Bias is the Fastest Way to Lose Credibility as a Financial Expert Witness
Bias Financial Expert Witness Introduction: Your Only Real Product is Credibility In financial expert witness work, there are two opinions that matter: yours and the…
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Financial experts/Rule 702
Financial experts/Rule 702 Introduction: Financial experts/Rule 702 Financial experts play a vital role in financial restructurings, delivering important insights in many contexts, including plan confirmation, analysis…
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Contempt in litigation
Title: The Intersection of Civil Contempt and Financial Disclosures in Complex Litigation By: Bob Bates, Esq., CPA ‘Contempt Robert Bates’ In high-stakes commercial litigation, the…
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Deposition process and procedure
The following are issues that should be considered when setting depositions or participating in them as a lawyer or expert: Basic Process and Procedure Strategic…
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Journey from CFO to lawyer
Journey From CFO to Lawyer: Why I Became a CPA Attorney For many years I was a Controller, and then a CFO of various businesses…
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Lost Profits
Lost profits Lost profits are economic damages caused by a disruption in business operations. The damages can be the result of a variety of factors,…
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AI: Can it be trusted?
Should we trust AI? Pros of Trusting AI Cons of Trusting AI For instance, if you ask a language model to summarize a news article…
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Where’s the evidence?
Where’s the Evidence? How to Turn a Bank Statement Data Dump Into a Fraud Case That Wins I have handled several cases in which the…
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Information- the right amount/type for experts
Information- the right amount/type for experts HP Accounting expert witness When starting an expert engagement the attorneys typically send a case file to the expert….
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Intangibles valuation
AI Overview In tech companies, intangible assets like intellectual property, software, and brand reputation often make up a significant portion of their value. While specific percentages…
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May 5, 2025 Announcement
May 5, 2025: Legal announcement HP Accounting is pleased to announce that Robert Bates has passed the California Bar exam and as of May 12…
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Legal issues for Experts
4 C’s for experts-clear communication, coachability, confidence, and candor. These are very important characteristics. Communication is obvious-it is important for experts, whether they are communicating…
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Weak claims
It is important for expert witnesses to critically evaluate the merits of a case as they perform their analysis
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Expert witness qualifications
Federal evidence rules 702–703 govern admissibility of expert testimony. There are 4 questions to ask: Is there an appropriate issue for expert testimony? Experts may…
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No more depositions?
No more depositions? Lately I’ve had 3 cases move forward to trial without a deposition of my expert opinions/reports. This is an interesting trend (or…
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Criminal or civil? Civil or Criminal: Fraud Forensic Accounting
I have worked on a number of cases which have causes of action such as fraud, conversion and related items. (Civil or criminal fraud forensic…
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Forensic Accounting Exams
Forensic Accounting Exams: Uncovering Partner Misappropriation & Financial Irregularities Forensic Accounting Exams: What Is a Forensic Accounting Examination? Forensic accounting plays a vital role…
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The difference between an officer and a director
The difference between an officer and a director In my roles as officer/director, CFO, in law school, and in various cases I have come across…
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Expert witnesses as financial helpers
Expert Witnesses as Financial Helpers: How a CPA / CFO Expert Witness Helps Attorneys Win Expert witnesses as financial helpers The convolutions of financial transactions…
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Shielding Finances: Harnessing AI for Fraud Detection and Prevention
AI can prevent fraud by analyzing data and detecting patterns that may indicate fraudulent activity: Fraud detection prevention AIIn today’s highly interconnected digital realm, where…
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Expert Witness Work : Sub-Specialties
Expert witness work: Sub-Specialties I have various areas of sub-specialty, as a result of working on multiple cases in the area, or having many hours…
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Fraud Financial Statement Chart
EXAMPLES OF ILLEGAL ACCOUNTING MANIPULATIONS TO INCREASE OR REDUCE ASSETS Increases of Assets Reductions of Assets Noncurrent Assets Incorporate inexistent assets (work in progress,…
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Quotes
Quotes- These are some great quotes I came across in my CPE training. At 40 hours/year I’ve done over 1,000 hours of training in accounting,…
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Loan Fees
Business Loan Fees: A CFO’s Guide to Origination& Due Diligence Fees ($1M – $100M) Analysis: What Are Business Loan Fees Really Costing You? This is…
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NDA’s, or Non-Disclosure Agreements
NDA’s, or Non-Disclosure Agreements NDA’s, or non-disclosure agreements, are important documents used to protect confidential information. They provide a legal framework for parties to share…
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The Importance of Witness Credibility in Comparison to Evidence
When it comes to evaluating the strength of a case, the credibility of witnesses and the weight of the evidence play crucial roles. Both factors…
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When a business owner Passes Away
When a Business Owner Passes Away: Valuation, Estate & What Happens Next When a business owner passes away, the business they’ve worked hard to build…
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Different Levels of Attorneys
Different Levels of Attorneys The CA Bar exam passing score is 1390 out of 2000 points. I took the Bar. I have to disagree with…
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Lawyers: Listen to your Clients
Lawyers: Listen to your Clients In many disputes, the clients have lived with their dispute/happenings/events for a long time, sometimes years. They know the ins…
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Business Interruption Expenses
Business Interruption Expenses Business interruption is a form of commercial damage coverage that includes but is not limited to various torts and contract issues. Business…
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Due diligence is an essential element of a successful Acquisition
Due Diligence Is an Essential Element of a Successful Acquisition Due diligence is an essential element of a successful Acquisition When purchasing a business…
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Fiduciary forever?
