Forensic Accounting

Whether acting as a Single Joint Expert appointed by the Court or working with one party to a divorce at an early stage to understand their needs and ensure the best possible outcome for them financially (potentially in association with our financial planning and property valuation partners), we can report on a range of areas as experienced expert accountants in a format which is FPR compliant and easy for Solicitors and Barristers to read and understand the key issues.

This includes:

• Valuations of businesses and shareholdings;
• Providing an opinion on the liquidity within a business, any surplus assets or the ability to raise finance to fund a settlement;
• Reviewing the earnings of Directors, business owners and shareholders to identify their potential sustainable future income from a business;
• Consideration of the tax implications of sale, restructuring or transfer of business and other personal assets;
• Review of Form E disclosures and supporting documentation to analytically interrogate the financial information to identify any unusual transactions and potential queries and additional details required; and
• Working together with financial planners and property/pension valuers at an early stage in the process to understand what assets would be most valuable to each party and assist in ensuring best-case outcomes for all.

Our Partners have experience in preparing independent business valuations for a wide variety of purposes in formats which can be tailored to the client’s requirements. Whether you want a “desktop” valuation to give you an idea of the range in which the value of your (or a target) business lies or a more detailed report which can be used to inform negotiations with an investor, 3rd party buyer or management seeking to buy into a business, we can assist.

We seek to obtain an in-depth understanding of the business from all available sources so that we can ensure that our valuation is specific to the unique circumstances of the business, accurate and will stand up to external scrutiny whether from HMRC or another party to a transaction.

We understand that there is no “one-size-fits-all” valuation calculator and so we will consider a range of potential valuation techniques and explain how these apply to your business and your requirements. We can also value specific majority or minority interests in a business taking into account the level of involvement of the stakeholder, level of control and influence on the business strategy and key decision making.

Sometimes in business, as in life, things don’t quite as smoothly as planned and this can have significant financial implications which can lead to a dispute. To make a claim a business needs to quantify the financial losses suffered due to the issues causing the dispute and that is where we can help.

We will review the documentation and meet with you to understand the issues surrounding the claim and then will identify with you all the potential “heads of loss” where you have suffered direct additional costs or the loss of potential profits whether from being deprived of the use of a key asset or losing onward sales and contracts. We will then provide a detailed report which is supported by the factual evidence to back up your claim.

Alternatively, if your business is subject to a claim or counterclaim then we can review and challenge the underlying assumptions, evidence and basis of calculations to ensure that you obtain the best outcome for your business.