Program: Litigation Bootcamp for Financial Experts
Program Sponsor: The Financial Forensics Institute
Focus:
This challenging, five-day program, entitled Litigation Bootcamp for Financial Experts, leads—through a process of training, subsequent testing, and an experience requirement—to NACVA’s Certified Forensic Financial Analyst (CFFA) designation. (All of the FFI’s training courses are recommended for their training value even if certification is not desired.) The five-day curriculum* focuses on the legal foundations and the strategic and communication skills required of a forensic expert and how to apply these skills in the litigation context. The common theme of the week’s activities will be a case study (an actual litigation matter), which the candidates will take from the first meeting with counsel, through discovery, analysis, deposition, and trial. Our candidates will serve as consulting and testifying experts, will be coached, directed, and critiqued by litigation attorneys, and will be subjected to the ultimate test—trial by jury (court-room attire will be required). The training program for the CFFA is definitely a “hands-on” experience, so you will need to bring a laptop. Note: Three video courses, entitled “Statistical Analysis,” “Economic Theory and Modeling,” and “The Intersection of Truth and Advocacy,” are required to be completed prior to attending the program. They will be furnished to you upon registration.
Details:
What You Will Learn
The Financial Forensics Institute’s litigation consulting training will prepare practitioners to take on many challenges beyond business valuation, including personal and commercial damages, breach of contract, tort and environmental liability, patent/trademark/copyright/trade secrets infringement, and more. Given that business valuation services open doors to only 10–15 percent of the financial litigation consulting needs of the legal profession, the practitioner—meaning you—must have the broad base of knowledge this training offers if you wish to build a career niche in litigation consulting. Following is a list of the salient topics covered in each day of the curriculum.
Daily Schedule Day 1
Day 1–Commercial Damages: Legal Theory and Case Law
• Legal theories underlying various types of business damages
• Key statutes and case law that define the scope of damages
• Parameters of damages measurement
• Federal Rules of Evidence and report preparation under Federal Rule
26(a)(2)(B)
• Introduction of a case study to be used during the remainder of the
week of training
Daily Schedule Day 2
Day 2–Calculating Business Damages
• Exploration of traditional methodologies used for business damages
• Alternative approaches in the measurement of damages
• Models used in the measurement and presentation of business damages
• Sources of information, economic and industry data
• Integration of statistical and economic concepts into damages models
Daily Schedule Days 3
Day 3–Statistical Analysis, Economic Theory, and Modeling
• Use of statistical sampling of data for conclusions about past events
and future projections
• Probability theory and regression analysis
• Inclusion of future economic events in opinions of damages
• The micro and macroeconomic theories that impact financial forecasts
and projections
• The development of economic models and their effective application in
calculating damages
Daily Schedule Day 4
Day 4–Deposition–Theory, Practice, and Strategy; Witness Preparation and Communication with Jurors
• How the expert must prepare and deliver the most effective testimony,
and maximize the value of the deposition
• Mock depositions are conducted in which participants serve as expert
witnesses and are examined by skilled litigation attorneys
• Testimony is videotaped and critiqued by faculty and guest attorneys
Daily Schedule Day 5
Day 5–The Dynamics of Trial— Expert Testimony and Juror Perspectives
• A live mock trial is conducted with participants giving expert testimony
on issues from the week’s case study
• Cross-examination by skilled trial attorneys
• Jury empanelled, deliberates, and reaches verdict
• Participants view live jury deliberations on video monitor
Who Should AttendCPAs, valuation experts, economists, and other financial professionals who render services designed to assist in the resolution of legal disputes involving financial matters. The program is designed to serve the educational needs of financial professionals rendering expert consulting services in connection with legal matters involving business or personal damages, disputes over business valuation, intellectual property, marital dissolution, accounting issues, fraud, and any matter where financial determinations are required. This training is geared towards the seasoned practitioner and utilizes state–of–the–art training techniques to maximize learning and retention. Less seasoned practitioners have much to gain also, because this training—challenging as it is–will broaden their perspectives and tune their skills for working effectively with legal professionals.
NASBA Sponsorship
NACVA and IBA are registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA), as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be addressed to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors, 150 Fourth Avenue North, Suite 700, Nashville, TN 37219-2417. Web site: http://www.nasba.org.
