An accountant friend of yours tells you that he “almost never” does any tax research

An accountant friend of yours tells you that he “almost never” does any tax research because he believes that “research usually reveals that some tax planning idea has already been thought up and shot down.” Besides, he points out, most tax returns are never audited by the IRS. Can a tax advisor who is dedicated to reducing his client’s tax liability justify the effort to engage in tax research? Do professional ethics demand such efforts? Which approach would a client probably prefer?