term:

Work Product Doctrine

work product doctrine n

: a doctrine or rule that protects an attorney's work product from discovery called also work product rule NOTE: This doctrine applies to work product of all kinds, but it may be waived for certain materials (as documents) if the party seeking discovery shows that it has a substantial need of the materials in preparing its own case and that it is unable without undue hardship to obtain the substantial equivalent of the materials by other means.

Source: Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law ©1996. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. Published under license with Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.