Webinars On-Demand

Real Talk Ethics: Knowing When to Walk Away (Session 4)

Overview    

In an increasingly complex professional environment, accountants are often faced with ethical dilemmas that test their integrity, objectivity, and professional judgement. This webinar explores the critical responsibility of recognising when an ethical risk, client relationship, engagement, or workplace situation has become untenable, and when it is necessary to escalate concerns, withdraw from an engagement, or disengage entirely in order to uphold professional standards and act in the public interest. The session provides practical guidance on identifying ethical red flags, applying the conceptual framework in the Code of Professional Conduct, and evaluating whether safeguards remain sufficient to address threats to compliance with fundamental ethical principles. It further examines the importance of proper escalation, communication, and documentation, as well as the professional, legal, and reputational consequences of remaining associated with unethical conduct, misleading financial information, or non-compliance. Through real-world scenarios and case studies, attendees will gain valuable insight into navigating difficult client relationships, managing pressure and intimidation, and making sound ethical decisions that protect both their professional standing and the integrity of the accounting profession. 

Join Caryn Maitland CA(SA) as she provides practical insights into recognising ethical warning signs, applying structured decision-making frameworks, and determining when it is necessary to walk away from engagements, clients, or professional situations that pose unacceptable ethical risks. 

Learning objectives   

  Attending this webinar will equip you with the following skills:  

• Identify ethical red flags in client relationships, employer instructions, reporting engagements, advisory work, and professional interactions. 

•  Understand when threats to compliance with the fundamental ethical principles become unacceptable, including threats to integrity, objectivity, professional competence and due care, confidentiality, and professional behaviour. 

•  Apply a structured ethical decision-making framework when faced with pressure, intimidation, conflicts of interest, misrepresentation, non-compliance, fraud indicators, or management override. 

•  Determine appropriate escalation and documentation steps before disengaging, resigning, withdrawing from an engagement, or refusing to act. 

•  Recognise the professional, legal, reputational, and disciplinary consequences of continuing with unethical clients, inappropriate instructions, misleading financial reporting, or compromised engagements. 

Content   

  The webinar will cover the following topics:  

• Introduction: Real Talk Ethics and Professional Responsibility 

• The role of the professional accountant 

• Acting in the public interest 

• Ethical leadership and professional judgement 

• The difference between difficult clients and unethical clients 

• When “client service” becomes ethical compromise 

• The Code of Professional Conduct 

• Fundamental principles of professional ethics 

• Integrity 

• Objectivity 

• Professional competence and due care 

• Confidentiality 

• Professional behaviour 

• Conceptual framework approach 

• Identifying, evaluating, and addressing threats 

• Acceptable level of ethical risk 

• Safeguards and their limitations 

•  Ethical Threats That May Require Withdrawal 

• Self-interest threats 

• Self-review threats 

• Advocacy threats 

• Familiarity threats 

• Intimidation threats 

• Conflicts of interest 

• Undue influence and pressure from clients, employers, directors, or management 

• Fee dependency and commercial pressure 

• Long association and over-familiarity 

• Client and Engagement Acceptance and Continuance 

• Client screening and integrity assessment 

• Engagement acceptance procedures 

• Engagement continuance procedures 

• Management integrity concerns 

• Scope limitations 

• Unreliable records and lack of cooperation 

• Disputes over accounting treatment or disclosures 

• Misleading, incomplete, or manipulated financial information 

• Non-Compliance, Fraud, and Irregular Conduct 

• Non-compliance with laws and regulations 

• Suspected fraud or financial misconduct 

• Management override of controls 

• Misrepresentation in financial statements 

• False or misleading submissions to regulators, SARS, CIPC, funders, or stakeholders 

• Reportable irregularities where applicable 

• The accountant’s response to suspected unlawful or unethical conduct 

•  Escalation, Communication, and Documentation 

• Internal escalation protocols 

• Communication with those charged with governance 

• Professional consultation 

• Legal advice and professional body guidance 

• Documentation of ethical concerns 

• Recording professional judgement 

• Evidence of escalation and decision-making 

• Communication with clients or employers 

• Knowing When to Walk Away 

• Refusal to act 

• Withdrawal from an engagement 

• Resignation from employment or appointment 

• Termination of client relationships 

• Disengagement letters 

• Ethical boundaries in practice 

• Practical indicators that safeguards are no longer sufficient 

• Balancing legal obligations, confidentiality, and professional duties  

• Consequences of Staying Too Long 

• Ethical compromise 

• Reputational damage 

• Disciplinary action 

• Civil liability 

• Criminal exposure in severe cases 

• Regulatory scrutiny 

• Loss of professional credibility 

• Impact on staff, firms, clients, and stakeholders  

• Practical Case Studies 

• The aggressive client who pressures the accountant to “adjust the numbers” 

• The director who refuses to disclose material information 

• The client with repeated non-compliance and poor records 

• The employer asking the accountant to process questionable transactions 

• The practitioner facing intimidation, unpaid fees, or scope restrictions 

• The accountant who discovers possible fraud after accepting the engagement