Continuing Professional Education on Business Valuation & Litigation
Upcoming Webinars:
- May 27, 2025: Hit It Out of the Park! Tips and Tricks for Depositions and Trial Prep
- June 3, 2025: PeerComps from A to Z
- July 8, 2025: Calculating Damages in Intellectual Property Litigation
Tuesday, May 27, 2025, 1:00 – 3:00 PM ET
Hit It Out of the Park!
Tips and Tricks for Depositions and Trial Prep
Speakers:
Sheri Fiske Schultz CPA/ABV/CFF
Katie Gilden CPA/ABV/CFF, CFE, CVA, and Brian Koch Esq.
Webinar Description:
The presentation titled “HIT IT OUT OF THE PARK! Tips and Tricks for Depositions and Trial Prep” is designed to provide valuable insights and practical advice for expert witnesses preparing for depositions and trial testimonies.
- Fundamental Suggestions: Emphasizes the importance of maintaining integrity, being confident, and retaining control during testimony.
- Deposition Testimony: Offers tips on handling logistics, being prepared, and avoiding common mistakes during depositions.
- Trial Testimony: Provides guidance on knowing your audience, scripting without being scripted, and maintaining credibility.
- Final Recommendations: Includes advice on practicing positive body language, avoiding absolutes, and focusing on telling a compelling story.
Learning Objectives:
The participant will learn and be updated on the following:
- Maintaining Integrity: Emphasizing the importance of honesty and being an advocate for your opinion, not the client.
- Being Confident: Tips on dressing conservatively, avoiding nervous mannerisms, and confidently handling questions.
- Retaining Control: Strategies for staying calm, speaking clearly, and understanding questions fully before answering.
- Handling Logistics: Understanding the logistics of depositions, including location, length, and payment details.
- Being Prepared: Mastering the facts, knowing your expert report, and staying organized under pressure.
- Trial Testimony Tips: Knowing your audience, scripting without being scripted, and maintaining credibility.
- Final Recommendations: Practicing positive body language, avoiding absolutes, and focusing on telling a compelling story.
Handouts:
- VPS Webinar PowerPoint slides
- Following the webinar, attendees will have access to a video recording of the program
About the Presenters:
Sheri Fiske Schultz CPA/ABV/CFF
Sheri Fiske Schultz is the Managing Partner of Fiske, a South Florida accounting firm consistently ranked as one of the top litigation support and valuation firms in the region. In addition to being a licensed CPA, Sheri holds the designation of Accredited in Business Valuation and is Certified in Financial Forensics by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Sheri has more than 35 years of experience to her clients, offering both professional expertise and practical insight into business valuations and litigation support services. A frequent speaker on topics such as business valuation and forensic accounting, she also has broad-based tax experience in mergers and acquisitions, reorganizations, estate issues, and tax compliance. Sheri was a mentor in the AICPA FVS section and was honored with the AICPA’s ABV Champion of the Year Award. Among many accolades, Sheri has been named an SFBJ Influential Business Woman, FICPA’s Woman to Watch, “Key Partner” in Accounting by the SFBJ, and “Woman Extraordinaire” by Business Leader Magazine. Sheri was also honored with the Apogee Award as well as the Prestigious Women Award in Accounting & Finance by South Florida Business & Wealth. Most recently appointed to the Florida Bar Grievance Committee, Sheri is a hard-core Gator alumni fan and is smitten with her first two grandchildren, Blake and Jackson.
Katie Gilden, CPA/ABV/CFF, CFE, CVA
Partner
Katie Gilden, Partner and Chief Operating Officer, has been with Fiske since 2009 and oversees daily operations and is responsible for overall staff management. She leads the firm’s Business Valuation practice – performing business valuations for estate/gift tax, buy/sell, and shareholder disputes. She is also integrally involved with forensic accounting and litigation service engagements, serving as a testifying expert in complex financial matters related, but not limited to, civil litigation cases and fraud investigations.
Katie provides litigation support and forensic accounting services related to economic damages, shareholder disputes, lost profits, business interruption claims, breach of contract, marital disputes, patent infringement, professional negligence, and eminent domain. In addition, Katie provides forensic accounting services to court-appointed fiduciaries, including trustees, receivers, debtors-in-possession, and assignees for the Benefit of Creditors.
Brian Koch Esq.
Brian H. Koch is a commercial litigation attorney in Holland & Knight’s Fort Lauderdale office. Mr. Koch focuses his practice on commercial litigation, contract disputes, insurance, employment and real property litigation. Mr. Koch represents regional, national and international clients in state and federal courts, and in arbitration proceedings. He has broad experience handling all aspects of litigation, including motion practice, trial and appeals.
Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Mr. Koch was a shareholder at the Fort Lauderdale office of a large international law firm. While in law school, Mr. Koch served as the managing editor of the Florida Law Review and chair of the International Moot Court Board.
