Questions and Answers with Mondale Services

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Get all the answers to your frequently asked questions in one place.

With our interview with Dmytro Tupchiienko

DMYTRO WE BELIEVE THERE HAS BEEN A RESTRUCTURE IN YOUR CAREER RECENTLY THAT ENVOLVED YOU MOVING ON AND COMMITING YOURSELF TO TAKING ON MORE OF THE FORENSIC ACCOUNTANCY WORK ,CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT HAS HAPPENED AND WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO BE FOCUSING ON AND DEDICATING YOUR TIME TO NOW ?

I have added another accountancy qualification to my chest and this helped me to increase my profile and acquire several new clients. I am currently focussing on transborder deals, and have already amassed a great deal of court presence across the country, as well as internationally.

HOW DID YOUR CAREER EVOLVE INTO YOU BECOMING AN EXPERT WITNESS? I was part of the disclosure team at one of the Big-4 companies in London, and to become an expert witness was part of the tea room gossip. I made some enquiries and decided to have a go with the BondSolon study track. After completing their courses (for both England and Wales, and for Scotland) I also joined (reciprocally) the Expert Witness Institute and the Academy of Experts, albeit at different grades.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR MOST CHALLENGING EXPERT WITNESS CASE TO DATE? There is no such thing as an easy case all of them have their challenges, whether big or small.

I KNOW THAT YOU DEAL WITH A RANGE OF CASES, BUT CAN YOU SPECIFY A COMMON CASE THAT YOU TEND TO DEAL WITH ON A REGULAR BASIS? There is no such thing as a 'common case. Forensic accounting is an art, not a trade, and each case is unique.

WHAT IS YOUR AVERAGE TURNAROUND TIME FOR A REPORT? There is no specific time limit for conducting a forensic audit. It is done when there arises a need for investigation in the company. Such audits are nonrecurring and unforeseen. It all depends on the amount of work required, however in most cases it will be between 3-4 weeks after receiving all the information and documentation to enable me to complete the report. Larger and /or more complex cases may take longer.

Should a report be required at short notice, I will ensure that the timetable is adhered to. I have never missed a deadline yet!

HOW OFTEN WOULD YOU SAY YOUR CRITICAL ANALYSIS THE GAME CHANGER IN A CLAIM? I would say in 50% of cases

WHAT DO YOU FEEL IS KEY TO BEING AN EFFECTIVE EXPERT WITNESS? The key to being an expert witness is to be able to think out of the box, and to apply non-standard (yet still legal) practices and techniques.

HAS ANYTHING CHANGED IN THE YEARS OF YOU ACTING AS EXPERT WITNESS FOR CLIENTS? I.E NEW TECHNOLOGY AND WHAT TECHNIQUES DO YOU USE? Yes, the advent of a new accounting software keeps me abreast with new IT developments. Another constant change is tecnology-based HMRC requirements which tend to change every now and then.

WHAT ARE YOUR QUALIFICATIONS WITH IN YOUR INDUSTRY SECTOR AND QUALIFICATIONS THAT SUPPORT YOUR EXPERT WITNESS WORK? I am a qualified accountant both in the UK and in Australia. I am also a member of the BondSolon Expert Witness Register, The Academy of Experts and The Expert Witness Institute.

IS THERE ANY ASPECT OF EXPERT WITNESS THAT YOU FEEL WOULD SURPRISE SOMEONE WHO WAS CONSIDERING ADDING THIS TO THEIR CV? As ones grows older, there is nothing which could surprise one :). Certain things remain constant, however - being an expert witness is definitely for grownups, not for youngsters. You may call it ageism (I call it experience) but if I were a client, I could hardly take in account or listen to an expert who has, say, less than a decade of experience under his or her belt...

WHAT MAKES YOU OR YOUR COMPANY THE GO TO EXPERT WITNESS IN YOUR SPECIFIC FIELD? This job is significantly referral-based; however, a certain amount of publicity might be required (conferences, professional events, networking etc.)