or work-product protection.

Full Text of Section 13-3

Text sizeJump to: (a) (b) (c) (d)

(a) Subject to the provisions of Section 13-4, a party may obtain discovery of documents and tangible things otherwise discoverable under Section 13-2 and prepared in anticipation of litigation or for trial by or for another party or by or for that other party’s representative only upon a showing that the party seeking discovery has substantial need of the materials in the preparation of the case and is unable without undue hardship to obtain the substantial equivalent of the materials by other means. In ordering discovery of such materials when the required showing has been made, the judicial authority shall not order disclosure of the mental impressions, conclusions, opinions, or legal theories of an attorney or other representative of a party concerning the litigation.

(b) A party may obtain, without the showing required under this section, discovery of the party’s own statement and of any nonprivileged statement of any other party concerning the action or its subject matter.

(c) A party may obtain, without the showing required under this section, discovery of any recording, by film, photograph, video, audio or any other digital or electronic means, of the requesting party and of any recording of any other party concerning the action or the subject matter, thereof, including any transcript of such recording, prepared in anticipation of litigation or for trial by or for another party or by or for that other party’s representative. A party may obtain information identifying any such recording and transcript, if one was created, prior to the deposition of the party who is the subject of the recording; but the person from whom discovery is sought shall not be required to produce the recording or transcript until thirty days after the completion of the deposition of the party who is the subject of the recording or sixty days prior to the date the case is assigned to commence trial, whichever is earlier; except that if a deposition of the party who is the subject of the recording was not taken, the recording and transcript shall be produced sixty days prior to the date the case is assigned to commence trial. If a recording was created within such sixty day period, the recording and transcript must be produced immediately. No such recording or transcript is required to be identified or produced if neither it nor any part thereof will be introduced into evidence at trial. However, if any such recording or part or transcript thereof is required to be identified or produced, all recordings and transcripts thereof of the subject of the recording party shall be identified and produced, rather than only those recordings, or transcripts or parts thereof that the producing party intends to use or introduce at trial.

(d) When a claim of privilege or work product protection has been asserted pursuant to Section 13-5, 13-8 or 13-10 in response to a discovery request for documents or electronically stored information, the party asserting the privilege or protection shall provide, within forty-five days from the request of the party serving the discovery, the following information in the form of a privilege log:

(1) The type of document or electronically stored information;

(2) The general subject matter of the document or electronically stored information;

(3) The date of the document or electronically stored information;

(4) The author of the document or electronically stored information;

(5) Each recipient of the document or electronically stored information; and

(6) The nature of the privilege or protection asserted. The privilege log shall initially be served upon all parties but not filed in court. If the information called for by one or more of the foregoing categories is itself privileged, it need not be disclosed. However, the existence of the document and any nonprivileged information called for by the other categories must be disclosed. A privilege log must be prepared with respect to all documents and electronically stored information withheld on the basis of a claim of privilege or work product protection, except for the following: written or electronic communications after commencement of the action between a party and the firm or lawyer appearing for the party in the action or as otherwise ordered by the judicial authority.

End

Amendment History

(P.B. 1978-1997, Sec. 219.) (Amended June 29, 2007, to take effect Jan. 1, 2008; amended June 14, 2013, to take effect Jan. 1, 2014; amended June 24, 2016, to take effect Jan. 1, 2017; amended June 23, 2017, to take effect Jan. 1, 2018.)

Plain-English Summary

Subsection (a) sets the baseline test for work-product materials — documents and tangible things prepared in anticipation of litigation or for trial. A party can get them only by showing substantial need for the materials and an inability, without undue hardship, to get their substantial equivalent some other way. Even then, the judicial authority will not order disclosure of an attorney’s (or other representative’s) mental impressions, conclusions, opinions, or legal theories about the litigation — that protection has no exception. Subsections (b) and (c) carve out two categories a party can obtain without making that showing: a party’s own prior statements and any nonprivileged statement by another party, and recordings (film, photo, video, audio, or other digital or electronic means) of the requesting party or another party, along with any transcript, subject to timing rules tied to that party’s deposition or the trial assignment date.

Subsection (d) governs the privilege log. When a party asserts privilege or work-product protection under this section, Section 13-5, 13-8, or 13-10 in response to a request for documents or electronically stored information, the party asserting protection must serve — within forty-five days of the discovery request — a log identifying the type of document, its general subject matter, its date, its author, each recipient, and the nature of the privilege or protection claimed. The log goes to the other parties but is not filed with the court. Information that would itself reveal privileged content need not be disclosed, though the existence of the document and any nonprivileged details still must be. The rule exempts certain communications from the logging requirement, including post-filing written or electronic communications between a party and that party’s own counsel in the action, unless the judicial authority orders otherwise.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the standard for getting work-product materials in Connecticut discovery?

Under Section 13-3(a), the requesting party must show substantial need for the materials and that it cannot get their substantial equivalent without undue hardship by other means.

Can a party ever get an attorney’s mental impressions or legal theories through discovery?

No. Section 13-3(a) says the judicial authority shall not order disclosure of an attorney’s or other representative’s mental impressions, conclusions, opinions, or legal theories about the litigation, regardless of the showing made.

When is a privilege log required, and how long does a party have to serve it?

A privilege log is required whenever a party withholds documents or electronically stored information on a claim of privilege or work-product protection under Sections 13-3, 13-5, 13-8, or 13-10, and Section 13-3(d) gives the asserting party forty-five days from the discovery request to serve it.

Does a privilege log get filed with the court?

No. Section 13-3(d) states the privilege log is served on all parties initially but not filed in court.

Source & verification. The section text is reproduced verbatim from the official Connecticut Practice Book (Conn. Practice Book § 13-3). Prescribed by the Judges of the Superior Court of Connecticut (Conn. Gen. Stat. Section 51-14). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 9, 2026. · Official source

Also known as: work product privilege Connecticut discoveryprivilege log requirement CTattorney mental impressions protectionsubstantial need undue hardship discoverymaterials prepared in anticipation of litigationCT Practice Book work product rule