Forensic Accountants

Forensic Accountants perform an orderly analysis, inquiry, investigation, inspection, or test in an attempt to attain the truth, and develop an expert opinion in matters of disagreement (e.g. in a dispute case). This type of accountant is trained to look beyond numbers to business matters as a whole, which allows them to assist solicitors, government agencies and business owners, in a combination of fraud detection and litigation support.

Forensic accounting brings together two forms of investigation and analysis, the first being investigative accounting, which is associated with investigations of criminal matters, such as an investigation of securities fraud, employee theft, insurance fraud, kickbacks or proceeds from crime investigations. The other type of forensic accountancy is litigation support, which offers assistance of an accounting nature in a litigation and deals mainly with issues related to financial damages, such as calculating the financial loss resulting from a breach of contract.

Forensic accountants need to have a strong accounting background, with a thorough knowledge of auditing, fraud detection, internal controls, and risk assessment. They must also have a basic understanding of the legal environment and a strong set of communication skills, both written and oral.