Michael Cohen’s months-long legal battle captivated the public. With hush money payments to strippers and the National Enquirer as well as presidential tweet storms, it’s no surprise Cohen’s Dec. 12, 2018 sentencing was front-page news. But Cohen’s criminal saga arguably began with an issue dreaded by attorneys and judges alike: the potential disclosure of attorney-client privileged communications.

On April 9, 2018, the FBI raided the office, home, and hotel room of President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, Michael Cohen, seizing business records, emails, and electronic data. Because Cohen is an attorney, the documents seized needed to be reviewed for attorney-client privilege before they could be turned over to prosecutors.