Attorney admitted in NY here. It's fascinating that Judge Rakoff likely would have come to the opposite conclusion if the Claude chat was at the attorney's request or suggestion. I am surprised the court placed so much reliance on the Terms of Service, which are probably not so different than those of Outlook, Gmail, etc., say, yet nobody disputes that attorney-client emails remain privileged notwithstanding the Terms of Service of those providers. At least I have never seen anyone argue in NY that privilege is waived by emailing. And unlike sending an email to another person, chatting with Claude is a solo conversation more like organizing one's notes, which if in contemplation of obtaining legal advice seems privileged to me. I think this is a very close question and am not sure it would come out the same way in other courts or on even slightly different facts. Very interesting legal question.