Introduction to Legal Framework - Week 3

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 AYB115 WEEK 3 - Introduction to Legal Framework


“It is unnecessary for forensic accountants to be familiar with the Australian Court Hierarchy or understand basic differences in Civil and Criminal Law. In fact, the court system as a whole is irrelevant to a forensic investigation”



It is completely incorrect and inappropriate for forensic accountants to be unfamiliar with the Australian court hierarchy and the legal system when conducting any forensic investigation. The understanding of the court and legal system is essential for forensic accountants for many reasons such as their expert testimony, the presentation of their evidence, and their general adherence to legal standards.


 

Forensic accountants are often called upon to provide expert testimony to the work they provide. Forensic accounts testimony can only be based off the facts that they bring to the case and cannot be based off opinions unless they again only base it off the facts they bring. This correlates to how forensic accounts should know the legal and court proceeding when it comes to how they present their evidence and what evidence is admissible within a court of law. If a forensic accountant does not know about these rules and court proceedings, they could be at risk of bringing in inadmissible evidence that could cause the case to be severely hindered or declared a mistrial.

 

If these legal standards are not followed it could damage the reputation of the forensic accountant and show them to be less trust-worthy and less knowledgeable than what is needed by legal professionals to collaborate with them to conduct thorough and effective investigations.


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