Private & Confidential?

The value of the words ‘Private and Confidential’ in a legal sense depends on the context in which they are used. Often these words are written on correspondence merely to emphasise that the intended recipient must open the letter, rather than someone else. For example, you may not want a family member or colleague opening a communication from your doctor. In other instances the words can impose a legal duty on you to manage the communication in a particular way.