Mayer Brown is a leader in providing legal representation to accountants and other professionals.

We regularly represent major accounting firms and information technology consultants in lawsuits, regulatory investigations, transactions and legislative matters. We have represented all of the Big Four accounting firms as well as other national accounting firms and major consulting firms. We have tried several matters to successful conclusion and have prevailed at the motion stage in numerous other cases. On the legislative front, our lawyers played a substantial role in achieving passage of both the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and the Securities Litigation Uniform Standards Act of 1998.

Our Accountants Team is made up of experienced lawyers from the Americas, Asia and Europe. Through our offices worldwide we have the resources necessary to respond quickly to any issue, contentious or otherwise, faced by leading accounting firms.

The Global Environment
Our familiarity with the structures, cultures and operating practices of networks and individual firms – gained from our longstanding relationships as well as from the experience of several of our lawyers working within accounting firm general counsels’ offices – allows us to provide legal advice that recognizes the business, regulatory, and other realities applicable to the networks and firms. This business insight has resulted in our being called upon to support accounting networks’ wider global needs in a number of different ways.

Many of these engagements involve contentious matters. Thus – in addition to our extensive experience representing US member firms in US proceedings and UK member firms in UK proceedings – we have provided strategic oversight of the handling of claims worldwide, including claims against member firms in Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, the Cayman Islands and Korea. In some instances we have worked with our existing local teams; in others, with local teams from other law firms.

Other engagements have involved representing member firms and individual partners located outside the United States in government enforcement and private litigation matters within the United States, such as the following:

• Representing a global coordinating entity and two ex-US member firms in connection with a DOJ inquiry related to possible money laundering activities of former clients of the foreign firm.

• Representing two ex-US member firms in connection with an SEC investigation concerning subprime accounting issues at a financial institution.

• Successfully defending an accountant from ex-US member firm in connection with an SEC investigation into accounting at a foreign subsidiary and its impact on financial statements the parent corporation filed with the SEC.

• Representing the audit engagement partner at an ex-US member firm in an SEC investigation related to that firm's independence under SEC accounting rules.

• Representing a global coordinating entity in a dispute with a former ex-US member firm.

In addition, because of our insight into the increasingly complex environment in which the global coordinating entities of accounting practices operate, we frequently provide advice in relation to the following:

• Compliance issues that arise both for the coordinating entities themselves and their member firms. For example, independence issues and their application across borders. Our international reach has proved particularly valuable in dealing with SEC/PCAOB issues.

• The risk of cross-border liability exposure. We often advise in relation to the relationships between coordinating entities and their member firms and the associated business structures.

• Insurance issues arising in the context of the operation of captive insurers. For example, the content of PI policies provided by a captive and the associated regulatory issues. Similarly, we have represented captives in the context of disputes with their reinsurers.

• Practice and policy issues arising more widely in relation to government regulation or disciplinary schemes. As legislative consultants on behalf of the Big 5 accounting firms in the United States we spearheaded the effort that culminated in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and continue to advise the firms with respect to regulatory and other policy issues. Our London team is currently advising the Big 6 on proposed changes to the Accountings Disciplinary Scheme in the UK.

Contacts
To find out more about our Accountants Team please contact one of the following:

Europe
Clare Canning
Matthew Lawson
Simon Willis

United States
Stanley Parzen
Andy Pincus
Brian Massengill

Asia
Richard Tollan
Steven Miller
Clare Canning