Being an Expert Witness

As part of a forensic accountant’s job they are required to research, analyse, interpret and present evidence on complex financial and business cases in court. Therefore as an expert witness being prejudiced in favour of one side would be unprofessional and could cost you your career.

Forensic accountant are also required submit written reports which are comprised of their expert opinion that is backed up with thorough research and evidence.

Another aspect of a forensic accountant job is to give a testimony as an expert witness in criminal cases that can include cases of embezzlement, tax evasion or other forms of fraud. A forensic accountant must follow the APES 215 guidelines on how to provide evidence or an expert opinion in a case.

One of my strategies to avoid partisan perceptions during a case would be that when I am assessing the case I would ensure that I do not neglect one side of the argument just because it would be easier to explain. I would also need to remove any common ground I could have by limiting my use of opinions and preferring the facts of the case. Therefore reducing the amount of bias in my reports.