Current through Register Vol. XLI, No. 50, December 13, 2024
Section 1-1-19 - Rules of Professional Conduct19.1. Independence, Integrity, and Objectivity.19.1.a. A licensee or substantial equivalency practitioner shall be independent in the performance of professional services.19.1.b. In the performance of any professional service, a licensee or substantial equivalency practitioner shall maintain objectivity and integrity, shall be free of conflicts of interest, and shall not knowingly misrepresent facts or subordinate his or her judgment to others.19.2. General Standards; Accounting Principles.19.2.a. A licensee or substantial equivalency practitioner shall:19.2.a.1. Undertake only those professional services that the licensee or substantial equivalency practitioner can reasonably expect to complete with professional competence;19.2.a.2. Exercise due professional care in the performance of professional services;19.2.a.3. Adequately plan and supervise the performance of professional services; and19.2.a.4. Obtain sufficient relevant data to afford a reasonable basis for conclusions or recommendations in relation to any professional services performed.19.2.b. A licensee or substantial equivalency practitioner who performs auditing, review, compilation, preparation, management advisory, tax, or other professional services shall comply with the recognized professional standards applicable to the services.19.2.c. A licensee or substantial equivalency practitioner shall not (1) express an opinion or state affirmatively that the financial statements or other financial data of any entity are presented in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles or (2) state that he or she is not aware of any material modifications that should be made to the statements or data in order for them to be in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles, if the statements or data contain any departure from any accounting principle promulgated by bodies designated to establish the principles that has material effect on the statements or data taken as a whole. If, however, the statements or data contain a departure and the licensee or substantial equivalency practitioner can demonstrate that due to unusual circumstances the financial statements or data would otherwise have been misleading, the licensee or substantial equivalency practitioner can comply with the Rule by describing the departure and its approximate effects with the principle would result in a misleading statement.19.3. Responsibilities to Clients. 19.3.a. Except as provided in Section 16 of this Rule, a licensee or substantial equivalency practitioner shall not disclose any confidential client information without the specific consent of the client. This Rule shall not be construed (i) to relieve a licensee or substantial equivalency practitioner of its professional obligations under subdivisions 19.2.b and 19.2.c of this Rule, (ii) to affect in any way the obligation to comply with a validly issued and enforceable subpoena or summons, (iii) to prohibit review of a licensee's or substantial equivalency practitioner's professional practice under Section 14 of this Rule, or (iv) to preclude a licensee or substantial equivalency practitioner from initiating a complaint with or responding to any inquiry made by a recognized investigative or disciplinary body. Members of a recognized investigative or disciplinary body and professional practice reviewers shall not use to their own advantage or disclose any licensee's or substantial equivalency practitioner's confidential client information that comes to their attention in carrying out their official responsibilities. However, this prohibition shall not restrict the exchange of information with a recognized investigative or disciplinary body or affect, in any way, compliance with a validly issued and enforceable subpoena or summons.19.4. Responsibilities to Colleagues [RESERVED].19.5. Other Responsibilities and Practices.19.5.a. A licensee or substantial equivalency practitioner shall not commit an act that discredits the public accounting profession.19.5.b. A licensee or substantial equivalency practitioner shall not seek to obtain clients by advertising or other forms of solicitation that are false, misleading, or deceptive. Solicitation by the use of coercion, over-reaching, or harassing conduct is prohibited.