Are your engagement letters up to date?
Once upon a time it was possible to have the same client engagement letter in place for several years, without too much upset.
However, the pace of change in the various pieces of overlapping legislation (much of it of a whistleblowing nature) that impact on engagement letters, seems to be getting faster and faster. Different obligations under criminal law, tax law, company law and anti-money laundering that are now required in the typical contract with your client, mean that there is a never ending requirement to review your letters and issue revised and updated letters to your clients on an annual basis.
Here is a quick checklist of the legislation you need to include in audit engagement letters:
Audit engagement letter under the Companies Act 2014:
In future issues of this blog, we will cover the typical legislative references required in engagement letters for other entities including specialised ones like solicitor clients (reporting under the Solicitors Accounts Regulations of the Law Society), auctioneers, owners management companies, charities and insurance intermediaries.
