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Secure Transaction CPE Credits
3 Credits: Auditing
Course Level
Overview
Format
Self-Study
Course Description
This course explores the malpractice exposure faced by CPAs in their professional practice. It examines key legal concepts such as negligence, breach of contract, and fiduciary duty, as well as landmark case law that shapes liability to clients and third parties. The course also reviews high-risk scenarios, documentation practices, engagement letters, and strategies for mitigating malpractice claims. Through practical insights and legal frameworks, CPAs will learn how to uphold professional standards while protecting themselves from litigation and regulatory sanctions.
Learning Objectives
Upon successful completion of this course, participants will be able to:
- Recognize the common law causes of action against CPAs.
- Recall the key malpractice cases and their judicial outcomes.
- Recognize the actions most likely to result in punitive damages.
- Specify the legal element to prove when establishing causation in a negligence case.
- Recall the recognized defenses against malpractice claims.
- Recognize the reasons to maintain audit documentation.
- Recall what distinguishes fraud from negligence in malpractice claims.
- Recognize the impact on an audit engagement of a failure to assess internal controls.
- Specify the legal effects of client misrepresentation in an engagement.
- Recall the nature of due care, as defined by the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct.
- Recognize the main purpose of expert testimony in a malpractice course
Course Specifics
SS925443565
September 3, 2025
There are no prerequisites.
None
68
Compliance Information
CFP Notice: Not all courses that qualify for CFP® credit are registered by Western CPE. If a course does not have a CFP registration number in the compliance section, the continuing education will need to be individually reported with the CFP Board. For more information on the reporting process, required documentation, processing fee, etc., contact the CFP Board. CFP Professionals must take each course in it’s entirety, the CFP Board DOES NOT accept partial credits for courses.
Meet The Experts
Steven M. Bragg, CPA, is a full-time book and course author who has written more than 300 business books and courses. He provides Western CPE with self-study courses in the areas of accounting and finance, with an emphasis on the practical application of accounting standards and management techniques. A sampling of his courses include the The New Controller Guidebook, The GAAP Guidebook, Accountants’ Guidebook, and Closing the Books: An Accountant’s Guide. He also manages the Accounting Best Practices podcast. Steven has been the CFO or controller of both public and private companies and has been a consulting manager with Ernst & Young and …
QAS Self-Study
