What is privileged chat and how can I make sure my chat conversations are privileged?

If you're an active member on the Inhouse Counsel tier, your conversations with the AI are privileged — protected the same way a conversation with your own lawyer would be.

Here's why: when you're on the Inhouse Counsel tier, you become a client of Inhouse Counsel PC, our affiliated law firm, under an engagement letter. The AI is a tool that the firm uses to deliver legal services, and licensed attorneys supervise the advice you receive. That's what makes it privileged.

Inhouse is the first AI company to build this in. It's not a setting you turn on — it's a built-in part of the Inhouse Counsel tier.

General-purpose AI chatbots aren't law firms and can't claim privilege. Conversations with them can be reviewed by the company that runs them, used to improve their models, or handed over in a lawsuit — courts have increasingly been willing to compel both users and AI companies to produce those chats in discovery.

Inhouse works differently because you're a client of a real law firm, Inhouse Counsel PC. The AI is a tool that the firm uses to deliver legal services, and licensed attorneys supervise the advice — that relationship is what creates privilege.

• Once you're an active Inhouse Counsel tier member, every new chat thread you start is privileged from the moment you start it. There's nothing to configure and no toggle to flip.
• Being on the Inhouse Counsel tier makes you a client of Inhouse Counsel PC under an engagement letter.
• Privilege begins once you've signed up, paid, and completed our conflict check — from that point, every chat is protected.
• Privilege applies to chats going forward, not to chats you had before you were on the Inhouse Counsel tier.
• Privilege applies as long as you're an active member on the Inhouse Counsel tier. If you cancel, chats you already had stay privileged, but new conversations after cancellation aren't privileged unless you resubscribe.
• Conversation data lives on private infrastructure rather than being handled like ordinary product usage data.

• You're a client of Inhouse Counsel PC, a licensed law firm.
• Legal privilege applies. Your chats are treated as attorney-client privileged communications, the same legal shield that protects a conversation with your own lawyer.
• Only attorneys and staff at Inhouse Counsel PC, bound by lawyer confidentiality rules, can access privileged chat content. Your chats are never sent to outside AI companies, including the providers behind the underlying model (like OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google).
• Content from privileged chats is excluded from any model training or improvement data.
• If there's ever a subpoena, audit, or legal hold, privileged chats go through a separate process — they aren't treated like ordinary business records, and a court generally can't force us to produce them any more than it could force a law firm to.

Privilege isn't unconditional — the same limits that apply to any law firm relationship apply here, and the specifics vary somewhat by state:

• Using Inhouse to plan or commit a crime or fraud isn't protected.
• Sharing your chat with someone outside Inhouse waives privilege and can make that chat discoverable.
• Suing Inhouse or Inhouse Counsel PC waives privilege in that specific lawsuit.

Privilege is specific to the Inhouse Counsel tier. If you're on the AI-Associate plan or the Free plan instead, your chats are confidential — not shared with third parties, with access limited and bound by confidentiality agreements — but they aren't privileged.

On the Inhouse Counsel tier, anyone will have it while their membership is active. You don't need to be a lawyer or work in-house at a legal department — this is available to SMB owners and individual clients, not just legal professionals.

We may decline to take you on as a client if we find a conflict of interest (for example, if we already represent someone suing you). If that happens, we'll tell you and still keep your information confidential, but you won't have full privilege going forward.

When does privilege start? As soon as you sign up, pay, and complete our conflict check. From that point, every chat is protected.

Do I need to be a lawyer for this to apply to me? No. You don't need to be a lawyer or work in a legal role. Being on the Inhouse Counsel tier makes you a client of Inhouse Counsel PC, our affiliated law firm.

What is Inhouse Counsel PC? It's Inhouse's affiliated law firm, with licensed attorneys across multiple states serving clients nationwide. Inhouse AI, Inc. is the technology company; Inhouse Counsel PC is the law firm that provides the attorneys behind privileged conversations.

How is Inhouse different from ChatGPT or Claude? Those are general-purpose AI products, not law firms, so they can't claim privilege — conversations with them can be reviewed internally, used for training, or compelled in a lawsuit. Inhouse is different because you're a client of a real law firm, Inhouse Counsel PC, and licensed attorneys supervise the advice you get.

Do I need to sign anything? Becoming an active Inhouse Counsel tier member includes an engagement letter with Inhouse Counsel PC — that's part of what establishes the attorney-client relationship. When you upgrade, you'll just need to follow the instructions to accept these terms.

Do I need to turn privilege on for each chat? No. Every new chat thread is automatically privileged as long as you're an active Inhouse Counsel tier member.

Can I turn privilege off? No. It isn't a toggle — it's a built-in perk that comes with the Inhouse Counsel tier, always on for every thread.

Can Inhouse employees read my chats? Only attorneys and staff at Inhouse Counsel PC — bound by lawyer confidentiality rules — can access privileged chat content. Your chats are never sent to outside companies, including the AI providers behind the underlying model (like OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google).

Will my chats ever be handed over in a lawsuit or subpoena? If you're sued or in a legal dispute, the other side can normally demand that private communications be produced in court — but privileged chats are off-limits. A court generally can't force us to produce your Inhouse conversations, any more than it could force a law firm to. Privileged chats go through a distinct legal hold and discovery process rather than being treated as ordinary business records.

Are there situations where my chats are NOT protected? Yes. Privilege has limits, and they vary somewhat by state, including:

• Using Inhouse to plan or commit a crime or fraud
• Sharing your chat with someone outside Inhouse (this waives privilege and can make it discoverable)
• Suing Inhouse or Inhouse Counsel PC (you lose privilege in that specific lawsuit)

What happens if I cancel my subscription? Your past chats remain privileged. New conversations after you cancel aren't privileged unless you resubscribe.

Is there ever a situation where you won't take me on as a client? Yes — if we discover a conflict of interest, for example if we already represent someone who is suing you. If that happens, we'll let you know and still keep your information confidential, but you won't have full privilege going forward.

Where is my chat data stored? On private servers, separate from how ordinary product usage data is handled.