Continuing Professional Education on Business Valuation & Litigation
Upcoming Webinars:
- April 10, 2025: Current Valuation and Litigation Hot Topics and Best Practices
- May 27, 2025: Hit It Out of the Park! Tips and Tricks for Depositions and Trial Prep
Thursday, April 10, 2025, 1:00 – 3:00 PM ET
Current Valuation and Litigation Hot Topics and Best Practices
Speakers: Valuation Insights Panel (“VIP”):
- Laurie-Leigh White, CPA*/ABV, ASA, CEIV, Moderator
- Bethany Hearn, CPA/ABV/CFF
- Carli Lehr, CPA, CVA, CEPA, CM&AA
- Alina Niculita, MBA, ASA, CFA, ARM-BV
- Maureen Rutecki, CPA/ABV/CFF, ASA, MBA
Webinar Description:
Join this powerhouse panel of experts as they discuss key issues facing the valuation and litigation world today. The panelists will discuss current valuation and litigation hot topics and best practices, including handling excess and deficit net working capital, what to do if data is limited, updates on discounts for lack of control and marketability, how to leverage artificial intelligence in valuations, and more.
Learning Objectives:
The participant will learn and be updated on the following:
- Economic trends and valuation adjustments
- Regulatory and accounting developments
- Intangible asset and intellectual property valuations
- Valuing privately held companies amid limited data
- Discounts and premiums
- Litigation hot issues
- Leveraging technology in the workplace
- Best practices of firm management and professional growth
Handouts:
- VPS Webinar PowerPoint slides
- Following the webinar, attendees will have access to a video recording of the program
About the Presenters:
Laurie-Leigh White, CPA*/ABV, ASA, CEIV (moderator)
Laurie-Leigh White serves as partner of BVA Group and heads the firm’s Houston office. She leads the firm’s ESOP practice and co-leads its gift and estate tax practice and transaction advisory committees. She is responsible for overseeing the execution of a variety of valuation and litigation engagements and has been involved in thousands of valuation projects for a wide variety of purposes, including financial reporting, ESOP, valuations for tax purposes, transaction advisory, and fairness opinions. Additionally, she has been involved in litigation consulting assignments related to economic damages, financial forensics, marital dissolution, and valuation matters.
Bethany Hearn, CPA/ABV/CFF
Bethany is a partner at MH CPA PLLC in Champaign, Illinois, where she leads the firm’s Transaction Services group. She specializes in valuation and litigation services for privately held companies and attorneys. Ms. Hearn provides valuation and litigation services for succession planning, mergers and acquisitions, marital dissolution, shareholder disputes, and gift and estate tax purposes. With over 35 years of experience, she has supplied expert witness testimony on valuation and forensic-related matters in multiple states. She is a licensed CPA in the state of Illinois and is Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV) and Certified in Financial Forensics (CFF). Ms. Hearn regularly teaches on valuation topics for professional organizations and at state and national conferences.
Carli Lehr, CPA, CVA, CEPA, CM&AA
Carli is the Director of Brown Plus Transitions. She has almost 20 years of experience in public accounting and private industry, with 14 of those years focused in the area of business valuation. In her current role, Carli performs business valuations to assist with marital dissolution, shareholder disputes, exit planning, estate and gift planning and compliance, and the sale or purchase of a business. She is a member of the VPS Valuation Advisory Group and a contributing author to the 5th edition of Financial Valuation Applications and Models.
Alina Niculita, MBA, ASA, CFA, ARM-BV
Alina is director of valuation services at Morones Analytics in Portland, Oregon. She has over 20 years of experience in business valuation, specializing in enterprise, professional practice, and intangible assets valuation and appraisal review in various industries and for various purposes including marital dissolution, shareholder disputes, damages analyses, and business transactions. Ms. Niculita has been a designated member of American Society of Appraisers for 15 years, and an active volunteer with numerous leadership positions, including most notably serving as Treasurer of ASA’s Portland Chapter Committee and a current member of ASA’s Business Valuation Discipline Committee. Mr. Niculita holds the Business Valuation (BV) credential and the Accredited in Review Management in Business Valuation (ARM-BV) from the American Society of Appraisers (ASA), and the certified financial analyst (CFA) from the CFA Society. Mr. Niculita graduated from the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest, Romania, and obtained her MBA from the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh. She is also an expert witness, instructor, and author, and currently serves on the Editorial Review Board of the Business Valuation Review, the official publication of the Business Valuation Committee of the ASA.
Maureen Rutecki, CPA/ABV/CFF, ASA, MBA
Maureen is a Partner at EFPR Group, LLP, a CPA firm headquartered in Rochester, New York, where she leads the firm’s business valuation practice. In addition to being a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), she is an Accredited Senior Appraiser (ASA) of the American Society of Appraisers and Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV) and Certified in Financial Forensics (CFF) by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). Ms. Rutecki has practiced in business valuation since 1998. Her prior experience was in accounting and international and U.S. banking. She has served on the AICPA’s Business Valuation Committee and ABV Credential Committee, and on various AICPA task forces. Ms. Rutecki is a past vice president of the Western New York Chapter of the American Society of Appraisers.
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.
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.