I was very interested in the comment that it was illegal in the US for lawyers to obtain "early" CVR information. I had gained the impression that when a major accident occurs in the US the CVRs are replayed on the news within 48 hours.
In the UK it is not illegal to obtain CVR or transcripts for use legal proceedings but it would require a court order. Before issuing such an order the court would have to be "satisfied that the interests of justice in the judicial proceedings or circumstances in question outweigh any adverse domestic and international impact which disclosure may have on the investigation into the accident or incident to which the record relates or any future accident or incident investigation undertaken in the United Kingdom." As the any relevant part of the transcript will be in the AAIB report I assume that such court orders are rarely obtained.
[See regulation 18 of the Civil Aviation (Investigation of Air Accidents and Incidents) Regulations 1996 which reflects the requirements of paragraph 5.12 of Annex 13 to the Chicago Convention.]