Code of Ethics

C. Hall Jones & Associates, Inc., shall act in a manner that safeguards the interests of individual clients, justifies public trust, and is totally accountable for the practice and exercise of professional accountability.

C. Hall Jones & Associates, Inc., shall:

1. Provide professional services with honesty, integrity, fairness, competence, objectivity, and with respect for the unique needs and values of client individuals and organizations.
    
2. Establish realistic client expectations of the benefits and results of our services.
    
3. Recognize that we are engaged by our clients and are paid by them to help solve their problems, not our own.
    
4. Avoid work with any other client which is in direct competition with projects for current clients for a mutually agreed upon period of time
    
5. Advise our clients in a timely manner when we believe that a project will not be successful.
    
6. Avoid discrimination against other individuals on the basis of race, creed, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, and national origin.
    
7. Fulfill professional commitments in good faith and with the best interests of the client in mind and keep the client informed of any matters relating to the contract, even if the information is unfavorable and/or may jeopardize the contract.
    
8. Remain free of conflicts of interest, or the appearance of such, while fulfilling the objectives and maintaining the integrity of the consulting profession.
    
9. Report to the appropriate individual any circumstances that might influence the firm’s judgment and objectivity, when it appears that the integrity and/or the success of the project is at risk, or when circumstances may compromise standards of professional practice and care.
    
10. Agree in advance with the client on fees, products, services, and delivery schedules.
     
11. Avoid injuring others, their property, reputation, or employment by false or malicious actions.
     
12. Maintain complete and total client confidentiality and not take advantage of or divulge any proprietary information obtained from the client.
     
13. Accept only assignments and projects for which the firm possesses the expertise to perform by providing realistic and practical solutions to client problems, assign only staff and/or subcontractors with the requisite experience, knowledge, and expertise, and render impartial, independent advice.
     
14. Ensure, before accepting any engagement, that a mutual understanding of the objectives, scope, work plan, fees, and payment schedule have been established.
     
15. Base the firm’s practice on sound business principles, industry best practices, and current research and information.
     
16. Take responsibility and accept accountability for personal and professional competence in practice.
     
17. Not engage in any activities that are in violation of the law or that might be reasonably used by a client or any other party to be in violation of the law.
     
18. Provide sufficient information to enable clients to make informed decisions.
     
19. Provide information about appropriate products in a manner that is neither false nor misleading.
     
20. Refuse any gift, favor, or hospitality from clients in our service which might be interpreted as seeking to exert influence to obtain preferential consideration.
     
21. Disclose any financial or other conflicts of interest in relevant organizations providing goods and/or services and ensure that professional judgment is not influenced by any personal and/or commercial considerations.
     
22. Present substantiated information and interpret controversial information without personal bias while recognizing that legitimate differences of opinion exist.
     
23. Obtain client consent to photocopy, photograph, audio-tape, videotape, or otherwise record any client-related situation for professional purposes.
     
24. Understand, recognize, respect, and acknowledge the confidential intellectual property rights of the client including, but not limited to, copyrights (which apply to written material, photographs, video tapes, audio tapes, slides, films, illustrations, drawings, etc.), trademarks, and patents. The firm will act to prevent such materials from being accessed by unauthorized persons and will secure the client’s permission to use any and all such property.