SEC Practice Committee to Sponsor Auditor Independence Course

The NYSSCPA Securities and Exchange Commission Practice Committee will sponsor a three-credit session on the independence requirements for auditors of public companies. This FAE morning mini-conference will combine a formal presentation by Arthur Siegel, executive director of the Independence Standards Board, with an extended panel discussion. It will take place from 8:30 to 11 a.m. on June 18, at the FAE Seminar Complex.

The panel includes Doug Carmichael, author, professor, and specialist on accounting and auditing issues; David Einhorn, of Richard A. Eisner & Co. LLP, a former member of both the NYSSCPA SEC Practice and AICPA SEC Regulations committees; Dan Goldwasser, a prominent defense attorney for SEC registrants and CPAs; and Frank Pearlman, of BDO Seidman, a member of the ISB's Independence Issues Committee. Jeffrey Brinn (Nassau), chair of the SEC Practice Committee, will moderate.

Participants will explore pertinent independence issues facing auditors of public companies, including those related to alternative practice structures. Society members who wish to suggest issues for the panel to address should e-mail their questions and comments to jbrinn@luca.com. Panel members will receive relevant inquiries prior to the program and also will address written questions from attendees at the event.

This program is one of several upcoming events sponsored by the SEC Practice Committee, whose meetings are open to all Society members. Its next meeting will take place May 20, and its 1999­2000 organizational meeting is June 29, both at the FAE Seminar Complex. This year's annual SEC/FASB Conference will take place December 2 at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers.

For more information on the June 18 mini-conference, see the course listings on pages 20­22 of this newspaper, call FAE Registration at (212) 719-8383 or (800) 537-3635, or register online at www.nysscpa.org. *

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