Fiduciary Forever? How Long Does Fiduciary Responsibility Last After a 401k Plan Is Closed? Does a fiduciary have responsibility for a closed retirement plan ad…
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Use of administrative assistants in Expert Witness work
This is an interesting rule, which came up recently in a few cases: An expert witness is permitted to use assistants in formulating his expert…
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The Latest Frauds
The Latest Frauds I’m Seeing as Forensic Accountant in 2025-2026 Every time I hear of a fraud that occurred to someone I know or a…
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Ten Key Drivers of Company Value
Overview In our current time of economic volatility, social unrest, and political partisanship, simple questions rarely have simple answers. For an owner-operator of a small-…
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How to Understand Seller’s Discretionary Earnings
Introduction: How to understand Seller’s Discretionary Earnings: If you have ever purchased or sold a small company, you’ve probably heard the term “Seller’s Discretionary Earnings”….
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Spoofed Emails Enable Purchase-Order Fraud
Background This case involved a Nigerian crime ring that stole Apple computers and devices by impersonating U.S. defense officials. Make sure purchase orders pass the…
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Why Did I Go to Law School?
Why Did a CPA and CFO With 30 Years Experience Go to Law School? Overview I’m a CPA and have been a Controller/CFO for…
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How to Buy a Tech Company?
How to buy a tech company There are thousands of small tech companies for sale at any time-they are often websites that take 1 or…
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Officer Vs Director: Everything You Need to Know
Officer vs Director: Everything You Need to Know (California Corporation) Depending on the company, the officers and directors can comprise the same people who…
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Business Litigation – Seven Factors To Consider For Selecting An Expert Witness
Business Litigation: Seven Factors to Consider When Selecting a Financial Expert Witness Introduction Whether you have ever been a party to a lawsuit, your company…
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Need help with a Bankruptcy Situation?
You’ve done a cash flow/profitability analysis-you’re either seeing declining revenue or your margins are too low and/or fixed costs too high to support the business…
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Importance of Quality of Earnings Report
Introduction In recent years, quality of earnings reports (Q of E report), have become more popular in M&A deals. Whether the seller’s financials are audited,…
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Board of Directors Governance
Board of Directors Governance To manage a business, you need more than just workforce. You need a combination of processes, rules, people, and procedures,…
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Trust Accounting
Trust accounting The first thing that comes to mind when one sees “trust accounting,” is trust, followed by accounting (it’s quite obvious), but they all…
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7 Signs the Buyer or Seller You’re Working With Is a Flake
Is the buyer a flake When it comes to selling or buying , you really need to know if the buyer or the seller is…
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SEC Filings Deadlines for Financial Statements
Report deadlines Financial report deadlines determine when financials are filed by companies, but when companies are find it hard to release and meet with the…
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Litigation (Mainly In Business)
Litigation is any proceeding in which two opposing parties initiated to defend or enforce a legal right. And this involves every activity before, during, and…
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M&A Fraud: Purchase of Retail Store
M&A Fraud Case Study: How a $49k Retail Store Purchase Turned Into a $104k Loss Background: Retail Store Purchase That Looked…
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Buying a Company Vs. Selling a Company
Difference between buying & selling companies Do you want to know about the difference between buying a company and selling a company? As a matter…
