Under Rule 81, when may a barrister advise the police or other authorities despite confidentiality rules?

• A. The client threatens the safety of any person and there is a reasonable belief of risk.
• B. Only after the case concludes.
• C. Only with the client's explicit consent.
• D. Never; confidentiality is absolute.

Answer: (A)

When a barrister weighs confidentiality against public safety, the rule allows a limited exception: a disclosure to police or other authorities is permissible when there is a real threat to the safety of any person and the barrister has a reasonable belief that such risk exists. This captures the balance between keeping client information private and preventing serious harm.

That is why the best answer is the option describing a client threatening the safety of someone and a reasonable belief of risk. It reflects the precise threshold for when disclosure is allowed: the threat must be real and the risk reasonably believed to exist. It’s not about after the case ends, and it doesn’t require the client’s explicit consent. Nor is confidentiality absolutely barred from ever being breached; the law and professional rules provide this narrow safety-focused exception to protect people from harm.

In practice, the emphasis is on objective risk and proportional disclosure to authorities to avert harm, not on broad or endless disclosure.