New North America Forensic Accounting SIG

MSI members have expressed interest in the development of a North America Forensic Accounting Specialist Interest Group aimed at both accountants and lawyers.

The Forensic Accounting (FA) SIG intends to assist MSI members, experienced and new, in competently performing services while staying up to date on emerging issues and technologies in the field.  The SIG seeks to provide a better understanding of the role a forensic accountant can play, and educate the forensic accountant to better serve the attorneys, both domestically and globally as well.

The main goals of the FA SIG are as follows:

• To collaborate to obtain new business prospects for our members.  Share proposal opportunities, referral sources and resources.
• To share international and local FA developments so that MSI members can raise challenges and opportunities with clients.
• To develop a network of MSI contacts with international clients that (occasionally) run into FA matters to promote referral activity and joint acquisition
• To establish and maintain a core team of FA specialists who can help other MSI members to collaborate and serve clients better on FA matters (e.g. best practices, report writing, interviewing techniques, body language, investigating the money and the people, legal issues etc.)
• To build a central expertise and education programme and to run benchmark studies through presentations, guest speakers, case studies and technology updates
• To expand the range of services of MSI members as FA specialists, by leveraging the experience within MSI.

Leadership of the SIG.  The group’s chair will be Gabe Shurek CFE, CVA – Gettry Marcus, New York

Gabe is a Partner in the Business Valuation and Litigation Services Group at Gettry Marcus. With over 17 years’ experience in forensic accounting, fraud detection and business valuation, Gabe has been retained by attorneys, and others, to perform services in complex litigation settings. He has managed engagements in various types of federal and state matters, including ownership and contract disputes, intellectual property disputes, accountants’ liability and marital dissolutions. In addition, Gabe has applied forensic accounting techniques in bankruptcy matters, where he has represented bankruptcy trustees, creditors’ committees and debtors in assignments such as solvency and preference analysis, and investigations for fraudulent transfers.

Next Steps. If you would like to register your interest in joining this group: Sign up for the SIG here.  It is intended that there will be an introductory teleconference call followed by a physical meeting of the group at the MSI Americas Regional Conference in Chicago on June 21^st.