Forensic accounting expert witness
Forensic Accounting Expert Witness Reports
Independent expert reports on business value, financial loss, fund tracing and wage underpayments for family law, commercial and employment disputes in Melbourne and across Australia. Written to be read, tested and relied on, by both sides and by the court.
- Independent reports under the court's expert rules
- Valuation, damages, tracing and payroll opinions
- Joint conferences, concurrent evidence and court
What we do
We prepare expert reports in family law, commercial, shareholder, fraud and employment matters. Each report answers the questions in the letter of instruction, shows the evidence relied on, and states the assumptions and the limits of the opinion.
Whoever pays the fee, an expert's overriding duty is to the court, not to the party who engages them. We follow the expert evidence rules and code of conduct that apply to the court or tribunal, including the Federal Court's Expert Evidence Practice Note, the Supreme Court of Victoria's expert witness code of conduct and the expert evidence rules of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia.
We meet with the other side's expert in joint conferences, prepare joint reports, and give evidence in court, including concurrent evidence, where required.
Expert roles, kept separate
Single expert
Appointed jointly by both parties, often in family law. One independent opinion that both sides can test, usually at lower total cost.
Party-appointed expert
Engaged by one party's lawyers, but still independent. The report must be the same opinion we would give if the other side had engaged us.
Consulting (shadow) expert
A separate, advisory role. We help the legal team understand the financial issues and test the other report, without giving evidence. We do not take on both roles in the same matter.
Critique of another expert's report
A clear review of the method, assumptions and calculations in the opposing report, so the legal team knows where it is strong and where it is open to question.
Subject areas
Business and share valuations, quantification of damages and loss of earnings, fund and asset tracing, fraud and misappropriation, and payroll recalculations.
Our approach
- Conflict check, then a call with the instructing lawyer to settle the questions, timetable and records needed.
- Written letter of instruction setting out the questions and the assumptions we are asked to make.
- Analysis and a report with referenced schedules, the evidence relied on, the assumptions and any limits on the opinion.
- Joint conferences, supplementary reports and evidence at hearing, as required.
We are forensic accountants, not lawyers. We give independent opinions within our expertise. We do not give legal advice or advocate for any party.
Principal
Principal & Director
Erin Huang, CPA
Principal & Director, Maxwind
Erin is the principal of Maxwind Analytics. Her background combines corporate finance, building and running businesses, and specialist valuation and forensic work.
Maxwind Analytics has advised Melbourne businesses and their advisers since 2020.
About ErinHow the engagement works
- Conflict check and first callTell us the parties, the court, the questions and the key dates. We confirm whether we can act.
- Instructions and feeWe agree the scope and fee for each stage of the timetable with the instructing lawyer before work starts.
- ReportA draft checked for clarity, then a final report that complies with the applicable expert rules.
- Conference and hearingJoint expert conferences, supplementary reports and evidence in court, if needed.
Fees and timing
Most expert reports have a clear scope and a fixed fee for each stage of the timetable, agreed with the instructing lawyer before work starts. Court attendance is quoted separately once dates are known.
Questions we are often asked
Can an expert witness engaged by one party still be independent?
Yes, and they must be. An expert's overriding duty is to assist the court impartially. A party-appointed expert's opinion should be the same whichever side engaged them, and the report must say so.
What is the difference between an expert witness and a shadow expert?
An expert witness gives independent evidence to the court. A shadow or consulting expert advises the legal team privately and does not give evidence. They are different roles and should not be combined in the same matter.
Do you work on family law matters?
Yes. We act as single experts and party experts on business valuations and financial issues in family law property matters, and critique reports prepared by others.
How long does an expert report take?
It depends on the questions and the records. Tell us the court timetable at the first call and we confirm whether we can meet it before we accept instructions.
Do you only work in Melbourne?
We are based in Melbourne and accept instructions from lawyers across Australia. Most work is done from records, with meetings by video.
Instruct an expert
A short conversation is usually enough to tell whether we can help and what the work would involve.
