UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT DALLAS

SPRING SEMESTER 2005

COURSE: Business Law for Accountants-AIM 6370.501

INSTRUCTOR: Kenneth L. Bressler BSBA, MBA, JD, CPA

OFFICE PHONE: 972-308-7933 Daytime

E-Mail bressler@utdallas.edu As an Adjunct faculty member, I am at the University

only on Monday and Wednesday evenings.

OFFICE: SOM 4.224 OFFICE HOURS: Monday 6:00-7:00 P.M.

Wednesday 6:00-7:00 P.M.
ALSO BY APPOINTMENT

Course Objectives

A. Use of Critical Thinking:

Understand and apply legal concepts that influence the lives and decisions of
accountants and other professionals on a day-to-day basis. The course will concentrate on
ethics, professional and legal responsibilities and business law.

The ethical portion of the course will cover:

Code of Professional Conduct

Ethics and responsibilities in tax practice
Duty to hold information in confidence.

The professional and legal responsibilities portion will address the following:

Requirement of proficiency, independence, and due care.

Legal responsibilities and liabilities under the common law to clients and
third parties.
Federal statutory liability
Licensing and disciplinary systems imposed on CPA’s
Issues dealing with privileged communications.

The business law portion of the course will concentrate on the following areas.

1. The Legal Environment

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 2. Torts
3. Contract Law
4. Sales Law
5. Negotiable Instrument Law
6. Corporate Law
7. Partnership Law
8. Agency Law
9. Employment Law
10. Bankruptcy Law
11. Limited Liability Companies, Limited Liability Partnerships
12. Professional Liability of Accountants
13. Property Law.

GRADING SYSTEM

1. Three Tests Each worth 22.5%

A 90-100
B 80-90
C 70-79
F= 0-69

2. Paper Worth 22.5%

An 8-10 page paper must be typewritten on some aspect of Accountant’s

Professional Responsibility. Some very general topics from which a student can select
a narrower topic are:

1. Changes mandated by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

2. Tax Return Preparation and Professional Responsibility.
3. AICPA Code of Professional Responsibility.
4. Case Studies in Accountants’ Liabilities and Professional
Responsibilities.

Topics must be submitted to the instructor for approval prior to writing the paper. The Paper
is worth 22.5 percent of final grade. The paper must be submitted on or before March 14,
2004. Papers submitted late will be marked down ten points for each class period it is late. If
a student fails to turn in a paper, the student will fail the course.

3. Class Participation Worth 10%

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 Class Participation. Students should read the assigned chapters and read and
contemplate the problems at the end of the chapters prior to class and participate in class
discussion. Class participation and attendance is 10% of final grade . All class
assignments must be turned in timely and typewritten.

General Information

1. Required Material
a. Clarkson/Miller/Jentz/Cross, West's Business Law, West Publishing Company, 9th
Edition.

b. For each test the student will need a Scantron Form No. 882-E and a No. 2
pencil. Scantron Form No. 882-E can be purchased at the University Bookstore or Off
Campus Books.

2. Recommended Readings:

a. Selected sections of Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

b. AICPA Professional Standards and Code of Conduct.

c. Internal Revenue Service Circular 230 (pertaining to practice before the IRS).

3. Testing Policy

A make up test will be given only for very compelling reasons. The make up
examination must be scheduled in advance of the regularly scheduled test and must be
completed within one week of the re gularly scheduled test. The make up test will NOT be the
same as the regular test.

Tests will begin promptly at the beginning of class 7:00 P.M. Any student who
arrives after the first student completes the test and leaves the room will not be permitted to
take the test.

4. University Policy on Cheating

Students are expected to be above reproach in all scholastic activities. Students

who engage in scholastic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties, including the
possibility of failure in the course and dismissal from the University. "Scholastic dishonesty
includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, the submission for credit of any

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work or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to another person, taking an
examination for another person, any act designed to give unfair advantage to a student or the
attempt to commit such acts." Regents' Rule and Regulations, Part One, Chapter VI, Section
3, Subsection 3.2, Subdivision 3.22. Since scholastic dishonesty harms the individual, all
students and the integrity of the University, policies on scholastic dishonesty will be strictly
enforced.

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CLASS SCHEDULE

Date Chapters

1/10 Introduction, Chapters 1, 2 and 3.

1/17 Holiday

1/24 Chapters 5, 6, 7, 9

1/31 Chapters 10, 11, 12, 13

2/7 Chapters 14, 15, 16, 17

2/14 TEST I

2/21 Chapters 19, 20, 21

2/28 Chapters 24, 25, 30, Treasury Department Circular 230, Statement on Standards
for Tax Services.

3/7 Spring Break

3/14 Chapters 31, 32, 33

3/21 Chapters 35, 36, 37

3/28 TEST II

4/4 Chapters 38, 39, 41, 42

4/11 Chapters 46, 47, 48, 50

4/18 Chapters 51, 52, Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, Public Companies Accounting
Oversight Board.

4/25 TEST III

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