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As Harbinson Mulholland prepare to celebrate their 3000th forensic case, the team give us a rare insight into their work as the “detectives of the accounting world”

Eye on Forensic Accountancy

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But there’s an arm of the profession which defies the traditional image of

the number-crunching accountant. Forensic accounting involves its specialist practitioners in a mixture of fascinating scenarios where ‘normal’ accountants wouldn’t expect to find themselves.

In the wake of numerous corporate scandals, the work of Forensic Accountants has been brought

to the fore and demand for their specialist skills has greatly increased.

Playing a critical role in financial investigations, these experts provide independent scrutiny in cases such as fraud and money laundering, shareholder disputes, medical negligence and uncovering assets in divorce cases, to name but a few.

At Harbinson Mulholland’s Belfast office, there’s a specialist Criminal and Commercial Department where a team of accountants work on a wide variety of cases on any given week, ranging from the most complex of financial-based court cases to disputes between companies and just about anything in between. Any matter, in fact, where the expert views of a professional accountant can be useful.... and that covers a lot of ground.

The Harbinson Mulholland unit is headed by Partner Brendan Dwyer and Senior Manager Vincent Bradley, two men with a wealth of experience across a range of forensic accounting cases.

Both came from a traditional accounting background. Brendan qualified with a leading firm before spending a few years in the automotive industry, an element of direct commercial experience that he says has been invaluable in his current role as a forensic accountant.

Vincent trained with one of the Big Four accountancy firms and initially worked in audit before moving on to specialise at Harbinson Mulholland in Criminal and Commercial work.

“There’s definitely an edge to it, two and sometimes three sides to every story, which sets this

kind of work apart. I enjoyed it right from the start,” he smiles.

Harbinson Mulholland’s Criminal and Commercial Department might find itself working on a variety of breach of contract cases, where loss of profit has resulted, or investigating cases where companies have been defrauded during procurement processes. It will also act on either side in situations where either companies or individuals are being sued as a result of fraud or other actions.

“We are instructed to give an independent view” explains Brendan Dwyer. “And that can mean giving evidence in court. We have a clear duty to the court to act as expert witnesses in matters of a financial nature.”

The Belfast-based team of

Some of the old jokes might be unfair, but even the happiest accountant might just admit that his or her profession isn’t always viewed as the most exciting one around.

Our Life in Crime

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accountants have investigated smuggling cases and a wide variety of matters involving the proceeds of crime, including well-publicised cases where individuals have been both convicted of defrauding local companies and found not guilty in court.

“What never ceases to amaze is that the people convicted of these offences come in all shapes and sizes and from every section of society......there’s certainly no typical fraud suspect,” says Vincent Bradley.

Forensic accountants, in most matters, are engaged by legal teams working on cases if and when specialist financial investigation is required.....whether or not the case results in one of the accountants giving evidence in court.

“Before it even gets that far, we can be called in by businesses or individuals to take a look for suspected problems to either allay suspicions or assist in reporting to the relevant authorities. If need be, we can do an initial check quietly and effectively, and the business can decide based on our findings whether to take things further.”

While some cases result in a full court case and expert witness evidence, plenty of others are settled out of court, and in many cases, on the steps of the courthouse.

But between initial engagement

and any legal resolution, a lot of work can be carried out by the accountants. And not all of it involves a desk and a calculator.

Vincent Bradley remembers working on a commercial dispute where the team had to spend time at sea in a boat observing a niche business operation at first hand through a pair of binoculars. “There are times when we just have to see things for ourselves to form an opinion. That’s an extreme example, maybe, but it had to be done.”

Fraud cases around procurement can involve a little less practical legwork, but a lot of paperwork. “With the amount of experience we get, we’re pretty adept a sifting through piles of invoices and other documents and at spotting the kind of problems that can tell a story,” adds Brendan Dwyer.

Common fraud areas include fraudulent procurement processes, where the correct systems might appear to be in place to ensure fair competition, but tenders always seem to end up with one or two suppliers.

But forensic accountants can find themselves being asked to get involved in criminal cases well outside of the world of normal day to day business.

Brendan Dwyer investigated a business in England in a case

where one of Northern Ireland’s most notorious murderers of recent years was convicted. He was also involved on a fraud case involving a very famous rock star.

“We can be pulled into all sorts of cases, from fairly straightforward frauds to the most complex and time consuming of criminal cases.”

