When a forensic accountant is hired to provide a valuation for losses and
serve as an expert witness in court, they must consider the AICPA principles of
professional conduct as well as the federal rules of evidence. The AICPA principles
of professional conduct consist of six principles: responsibilities, the public trust,
integrity, objectivity and independence, due care, and scope and nature of services
(Rufus et al., 2015, p. 300). In the given situation, the forensic accountant could
demonstrate professional care by ensuring they adhere to all guidelines. This would
include adhering to the rules of professional conduct which include showing
independence, professional competence, planning and supervision, and obtaining
sufficient relevant data. To demonstrate objectivity and integrity the forensic
accountant should follow Rule 102 that states members should maintain objectivity
and integrity. There should be no conflicts of interest. The member should also
avoid misrepresenting facts knowingly. To be an expert witness the forensic
accountant must also adhere to Rule 702 which lays out the conditions in which an
expert witness is considered such and when they can testify in court. The forensic
accountant should have specialized knowledge and sufficient facts or data (Federal
Evidence Review, 2016). In following all the guidelines set forth, the collection of
evidence or data should be sufficient to testify. Now if the forensic accountant does
not have knowledge in the field of land valuation, they couldn’t be considered an
expert witness or provide sufficient evidence as they would not be specialized in
that field.
Reference
Federal Evidence Review. (2016). Federal Rules of Evidence (2015). Retrieved
from b b b b b b b b b b b b
https://web.archive.org/web/20180831001530/http://federalevidence.com/rules-of-
b b b b b b b b b evidence#Rule702
Rufus, R., Miller, L., & Hahn, W. (2015). Forensic accounting. Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Pearson b b b b b b b b b b Education.
