The Lento Law Firm Defends Rhode Island CPAs
The Rhode Island Board of Accountancy has the authority to pursue disciplinary charges against your Rhode Island CPA certification and license. If the Board of Accountancy revokes or suspends your CPA license, you will not be able to offer CPA services in the state and may lose your ability to practice in reciprocating states. Protect your CPA practice. Retain the Lento Law Firm's premier Professional License Defense Team to defend you from the Rhode Island Board of Accountancy on disciplinary charges. Call 888.535.3686 or chat with us now. Get the help you need to preserve your CPA practice.
Rhode Island CPA Practice Rewards
CPA practice can be rewarding nearly anywhere you establish a practice. But CPA practice in Rhode Island can be especially rewarding, given the state's natural beauty, strong and diversified economy, hospitality to large and small businesses and charitable organizations needing accounting services, and population of successful individuals and families in need of tax advice and related accounting services. CPA employment and practice in Providence, East Providence, North Providence, Warwick, West Warwick, Cranston, Pawtucket, Woonsocket, Cumberland, Coventry, South Kingstown, North Kingstown, Johnston, Newport, and other Rhode Island cities and towns can be especially conducive to practice success. The state also hosts offices of leading CPA firms like KLR, Marcum, Sansiveri Kimball, Piccirelli Gilstein, Indinero, Exotax Solutions, DiSanto Priest & Co., Cayer Caccia, Ward Fisher & Company, Carl Weinberg & Co., GrowthLab, and Restivo Monacelli. You know the opportunities and rewards. Don't lose them to disciplinary charges.
Nationwide Stakes to Rhode Island CPA Discipline
Rhode Island's Board of Accountancy has the statutory and regulatory authority to offer reciprocal licensure to CPAs licensed in other states by endorsement. Reciprocity is a huge advantage when obtaining a second or subsequent license, helping the candidate avoid having to repeat the CPA exam and other burdensome, time-consuming, and expensive licensing requirements. But if you suffer license discipline in Rhode Island, you will likely lose the ability to gain a reciprocal license in another state. You may also lose your license in other states, depending on the wrong the Rhode Island Board of Accountancy finds you committed. In short, your Rhode Island disciplinary proceeding has nationwide stakes. Don't ignore your charges in Rhode Island, expecting to license again elsewhere. Let us help you defend the charges now rather than having to pay later.
Rhode Island CPA Licensure
Rhode Island's legislature adopted the state's Accountancy Act, codified in Rhode Island Statutes Sections 5-3.1-1 et seq., to regulate CPA practice within the state. The Accountancy Act's Section 5-3.1-4 establishes the Rhode Island Board of Accountancy to license CPAs for public accountancy practice in the state. Section 5-3.1-16 of the Act makes it unlawful for anyone to use the CPA designation or offer or conduct public accountancy practices without obtaining and maintaining a valid Board of Accountancy CPA license. Section 5-3.1-19 authorizes the Board of Accountancy to obtain a court's cease and desist order, enjoining an unlicensed individual from practicing or offering practice as a CPA or using the CPA designation. Section 5-3.1-20 makes it a criminal misdemeanor to practice public accountancy without a current CPA license, punishable by a fine of $1,000 and up to a year in jail. You need your CPA license to practice. You must not practice without it. Let us help you defend it.
Rhode Island CPA Qualifications
The Accountancy Act's Section 5-3.1-5 authorizes the Rhode Island Board of Accountancy to establish the minimum qualifications for CPA licensure in the state. You know the time, trouble, expense, and effort you took to obtain your Rhode Island CPA license. The Accountancy Act and Board of Accountancy rules require the accounting degree from an accredited institution, that you pass the CPA examination, that you obtain the requisite work experience under certification, and that you also demonstrate good moral character, including passing a criminal history background check. You studied diligently and worked hard for your CPA license to gain employment and to build your practice. Disciplinary charges put all that investment at risk. Let us help you protect your investment and the rewards your investment is earning you.
Rhode Island CPA Disciplinary Authority
The Accountancy Act's Section 5-3.1-4 expressly authorizes the Rhode Island Board of Accountancy to investigate and discipline CPAs for violating the Board's conduct rules and accounting standards. The Act's Section 5-3.1-12 carries that authority into further effect, specifically authorizing the Board of Accountancy to suspend or revoke a CPA license for specified misconduct. Section 5-3.1-14 of the Act authorizes the Board of Accountancy to proceed on its own complaint or at the report and complaint of any member of the public, whether an employer, another firm, client, colleague, or other professional acquaintance. The Board of Accountancy retains, trains, and employs disciplinary officials to investigate, pursue, and prove disciplinary complaints before the administrative hearing officer. Don't doubt the resources that the Board of Accountancy has to determine that you committed sanctionable discipline. Instead, let us help you level the playing field with the skill, experience, and strategic judgment of our highly qualified attorneys.
Rhode Island CPA Disciplinary Decisions
Rhode Island Board of Accountancy discipline is public, not private or confidential. The Board of Accountancy prepares and publishes online a detailed written report naming the disciplined CPA, the CPA's license number, and the wrongs that the CPA committed, including the discipline the Board imposes. Your employer, prospective employers, clients, professional colleagues, other licensing boards, and family members and friends will all be able to readily discover your discipline. Discipline can have severe direct consequences. You could immediately lose your job, clients, income, and ability to practice. Discipline can also have severe collateral consequences, affecting your ability to meet financial commitments, maintain family relationships, and remain insured for health and other risks. Your loss of reputation and standing may also adversely affect your personal and community relationships. You may need years or a lifetime to recover from CPA discipline if you are not responsible for handling and addressing the charges. Let us help.
