A forensic accountant’s role in a civil action is usually to
draw out information from accounting records and establish relevant facts (Fenton
& Isaacs, 2012). In the Labelmakers Group Pty Ltd v LL Force Pty Ltd case
two forensic accountants were engaged by each party to examine relevant records
and provide reports. They were required to calculate the profit margin,
discount rate, loss of profit on paper sales and accounts of profits. The
profit margin was calculated to identify losses of sales revenue and to
indicate the impact of clients transferring their business away. The discount
rate was calculated to be applied in calculating the quantum of the applicant’s
losses as a result of the respondents misconduct in order to assist in
recognising the resulting damages of each party. The loss of profit on paper
sales was calculated to identify the implications of lost business on paper
quantity ordered and the revenue from these sales. Under the accounts of profits, net profit was
compared to the profits attributable to the former clients for easy comparison.
Capital profits were also calculated to establish the investment gain through
shares in LL Force (Labelmakers Group Pty Ltd v LL Force Pty Ltd, 2013).
In a case where both parties believe the other is in the
wrong, I believe it is critical for a forensic accountant to be impartial to
all involved. An ethical forensic accounting process must be unbiased to increase
the chances of a successful outcome (Shapiro, 2015) . Accountants must follow fair
guidelines in their nature, timing, documentation and communication of results
to enable more creditable and high-quality decisions to be made (Shapiro, 2015) .
References
Fenton
Jr, E. D., & Isaacs, P. (2012). Preparing Deposition Questions: The
Critical Role of the Forensic Accountant. Journal of Forensic &
Investigative Accounting, 4(1).
Labelmakers Group Pty Ltd v LL
Force Pty Ltd (No 3) [2013] FCA 1059
Shapiro, D. M. (2015, September 2). FORENSIC
ACCOUNTING: BEYOND THE COURTROOM.
Retrieved from Strategic Finance: https://sfmagazine.com/post-entry/september-2015-forensic-
accounting-beyond-the-courtroom/
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