As a forensic accountant one must consider several factors when considering an
engagement. Some of those factors include competence, professional care, objectivity,
and integrity of the client and the individual’s ability to best serve the client (Rufus,
Miller, & Hahn, 2015). As a result, the forensic accountant would need to review the case
background, client’s history, understand what expertise is required to ensure he or she is
knowledgeable in the scope of the case, and understand all the parameters of the case.
Such as whether the engagement involves family, civil, criminal, state, interstate, or
federal court which can dictate the form of testimony that would be required. Whether the
engagement would require a written opinion or a court appearance. c Plus, determine if
conflicts of interest exist in actual or perceived form to preserve the expert opinion
because if a conflict exists then outcome of the engagement could be damaged if not
acknowledge and addressed prior to the engagement. This would require professional care
and due diligence to ensure objectivity and integrity are upheld. Finally, if the
engagement is acceptable then compensation fees and a schedule of engagement will need
to be considered.
For this case I would think that I would reject the engagement because of the attorney’s
reputation which seems to be a “win at all cost” attitude has the potential to cause a
conflict of interest and compromised integrity and objectivity. As a result, the case could
most likely result in pressure to provide expert testimony to fit the case instead of
following the facts. Which would lead to bias results and has the potential to miss court
deadlines due to the attorney’s slow responses. In addition, the attorney is slow to pay
which may result in no payment for services provided even though the attorney is paid
upfront. c Therefore, this engagement shows many red flags in a “bad” engagement (Rufus
et al, 2015). Meanwhile, in my opinion, this engagement could compromise a forensic
accountant’s reputation and ethical standards.
References:
Rufus, R. J., Miller, L. S., & Hahn, W. (2015). Forensic accounting. Boston, MA: Pearson.
