Practice Hot Topics - April 2026

Event information

ICAEW’s Practice Hot Topics webinar series are focused, expert‑led sessions that equip practitioners with timely insight on regulatory, technical and practice management issues facing firms. Specialists from across ICAEW deliver clear, practical updates on areas such as changing accounting requirements, PII expectations, Companies House reforms and other emerging themes, helping you support clients, manage risk and stay compliant.

April's session will be dedicated to the Engagement Letter, with key reminders on taking on new clients, issuing Engagement Letters for the first time and disengagement. We will go through some of the upcoming major updates to the ICAEW Engagement Letter templates, including schedules on ID verification and filing accounts on behalf of clients, MTD schedules and terms regarding the use of AI, together with guidance on how to effectively tailor the template for your use.

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Key benefits

• Key reminders on when and how to use engagement letters.
• Overview of the new ICAEW engagement‑letter templates.
• Guidance on tailoring the new engagement letter.

About the speakers

	Cerys Freemantle, Senior Professional Consultant, ICAEW Cerys had a varied professional background before coming to accountancy giving her a wide range of commercial experience. She trained within a smaller firm before moving to a top 10 firm specialising in audit and quality. Cerys also has experience in industry as a financial accountant in a large entity before joining ICAEW.
	Kat Hearn, Senior Technical Manager, Practice, ICAEW Kat Hearn is a Senior Technical Manager in ICAEW’s Practice team, where she provides technical guidance and support for members working in practice and member firms. She brings a strong foundation in audit and technical education, having worked across professional training, higher education, and senior finance roles. Her career spans Big 4 audit, ICAEW exam teaching, university lecturing, and strategic finance leadership in both SMEs and the education sector.
	Lindsey Wicks, Senior Technical Manager, Tax Policy, ICAEW Lindsey joined the ICAEW’s Tax Faculty team in 2019 – initially as its technical editor before progressing into a tax policy role. After qualifying as a Chartered Accountant in 2000, Lindsey decided to specialise in tax and spent over 12 years working in Grant Thornton’s National Tax team.

Series dates

CPD hours

ICAEW's Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Regulations require a minimum number of hours and an ethics requirement. Attending this event could contribute up to 1hr of verifiable CPD, providing you can demonstrate that the content is relevant to your role.

A copy of the event booking confirmation email is accepted as evidence of verifiable CPD. Click here to use ICAEW’s self-assessment tool to help you work out how much CPD you will need to fulfil each year.

Costs

There is no charge to attend this event. ICAEW members are welcome to join.