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Accountant Professional Negligence
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    As individuals and business customers we entrust our accountants with a great deal of responsibility and rely on their specialist expertise and professionalism to both protect and advance our financial interests. Healys are experts in dealing professional negligence claims against accountants, so contact us today.

    As such, when they fail to meet basic standards, the consequences can be critical and the losses so great that it is necessary to prove an accountant negligence claim.

    I just like to say many thanks for the service you give me in obtaining the money which I thought I had lost you have restored my faith in solicitors which was at a low before contacting you once again many thanks.
    Kev Robinson

    We have been working with people like you for over 30 years and we understand that sometimes an apology is not enough. At Healys we are here to help you recover any losses (financial or otherwise) you have suffered and get the answers you deserve.

    Our team has a wealth of experience in professional negligence claims against accountants and we have developed relations with leading chambers in the industry. We are recognised in the field by a leading industry directory, the legal 500. We are also members of the Professional Negligence Lawyers Association.

    Professional Negligence Claims Against Accountants; What can I claim for?

    Although the British legal system has high thresholds for proving accountant negligence, the guidance of a suitably qualified, experienced and accredited professional negligence solicitor can help turn allegations into incontrovertible evidence. If you feel your accountant has failed in their duty of care toward you and your accounting necessities, talk to Healys today, to see if you have the basis of a claim.

    There are many circumstances where it may be appropriate to pursue a claim against your accountant.

    • When you have been provided incorrect tax advice or illegal tax strategies
    • When an important deadline; eg. annual return has been missed
    • When you have not been advised properly that results in financial loss
    • When you have been provided an undervaluation or overvaluation of company assets
    • When an undervaluation or overvaluation of business assets has been made
    • When there has been a failure to spot fraudulent / wrongful activity when auditing accounts.

    Fundamentally though, the question will be of whether you, as a client, have received poor advice or  audit from an accountant who owed you a duty of care that covers the error and whether you have, as a consequence, incurred financial loss.

    I instructed Robert Johnson of Healys in relation to a professional negligence matter approximately 12 months ago, which is still ongoing, and have been delighted with his work so far. Robert was quick to grasp the issues, and has dealt with the case in a very efficient, able and timely manner. He is approachable and, most importantly for a private client, transparent in his billing and, (so far), accurate in his fee estimates, allowing me to budget accordingly.
    Elizabeth Hide

    Making a complaint

    Often it is possible to register a complaint about an accountant with a senior partner of the firm – sometimes it may even be possible to obtain redress at this stage.

    Additionally, there are various regulatory bodies which provide complaints procedures to dissatisfied clients.

    Both the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants and the Institute of Chartered Accountants can discipline members for cases of professional misconduct.

