Is attorney-client privilege to be interpreted more liberally or strictly?

"The apparent contradiction between whether the attorney-client privilege should be strictly construed or liberally construed appears to be that in attempting to establish an attorney-client relationship, or where the relationship is not clearly established, the privilege is to be strictly construed. [Citation.] But where the relationship has been established, the basic policy behind the attorney-client privilege to promote the relationship by safeguarding the confidential disclosures of the client and the advice given by the attorney, then the policy supports a liberal construction in favor of the exercise of the privilege." (People v. Velasquez, supra, 192 Cal.App.3d at p. 327, fn. 4, 237 Cal.Rptr. 366, emphasis added.)