Lawyers: Legal Representation Of ACCA, ICAEW Accountants
As an Accountant, you are obviously always aware that you have to follow and comply with stringent procedures and policies. Worst case scenario is that you could one day find yourself having to attend a Disciplinary Hearing due to a complaint being levied against you.
This is where we can help as we are expert solicitors in the field of providing specialist advice and representation, even if a regulatory body is involved in the process. Possibly a case has not been levied against you as yet, but you are just concerned about your defence in law and require support with regard to problematic clients, ethics or potential negligence claims. If this is a good description of your current situation, then we are here to provide a full guidance service.
Some of the professional bodies that you could be involved with are:
ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales).
ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants).
CIOT (Chartered Institute of Taxation).
CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants).
CIPFA (Chartered Institute of Public Finance Accountants).
APA (Association of Public Accountants)
So, if you find yourself in difficulty because you have been reported to your governing body, or possibly even find yourself under investigation, we are very much hands-on and can deal with the problem before it begins to escalate. This is a very specialised area which is why you need to entrust your problem to a team that deal with it effectively and completely, thus preserving your professional integrity and reputation which is so important.
You may be thinking that this could not happen to you, but unfortunately it only takes one dissatisfied client to bear a grudge and you can quickly find yourself being harassed. If it looks as if the case may progress to a full Disciplinary Hearing, then you need to be prepared. Unfortunately, if you do not take the time to represent yourself fully and accurately then substantial losses can be incurred, financially and professionally. Your reputation and integrity forms the backbone of your practice and if this suffers any damage, it may be irreparable. Disciplinary hearings not dealt with fully and nipped in the bud can end up leading to civil actions and substantial fines. Why risk all of this when it can be dealt with effectively by a leading law firm such as Selachii LLP.
But I have legal insurance
You may be thinking that your insurance cover will suffice to give you protection, but this is often not the case. Mainly policies like this do not come into force until you incur legal fees as a result of a disciplinary or something similar. They may assist you if the disciplinary case ends up resulting in a claim but even then, the legal team that represent you will not have any specialist knowledge meaning that you will not stand the best chance of success. They are also more than likely going to want to know that you can win your case before they take it on. Under these circumstances they will look at it and give a percentage rate of likely success. If this is below a certain percentage and success does not look as if it will be a sure thing, very often they will decline to represent you and you will find yourself alone and in a corner.
I pay membership fees and am a member of a Professional Body. Surely they will help?
Again, you may expect your Professional Body to come running to help but their hands are tied if they have to carry out an investigation into your behaviour in a professional way. They cannot be both on the protective side and on the disciplinary one. All they can do is give basic technical advice which is normally of little help.
So as you can see, this is an intricate and very detailed area of the law which requires scrupulous attention to detail if you are to find your way through it.
Rather than take risks with your livelihood, consult a solicitor from day one. Not only can we advise and re-assure but we can take the stress out of the predicament and show you that there can be a satisfactory conclusion to the matter that will not leave your reputation tarnished.
Contact us now for an informal chat and further details.