The factors one should consider before potentially taking on the services of Attorney
Joseph Leslie or engaging anyone for professional services. We know that he has success
with white collar crime, given his track record in the court room winning those difficult
cases, but one must not overlook any risks that can arise or uncover and the rewards that
can result from taking on the case. One must conduct a screening process to determine the
factors that take into consideration the decision to continue the engagement. These factors
include engaging attorney and looking at their reputation for making ethical decisions that
produce efficient outcomes and signal any potential red flags that can discourage from
accepting a client. Other factors one must consider include disclosing any conflicts of
interest that can result in any biases, ensuring that the client exhibits competence and due
care with their objectives, as well as familiarizing oneself with the nature and scope of the
environment, which would allow one to effectively assess the risks and rewards. Finally
the last factor one should consider before accepting an engagement includes the
compensation details, which should answer how much one is going to get paid, “When?
Who is responsible for the payment? How are fee disputes resolved?” (Rufus et al., 2015,
51). Given the details of Mr. Leslie’s reputation I will find it difficult to even consider
accepting this engagement given his unethical tactics to push his employees to work long
hours in order to provide him the information needed to make his case. The reputation for
expert abuse would be red flag to signal a bad client, as, “forensic accountants must be
aware that some attorneys are quite willing to sacrifice an expert’s reputation to advance
their client’s cause (and thus their own)” (Rufus et al., 2015, 49). In order to possibly
accept this case the proper competence and due care must be improved dramatically in
order to build and gain the necessary trust to proceed with an engagement letter. These
would include properly compensating for any overtime work, hiring the adequate number
of staff to efficiently analyze the case, and making sure that any and all consultants be
paid in a timely manner. One may give the attorney the benefit of the doubt until they
meet in person because, “no matter the reputation or marketing savvy of the lawyer, the
impression the lawyer makes during the engagement process and throughout a matter is
critical to building and maintaining credibility,” which could be the deciding factor to
obtaining a better understanding before making the final decision to accept or reject the
potential client (Levine, 2015).
References
Levine, S. (2015). The Power of Leading an Engagement Effectively. Law Practice: The
Business of Practicing Law, 41(5), 42–45
Rufus, R., Miller, L., & Hahn, W. (2015). Forensic Accounting. Pearson Education, Inc.
