A fiduciary has a legal duty to act solely in the best interests of the beneficiary. While an accountant normally is not considered to be a fiduciary to his or her clients, the AICPA Professional Code of Conduct embodies standards of conduct which are closely analogous to a fiduciary relationship—objectivity, integrity, free of conflicts of interest and truthfulness. Accountants who provide audit services cannot be held to a fiduciary standard given their duty to the public.
Courts have found that