Mississippi § 73-33-16 - Ownership of working papers; privileged communications.

§ 73-33-16. Ownership of working papers; privileged communications.

All statements, records, schedules, working papers and memoranda made by a certified public accountant incident to or in the course of professional services to clients by such certified public accountant, except reports submitted by a certified public accountant to a client, shall be and remain the property of the certified public accountant or the public accounting firm under whose name the services were provided in the absence of an express agreement between the certified public accountant or public accounting firm and the client to the contrary. No such statement, record, schedule, working paper or memorandum shall be sold, transferred or bequeathed without the consent of the client or his personal representative or assignee to anyone other than one or more surviving partners or new partners of such certified public accountant or to his corporation or to his proprietorship or any combined or merged partnership or successor in interest therein. Except by permission of the client engaging a certified public accountant under this chapter, or the heirs, successors or personal representatives of such client, a certified public accountant and any partner, officer, shareholder or employee of a certified public accountant shall not be required by any court of this state to disclose, and shall not voluntarily disclose, information communicated to him by the client relating to and in connection with services rendered to the client by the certified public accountant in his practice as a certified public accountant. Such information shall be deemed confidential and privileged; provided, however, that nothing herein shall be construed as prohibiting the disclosure of information required to be disclosed by the standards of the public accounting profession in reporting on the examination of financial statements, or as prohibiting disclosures in court proceedings or in investigations or proceedings under Sections 73-33-5 and 73-33-11, when the services of the certified public accountant are at issue in such investigations or proceedings and the certified public accountant is a party thereto, or as prohibiting disclosure in the course of a practice review.