Rhode Island CPA Disciplinary Sanctions
Rhode Island Statutes Section 5-3.1-12 authorizes the Board of Accountancy not only to suspend or revoke a CPA license but also to impose other, additional or alternative sanctions. The Board of Accountancy may limit or restrict your license to certain tasks, employers, clients, supervision, or other terms and conditions. The Board may reprimand you, fine you, require that you submit to periodic peer review, require that you complete additional education or training, or impose other sanctions that it determines fit your peculiar circumstances. These sanctions may seem daunting. But the Board of Accountancy's substantial discretion gives our skilled attorneys the opportunity to negotiate and advocate for special relief as an alternative to discipline. We may be able to convince the Board that it can protect the public simply by permitting you to complete, or accepting that you have already completed, certain examinations, treatment, training, or other requirements that you would prefer to complete in any case. Avoid discipline if you can. Let us help you generate win-win propositions that the Board of Accountancy may accept.
Rhode Island CPA License Reinstatement
If you have already lost your Rhode Island CPA license, do not give up hope. The Rhode Island Board of Accountancy has special statutory authority to modify its disciplinary decisions and to reinstate a CPA license. The Accountancy Act's Section 5-3.1-15 authorizes the Board to reinstate a license and modify prior discipline if the involved CPA makes a written application convincing the Board of the appropriateness of that relief and further attends a hearing before the Board's representatives making the same showing. Our attorneys can help you make your best showing for reinstatement, both in the written application and at the formal hearing.
Grounds for Rhode Island CPA Discipline
Rhode Island Statutes Section 5-3.1-12 lists the disciplinary grounds on which the Board of Accountancy may impose sanctions. State officials may generally only act to deprive citizens of their property and liberty interests, like those interests you hold in your CPA practice, on statutory or other legal grounds. They should not be making up grounds as they go along. The Rhode Island Board of Accountancy has the following common grounds for discipline among its statutory powers.
Credentials Fraud as Grounds for Rhode Island CPA Discipline
Rhode Island Statutes Section 5-3.1-12 authorizes the Board of Accountancy to discipline for fraud or misrepresentation when obtaining your CPA license. Credentials fraud could involve omissions of criminal convictions or other disqualifying events from your renewal application, misstatements in your original application about your work experience or education, or even cheating on the CPA exam. Our attorneys may be able to help you show that you accurately represented your credentials, did not lie or cheat, and that any omissions were unintentional and immaterial.
Unfit or Unprofessional Practice as Grounds for Rhode Island CPA Discipline
Rhode Island Statutes Section 5-3.1-12 also authorizes the Board of Accountancy to discipline for violating the profession's conduct rules or exhibiting unfitness in your practice. Unfitness could involve physical or mental impairments affecting your accounting work or intoxication affecting performance. Unprofessional conduct, a broad category, could include inappropriate intimate or financial relationships with clients, harassing co-workers, or other issues causing public distrust of the profession. Our attorneys may be able to help you show that you did not commit the alleged misconduct or that you promptly addressed medical or other issues triggering the allegations without the likelihood of repetition.
Corrupt Practice as Grounds for Rhode Island CPA Discipline
Rhode Island Statutes Section 5-3.1-12 also authorizes the Board of Accountancy to discipline for gross negligence, fraud, or dishonesty in your accounting practice. Fraud might include deliberately preparing false tax returns for a client, knowingly preparing false financial statements, or recklessly violating accounting standards. Our attorneys may be able to help you show that your practice was within all standards and that others prepared the disputed returns or statements.
Criminal Conviction as Grounds for Rhode Island CPA Discipline
Rhode Island Statutes Section 5-3.1-12 also authorizes the Board of Accountancy to discipline for a criminal conviction for “forgery, embezzlement, obtaining money under false pretenses, bribery, larceny, extortion, conspiracy to defraud, misappropriation of funds, tax evasion, or any other similar offense.” Our attorneys may be able to help you show that you did not suffer any of these convictions, that a court expunged or reversed your conviction, or that any conviction you suffered was not for a disqualifying crime.
Rhode Island CPA Disciplinary Procedures
You have the due process right to a fair hearing of Rhode Island Board of Accountancy disciplinary charges before an impartial decision-maker after reasonable notice of the charges. The Accountancy Act's Section 5-3.1-14 details the due process the Board of Accountancy must follow before suspending, revoking, or otherwise disciplining your CPA license. Those procedures include your right to retain our highly qualified attorneys to appear at the formal hearing on your behalf, present your witnesses and evidence, and cross-examine the witnesses against you. You also have appeal rights under Rhode Island's Administrative Procedures Act and a limited right of court review.
Defense Attorney Services for Rhode Island CPAs
The above Rhode Island Board of Accountancy procedures are not self-executing. The Board will not necessarily follow any of the above procedures if you ignore your disciplinary charges. You must instead generally invoke those protective procedures strategically to put them to any good effect. Our attorneys can help you do so. We can answer the charges, raising your defenses. We can arrange informal resolution conferences to negotiate alternative relief. And we can invoke the formal hearing procedures, if necessary, to present your evidence in exoneration or mitigation of the charges. If you have already lost your hearing, our attorneys can help you make available appeals and seek court review.
Premier Rhode Island CPA Defense Services
The Lento Law Firm's premier Professional License Defense Team is available across Rhode Island for your CPA license defense. Hundreds of professionals have retained us to defend their disciplinary charges. Call 888.535.3686 or chat with us now.
