...Contrary to some belief, accounting is not a “walk-in-the-park” career. Accountants do not sit at a desk one-hundred percent of the time crunching numbers that always add up perfectly. In fact, accounting fraud is one of the largest scandals found today. When an accountant enters an engagement with a client, who are they liable to? Certainly not just to the client, but also anyone who could negatively be affected by a material misstatement, as well as the government. These responsibilities are not easily assumed, nor are they equally distributed. Accountants assume a large responsibility to their clients. They enter a contractual agreement through an engagement letter, and use engagement letters to minimize the risk they assume under the contract. Many engagement letters include memos limiting the recovery. (Reinstein, Lobingier, & Green, 2009) Accountants expressly agree to do a project by a specific date, and imply that the work will be completed carefully. If an accountant breaches the contract, they can be found liable for damages. If it can be found that an accountant did not act with skill and competence, causing harm to their client, negligence can be proved. Accountants also may be found guilty of fraud. Fraud can be proved if an accountant makes a false statement, knowing it is false, and the client relies on the information, resulting in damages. Another liability to the client is the trust clients give their accountants. They are liable to keep the...
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...ACCTG 351B: Business Law (San Francisco, Fall 2013) INSTRUCTOR: KRISTIN L. ROSI Work: (415) 538-4387 FAX: (415) 904-5854 E-mail: krosi@ggu.edu In addition to working as an Adjunct Professor at Golden Gate University, I am employed as an Administrative Law Judge with the California Department of Insurance and as a Pro Tem Judge with the Alameda County Superior Court. Prior to becoming an ALJ, I was the Senior Regional Attorney at the California Public Employment Relations Board, where I authored a treatise on public sector employment. I was awarded an A.B. in Psychology and Women’s Studies by Smith College in 1992; a J.D. (Public Interest Scholar) by University of California, Hastings College of the Law, 1995; and am currently working on my PhD in Judicial Studies from the National Judicial College at the University of Nevada, Reno. OFFICE HOURS: My office is located 1.5 blocks from 536 Mission St., so I can meet there by appointment. Please telephone or email me as early as possible for an appointment. COURSE DESCRIPTION: Focuses on the legal, regulatory and ethical context of professional accounting practice. This course will consider the law and the legal environment within which certified public accountants practice and the most important areas of the law affecting clients. Topics covered in this course are the law of administrative agencies; the regulation of professions generally and of accounting specifically; ethics and professional responsibility, the AICPA's...
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...Forensic Accounting In Practice Contemporary Business 508 This paper discusses the role of forensic accounting practices. It takes a look at the skills sets of forensic accountants and the role they play out in the court room. It goes also analyzes the legal responsibilities of a forensic accountant form a professional perspective as their role for expert opinion in the court room. A forensic accountant is someone uses their accounting credibility for investigative or other legal applications, such as corporate acquisition, divorce proceedings, insurance settlements, or other legal purposes (Brody, Melendy, & Perri, 2012). Determine the most important five (5) skills that a forensic accountant needs to possess and evaluate the need for each skill. Be sure to include discussion regarding the relationship between the skill and its application to business operations. The first identifiable important skill for a forensic accountant to posses is investigative intuitiveness. The forensic accountant should possess creative and analytical thinking (DiGabrielle, 2008). According to DiGabrielle, the ability to solve a financial puzzle with an incomplete set of pieces is an extremely important characteristic for forensic accountants (p. 336). The forensic accountant is providing a service to a client for the purpose of expert information as it pertains to legal matters or for the purpose of finding or preventing financial misrepresentation. Their role is not to merely...
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