Defence Lawyers for Accountants

Defence lawyers for Accountants

The experienced solicitors for accountants at Richard Nelson LLP have experience and knowledge of the accountancy sector, which means we can offer accountants, accountancy firms and their clients a broad range of services.

We represent accountants before their regulators, defend claims of professional negligence and malpractice against accountants and conduct litigation. We also offer regulatory and criminal defence for accountants and their clients, including defending Companies House prosecutions.

Our lawyers have provided advice and training for accountants on a variety of regulatory issues such as money laundering regulations and the Bribery Act.

Defence before accountancy regulators

Our regulatory defence lawyers defend accountants and accountancy practices before various accountancy regulators, including:

• The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW);
• The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA);
• The Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT);
• The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA).

Our solicitors provide advice, assistance and representation from the outset of an investigation, including responding to initial requests for information, preparing a written response to allegations, through to the legal representation before a Disciplinary Tribunal or Committee hearing.

We will vigorously defend your position where allegations are contested. Where necessary we will present a panel with compelling mitigation, working with you to achieve the best possible outcome.

Accountant negligence cases

Due to the wide-ranging nature of the work undertaken by accountants, claims of professional negligence are occasionally made. We can advise you as to whether the circumstances in question do amount to negligence, as well as the best defence for any allegations. We can also represent you in any subsequent legal proceedings.

Our fees can be paid either through your indemnity insurance company, or privately where necessary.

Partnership problems

If your accountancy practice becomes the subject of a partnership dispute, we can help by applying our legal knowledge and business experience, to ensure that the contentious issues are resolved quickly, effectively and where possible without the costs associated with litigation.

In the eventuality that you need to close your firm, we can advise on the best way to do it to minimise the impact on you and your clients.

The areas in which we can assist you include:

• Partnership disputes;
• Advice on what to do when a partner dies;
• Advice about a breach of a partnership agreement or failure to meet obligations;
• Termination of the partnership.