    Call Us Today
    Call our London office on 020 7822 4000 or our Brighton office on 01273 685 888. You can also contact us online.
    Call Us Today
    London: 020 7822 4000 Brighton: 01273 685 888 Or you can contact us online: Contact Us
    Accountant Professional Negligence capabilities
    Accountant Professional Negligence experiences
    • Our client, a property developer was in the process of obtaining a property. The case involved two law firms that acted for the buyer & seller. After the transaction was complete, the client discovered that the seller had committed identity fraud and lost a considerable amount of money. Issues included breach of warranty of authority and breach of trust on the part of the solicitors who acted on behalf of the fraudster; the scope of the duty of care of the firm acting on behalf of our clients and whether the clients’ consequential loss of profit was recoverable at law. Our client decided to contact Jerome O’Sullivan and Healys’ Professional Negligence team in order to make a claim. Solicitors’ legal obligations in such circumstances are unclear and this matter may lead to clarification of the law in this regard. The team, led by Jerome O’Sullivan was able to successfully make a claim against the two firms for £1.5million.
    • Our client divorced with his wife and asked his former solicitors to take on his case. After completing procedures, he realised that the law firm had not protected his interests & assets. His wife dissipated all the assets leaving him very surprised and unsatisfied by the service that they had provided. Our client decided to contact Robert Johnson and Healys’ Professional Negligence team in order to make a claim. Robert Johnson and the Healys Family team acted extremely promptly to guarantee our client a success in his claim. They were able to successfully make a claim in the sum of £50,000 for failure in acting for our client’s best interests.
    • Our client’s claim arose out of the failings of her former solicitors to deal with her divorce. This included the dissipation of assets held by the husband in Hong Kong by way of freezing orders. The claim focused on conflicting evidence between the client and husbands solicitor. After lengthy negotiations with the other side, Robert Johnson was able to secure the client £650,000 in compensation.
    • Our client had a previous claim with another law firm in relation to his property being undervalued when sold. Unfortunately our client received poor advice from the previous law firm which resulted in him loosing the initial claim against the mortgagee and valuer. Robert Johnson was able to successfully make a claim against the previous law firm for loss in opportunity. After lengthy mediation with the other side, Robert was able to secure our client £800,000 in compensation.
    • Our client needed advice regarding an Under-Lease, and so they approached a firm about their issue. However, our client soon realised that the firm had given incorrect advice. He decided to contact Healys in order to make a claim against the law firm for failure to advise properly in relation to the purchase of an under-lease, the terms of that under lease, the status of the head lessee and rental payment terms. The team, led by Robert Johnson was able to successfully make a claim for £150,000 against the firm.
    • Our client decided to make a claim against their former solicitor in respect of the failure to advise properly with regard to rights of appointment of LPA Receivers leading to the adoption of the wrong strategy, appointment of receivers and subsequent losses. The team, led by Robert Johnson was able to successfully make a claim against the firm for £4 million in failing to advise on the risks of the strategy.
    • Our client instructed a firm of solicitors to deal with a claim in regard to his former employer. He was unfortunately unaware that the firm he instructed was in financial difficulty. Subsequently the firm went into liquidation. This lead to the solicitor dealing with the case to be negligent towards our client’s case. The team, led by Robert Johnson was able to successfully make a claim for £200,000 against the firm for failure in treating our clients claim with due care and diligence. Nick Evans, our employment law expert, also took part at the claim. We acted for the client under a CFA and since the case the firm in question has been dissolved.
    • The client’s wife was involved in an RTA which led to a claim on the client’s insurance. The insurer instructed a solicitor in the client’s name to commence proceedings to recover the insurer’s losses from the other party involved in the RTA. The solicitor negligently allowed a judgement in default to be entered on a counterclaim against our client. The client was unaware of the judgement until he applied for a mortgage some 15 months later. As a result our client suffered numerous heads of losses including increased mortgage costs and potential loss of earnings because of his job as a police officer. The case was led by Ben Parr-Ferris who made a claim against the solicitor for negligently allowing the judgement on his wife’s RTA insurance claim. The aim of Ben and his team was to safeguard the client’s career and make sure the judgement does not affect his progression. A number of negotiations were attempt with the insurer in order to revert the decision made by the solicitor as an insurer debt. However, both of them failed. Although the team were able to get assurances from our client’s employer that the judgement should not impact the client career in any way. The solicitor has since accepted liability and Ben Parr-Ferris was able to secure our client £30,000 in compensation.
    • While in the process of buying their new home, our clients contacted Property Survey Company in order to complete the required checks on their potential new property. The Property Survey Company completed all the checks and informed our clients that no defects were found. Unfortunately after purchasing the property our clients noticed a number of defects in the property and after getting a second opinion it was found that the original survey was incorrect. The team was able to successfully make claim against the property surveyor as they failed to provide our clients with the survey they asked for but also they failed to identify certain defects in the property. Robert and the team were able to secure £50,000 in compensation for our clients in an out of court settlement.
    • Our client had a significant property portfolio. She found out that a number of her properties had been sold without her knowledge under her ex-husbands name. The properties in question were equally owned by our client and her ex-husband, so no sale should have taken place without her knowledge. After instructing a number of expert witnesses that included a hand writing expert, it was found that the property was unlawfully sold. With this information, Robert Johnson and the Professional Negligence team at Healys was able to secure £750,000 in compensation after lengthy mediation with the other side.
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    Accountant Professional Negligence awards
    • Chambers & Partners 2021 : Professional Negligence – "Robert Johnson has considerable expertise representing individuals in negligence claims against solicitors, accountants and real estate agencies. ‘He has excellent analytical skills, strong commitment to his clients and commercial astuteness.‘ ‘He is very easy to work with and always available to respond to any queries.‘ ‘He is able to describe complex details in layperson’s terms while guiding clients through the legal details of the case.'”
    • Legal 500 2021 : Professional Negligence - "Healys LLP ‘compares very favourably with other larger law firms’ in advising individuals and companies on claims against a range of professions. In recent years, the practice has primarily acted against solicitors, though practice head Robert Johnson has a ‘wealth of experience’ in advising on claims involving barristers, architects, surveyors, financial advisers and accountants. David Bailey handles large group claims and fraud issues."
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