DIVISION OF WORK

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 286, 30 August 1935, Page 23

DIVISION OF WORK

Accountancy and Law

“NO POACHING” THE RULE

Certain tasks which formerly fell wholly to legal practitioners have come to be regarded as work which should be undertaken by members of the younger profession of accountancy. This was mentioned recently by Mr. W. T. Mcßride, presidept of the Commonwealth Institute of Accountants, a body which has practically the same code of ethics as the New Zealand Society of Accountants. “It is not so long,” lie sai.d. “since solicitors exclusively administered deceased estates and managed trusts. Nowadays a large proportion of this work is performed by accountants and trustee companies. Broadly speaking, wherever legal work includes involved figures and accounts, that portiou naturally drifts to accountants because of their special training and fitness for the work.

“It would be quite another thing if accountants so acted as to be guilty of poaching. On good authority I am informed that there is a tendency among some accountants to try their hands on the preparation of important legal documents. In my opinion that certainly would constitute poaching, for it is no part of a professional accountant’s work,’and so far as this institute is concerned I think we must pronounce clearly against such a practice. The accountant who essays to do such work is not only guilty of a breach of etiquette, but almost invariably he would be making trouble for his"client and himself; and no reputable client, knowing the facts, would think his auditor for attempting to do the work which rightly belongs to a solicitor. However, I believe that the vast majority of accountants in this country observe unwritten laws of etiquette'in this respect, quite apart from obeying the dictates of the commonsense maxim—‘every man to his own work.’ ”