Yes, you read that right. Do not talk to your accountant about past compliance mistakes. You do not share the attorney-client privilege with your accountant. Your accountant may be asked to testify against you, may be forced to testify against you in court, or may be forced to share information about you with investigators. Only an attorney can have confidential communications with you that will remain protected from disclosure by the attorney-client privilege. I’ve encountered several situations in my career as a criminal and civil tax defense lawyer where the accountant was put in an extremely difficult position because the client later “confessed” to something that he or she did wrong, or – even worse – told the accountant half the truth about the problem, and half a lie. Taxpayers can’t confess crimes to their accountant and keep that secret, because the accountant isn’t able to prevent the government from compelling documents or testimony about those communications.