Professional Negligence

Professional Negligence

Forensic accountants are often called in to assist and investigate negligence claims against accountants, auditors, tax advisers, and other professionals.

Given the complex nature of financial cases, the most successful forensic accountants are those who can combine their accounting and auditing skills with an ability to think ‘outside the box’ and an instinct for knowing where to probe for information. That’s what we do at Harwood Hutton.

We will set out to examine all the relevant financial information, and once everything has been collated, calculated, and tabulated, it can be presented to the court.

By providing our service at the earliest stages – whether that is mediation, arbitration or alternative dispute resolution – Harwood Hutton will have the greatest scope to keep a case out of court if that is the desired course of action.

Reasons to choose Harwood Hutton

• We offer an initial free, no-obligation telephone call or meeting
• With our background in professional practice, we can apply ‘real world’ experience in the process of providing expert evidence to help prove (or disprove) liability in professional negligence claims
• We can also call on our experience as registered auditors, insolvency, tax specialists and general accountancy practitioners
• We are experienced in performing an in-depth analysis of such factors as part of the process of preparing detailed loss calculations and expert reports for use in court proceedings.

Purpose and scope

Our forensic accounting team will seek to establish whether the professional concerned owed a duty of care to the claimant.

We will also consider the purpose and scope of work agreed between the parties (on the basis of the professional’s contractual or engagement terms), and assess the extent to which that scope was addressed by the professional.

In cases where professional negligence is found to have occurred, we will quantify the financial impact of the negligence (i.e. consequential losses).

In professional negligence cases concerning the conduct of accountants, auditors or tax advisers, Harwood Hutton is well placed to give expert evidence on the liability of the professional as well as the quantum of the losses suffered by the claimant. In doing so, we will apply our skill and expertise to assess whether the professional has failed to comply with generally accepted practice or applicable laws and regulations.

Acting for claimants and defendants

Harwood Hutton is experienced in acting for both claimants and defendants in the context of professional negligence claims and has undertaken a significant number of professional negligence cases as either expert witness, shadow expert, or expert advisor.

When acting for claimants, we can advise on the strengths and weaknesses of a potential professional negligence claim and can prepare robust and reliable loss calculations in support of a claim.

When acting for defendants, we can identify areas of the claim for challenge or rebuttal and in cases against accounting professionals can provide expert evidence to help disprove liability and successfully defend a claim for professional negligence.

Objective and independent

We work with clients and their legal advisers as required to ensure the detailed loss calculations and/or expert evidence on liability issues we deliver are fit for purpose and provide the end client with cost-effective advice and support.

As a leading light within our professional trade body NIFA, we are committed to providing work that is objective and independent, and we subscribe to the highest professional quality and service standards.