A privileged e-mail system is provided whereby a privilege attribute for a privileged e-mail is created containing a list of privileged recipients that may access the e-mail. The profile further includes particular access rights for each of the recipients defining what each recipient may do with respect to the privileged e-mail. Access to the contents of the privileged e-mail, including attachments to the e-mail, is managed by software that enforces the access rights granted in the privilege profile.