In the previous unit, the role and responsibility of the auditor according to the Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (GAAS) and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Code of Conduct have been discussed. These were expectations set by the profession. However, the auditor also has legal obligations to adhere to. An auditor working with a publicly traded client learns that the client has been completing stock trades based on insider information. The auditor is required to report this illegal behavior not only by professional standards but also by legal standards.

An auditor must adhere to many legal obligations. Discuss a portion of a law, such as the SarbanesOxley Act of 2002, under which auditors have obligations. As part of the analysis, illustrate how the auditor should communicate known violations of the law. The analysis should include at least 3 real-world examples.

For this assignment, do the following:

• Identity the laws selected to discuss.
• Discuss the auditor's responsibilities according to the law.
• Discuss how the auditor should fulfill the legal obligations.
• Discuss how the auditor should report any violations of the law.
• Each example should discuss how the violations were reported and resolved.