The current climate of the accounting profession is such that auditors and accountants might experience higher requests for access to files and working papers. Whether for inspection purposes, legal purposes or law suits. Due to this it is imperative that professional accountants and auditors are aware of their rights and responsibilities in these situations. Are you allowed to refuse access and what steps should you take to protect yourself as well as your client? This session will focus specifically on the instances when information may be required from the professional accountant and what their obligation is in terms of Laws, regulations and the code of conduct.

The objective of this course is to identify the rights and responsibilities of the professional accountant and auditor when their working papers are requested by the client or a third party.

• Ownership of working papers • Confidentiality of client information • Responsibility for granting access to working papers • Ethical requirements • Circumstances where access to working papers is required by law • Circumstances where access to working papers might be requested in terms of International Standards on Auditing (ISAs) • Circumstances where access to working papers might be requested in terms of International Standards on Assurance Engagements (ISAEs) • Circumstances where an auditor agrees to be contractually bound to provide access to working papers • Considerations to be taken into account where access is at the discretion of the auditor • Potential risks to auditors when granting access to working papers to third parties • Policies and procedures regarding access to working papers

This session will be beneficial to all auditors, accountants and other professionals in the accounting profession.