The Harbinson Mulholland Criminal and Commercial team can call upon specialist colleagues elsewhere in the firm... and regularly do so. “If we need advice on tax or insolvency matters, we’ll ask one of our colleagues to help,” says Brendan.

“And I’ll not be standing up in court to give evidence on complex tax issues. I would be found out fairly quickly!”

That said, Harbinson Mulholland was involved in one of the largest tax evasion cases to take place in Northern Ireland over recent years.

“Our aim isn’t just to investigate financial matters. We also set out to add value to any cases that we’re involved in, even when it can mean wading through box after box of documents and files. Whatever the case, the quality of work that we provide is very important to us.

“Discovery can be the most important element of any case. This business is all about getting the right information to be able to work with. Without that, it just wouldn’t be possible. So the whole discovery side of things can take up a lot of time.

“Sometimes, we have to ask for information that is commercially sensitive but that’s the nature of our work.”

Both Brendan Dwyer and Vincent Bradley have found themselves working on cases, and acting as expert witnesses, well outside of Northern Ireland, from the Republic to GB, and as far afield as Denmark and even Brazil.

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And for something entirely different, as well as their investigative work, Brendan and his team also work alongside the Irish Football Association (the IFA) as part of the club licensing process.

As part of their application for a licence, all local clubs submit certain financial information to the IFA which Harbinson Mulholland then assess against a financial criteria set by both the IFA and UEFA.

“We enjoy working with a leading organisations such as the IFA and it is a relationship we value very much” says Brendan, who also sits on the IFA Club Licensing Committee which grants licences to local clubs to play in both domestic and European competitions.

In conclusion, Brendan says “I suppose it’s fair to say that we take a forensic approach to everything we do. We tend to look at things a little differently than most accountants. Our mind-set is different.

“Of course we have to understand the figures and situations very quickly. However it’s also essential to understand the why and how behind the events along with the personalities at play. That’s crucial in this job.

And naturally, we’re all team players”

For more information on the work of Harbinson Mulholland’s Forensic Team please visit www.harbinson-mulholland.com

“ We enjoy working with a leading organisations such as the IFA and it is a relationship we value very much.”

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The HM Personal Injury Team

The Personal Injury Team use their expertise to quantify the extent of

financial loss as a result of injury or accident. This can include assessing loss of earnings, loss of pension or loss of dependency in the case of loss of life.

The team are often involved in

cases of compensation arising from road traffic accidents, as well as cases involving accidents at work, medical negligence or cases coming from criminal injury claims.

Representing both claimant and defendants in claims, the highly experienced team also

work on behalf of Insurance Companies and have to maintain an understanding of legal principles relating to personal injury law, as well as reading medical evidence and liaising with other experts such as doctors, nursing care experts and employment experts.

The Personal Injury team is made up of (from L to R) Wendy McGrath, Dearbhail Beatty, Nora Tallon, Jeremy Harbinson and Shree Burns, who along with the rest of the HM Forensic team have built a reputation for providing fast, clear and concise reports to the Legal Profession.

Cool, calm and collected are words which could easily be used to describe Dearbhail Beatty, Jeremy Harbinson and their forensic team, as they work across the highly complex and specialised area of Personal Injury and Fatal Accident Claims.


Analysing the Financial Side of Matrimonial Disputes

Providing a valuation of business assets, advising on liquidity and potential

means of extracting funds are some of the key ways in which the HM Forensic Team can be involved in advising legal teams. In determining income, not only do they need to have a keen eye for not only what financial records show, but also what they don’t. The work of

HM’s experts can involve tracing and evaluating assets and in some cases, they can also be involved in restructuring businesses as a result of matrimonial dispute

In addition, there are often tax considerations involved in divorce settlements and the team advise individuals from both a personal and corporate tax perspective.

The Forensic Team call on our

wider advisory team on many occasions and in those cases involving divorce, our tax and corporate reconstruction teams are often called to marry their specialist skills with our forensic expertise.

Our Matrimonial Team is led by Jeremy Harbinson and Brendan Dwyer alongside Paul Mulholland, Noel Lavery, Joan Rice and Brendan McGuckin.

Even in the most amicable of divorces, dividing assets can be difficult, and more so when a business is involved and for individuals with complex financial portfolios.

To contact the team call 028 9044 5100 or visit Harbinson-mulholland.com for more information.

The HM Forensic PartnersBrendan Dwyer, Dearbhail Beatty and Jeremy Harbinson

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