Using a sample of firms from France, where the law requires the use of two auditors, we study the effect of auditor pair composition on audit quality by examining a specific account, goodwill impairment. We document that firms audited by a Big 4-non-Big 4 auditor pair (BS) are more likely to...

Using a sample of firms from France, where the law requires use of two auditors, we examine the effect of auditor pair composition on overall measures of unconditional and conditional conservatism, as well as on a specific measure of conditional conservatism, i.e., impairment loss. We use game...

As some regulators view joint audit as a way to enhance audit quality, French law already requires two (joint) auditors. We examine the impact of auditor pairs on a key mechanism ensuring timely loss recognition: impairment tests. Impairment tests rely on unverifiable fair value e stimates and...