Tuesday, June 3, 2025, 1:00 – 3:00 PM ET
PeerComps from A to Z: The Simple to Use/Best Guideline Company Transaction Database
Speakers:
Jim Turner, CPA, CVA, CMEA and Darren Mize, ASA
Webinar Description:
The guideline company transaction market approach is arguably the most intuitive and simple method to value a business, but it can be difficult to find reliable comparable sales. Against that backdrop, Jim Turner and Darren Mize unveil PeerComps: the simple to use market database that perennially delivers reliable and consistent results. The program, designed for all practitioners, teaches the history of the database, what sets it apart from all other databases, and a case study that can be used to strengthen any valuation.
Learning Objectives:
The participant will learn and be updated on the following:
- Pros and cons of the market approach
- The story behind PeerComps
- What makes PeerComps unique
- PeerComps is a fair market value transaction database
- A case study with Bizcomps, DealStats, ValuSource (fka IBA), and PeerComps
- How to use statistics to strengthen your market approach
Handouts:
- VPS Webinar slides
- Following the webinar, attendees will have access to a video recording of the program
About the Presenters:
Jim Turner, CPA, CVA, CMEA
Jim is the CEO and Founder of Turner Business Appraisers, Inc. He has completed over 750 valuations and 200 equipment appraisals. Jim is an expert witness in district, superior, and ad valorem tax court. Jim has brokered numerous business transactions and has been a presenter at several international valuation conferences. Jim has authored published articles titled, “The DLOM Conundrum: Measuring Marketability Discounts for Controlling Interests” and PeerComps: One of the Most Reliable Guideline Company Transaction Databases.”
Darren S. Mize, ASA
Darren is the Co-Founder of GCF Valuation. He is accredited in business valuation with the American Society of Appraisers. Darren is a valuation expert of privately held companies for Merger & Acquisition and manages a team of appraisers performing valuation engagements for M&A advisors, SBA lenders, small business owners, CPAs, and attorneys, nationally. Darren is a frequent speaker at annual franchise, M&A advisory, and SBA lending conferences. Darren has authored, and co-authored, thought leadership articles and has hosted countless webinars on business valuation.
Tuesday, July 8, 2025, 1:00 – 3:00 PM ET
Calculating Damages in Intellectual Property Litigation
Speaker:
Kristopher Boushie, MAcc, CPA, ABV, CVA, CFE
Webinar Description:
Determining intellectual property damages presents its own unique challenges, but this doesn’t mean that practitioners need to be overly wary of opportunities in this practice area. Understanding the damages landscape, issues you are likely to encounter, and directions to help navigate through potential roadblocks will make you a stronger and more credible expert. The presentation will cover several key areas:
- Damage remedies
- Case law
- Calculation of damages
- Issues to address and pitfalls to avoid
Learning Objectives:
The participant will learn the following:
- Key Federal and State Statutes Governing IP Damages: Recognizing what is being plead in the complaint.
- Understanding Damages Remedies Available: Monetary remedies vary depending upon the type of IP involved.
- Common Other Claims Accompanying IP Claims: Understanding commonly plead other claims to identify other forms of monetary remedies available.
- Understanding Foundational Case Law: Knowing what must be addressed in expert reports.
- Overview of Damages Methodologies: Considerations in the calculation of lost profits, unjust enrichment, reasonable royalty, and other forms of monetary relief.
- Apportionment: What is required, what is optional, and what are the risks of not apportioning damages.
- Reliance on Technical and Other Experts: How to get the support you need from other experts.
- Potential Pitfalls: Surviving motions in limine.
Handouts:
- VPS Webinar slides
- Following the webinar, attendees will have access to a video recording of the program
About the Presenter:
Kristopher Boushie is a Managing Director with NERA Economic Consulting and NERA’s Business Lead for Intellectual Property. He has over 35 years of experience in financial and litigation consulting, with an emphasis on forensic valuation issues. His practice focuses on consulting with corporate and legal clients on IP damages, IP valuation, and IP asset management issues across a variety of industries. Earlier in his career, Kristopher headed the IP practice of CapAnalysis LLC, an affiliate of Howrey LLP, one of the largest litigation firms in the U.S. He has worked with clients and counsel on hundreds of matters involving patent, trade secrets, and Lanham Act damage assessment, strategic IP analyses, IP licensing negotiations, and patent royalty auditing.
He has been named as an expert in numerous cases and has testified in arbitration hearings, state court, U.S. district court, and before the European Commission.
He received a B.S. in Economics from Allegheny College and a MAcc (Accountancy) from The George Washington University. Kristopher is a Certified Public Accountant (licensed in Virginia), Accredited in Business Valuation, Certified in Financial Forensics, a Certified Valuation Analyst, and a Certified Fraud Examiner.
Continuing Professional Education on Business Valuation & Litigation
Jim Hitchner’s Valuation Products and Services (VPS) provides tools to assist practitioners in business valuation, litigation services, and forensics and fraud.
Valuation Products and Service, LLC is 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: www.nasba.org. Some online programs sponsored by VPS are administered by the Virginia Society of CPAs. For more information regarding CPE, refund, complaint, program cancellation or other policies of the Virginia Society of CPAs, visit vscpa.com/CPEPolicies or call (800) 733-8272.