Litigation Support

From commercial matters to family law & personal injury claims, we work with law firms, insurers, general counsel and arbitrators. When disputes arise or if fraud has taken place, independent forensic services can have a significant impact on the outcome of the case.

Litigation Support

Opus Pear Tree offers a range of forensic accounting support for litigious matters. This includes assistance interpreting the quantum of contractual disputes and financial modelling to calculate historical and future losses. Independent, expert-witness valuations can also be provided. The team has access to a plethora of industry experts to ensure a true and fair valuation of your company for the purposes of:

  • Management and/or shareholder buy-outs
  • Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPO)
  • Insurance claims
  • Matrimonial disputes

Case examples of our work

Assignment 1: Breach of contract

A car body-shop equipment manufacturer engaged us. A purchaser of the equipment claimed that the product did not operate at the levels specified and claimed loss of profits. We reviewed the financial performance of the company that had purchased the equipment and gave evidence at the High Court. The case was dismissed and no damages were awarded.

Assignment 2: Business interruption claim

An insurance company engaged us to provide an independent assessment of a £2.5m business interruption claim allegedly arising from storm damage to a chimney used to extract toxic fumes from a printing press. We reviewed the company’s accounting records. It was found that the business had sufficient spare capacity and there were no business interruption losses incurred at the time of the damage,. The insurers settled the material damage, but declined to pay the alleged business interruption loss. The matter went to trial at the High Court. The judge preferred our evidence and awarded the claimants £1 as notional financial loss.

Assignment 3: Management buy-out

The senior management of a dotcom company required a valuation of the business for the purposes of a management buy-out. The board approved the independent valuation and the takeover was successful.

Assignment 4: CPO – financial modelling

The approval of construction of HS2 had resulted in the compulsory purchase of land and buildings of a country farm shop and sister wedding business in the Midlands. A claim was issued for recompense of the associated loss of profits and loss of business. We assessed the books and records for the two sister companies. Through forecasting lost future profits in conjunction with growth projections, we provided an independent valuation for the losses suffered.

Assignment 5: Matrimonial dispute

The parties were unable to agree on the valuation of jointly held assets for the purpose of a marital separation. This included multiple properties, classic sports cars, investments and a jointly held company. As a single joint expert, we were able to independently audit the asset disclosure, identify and value all assets.

Advice on litigious matters

Opus has acted for claimants and defendants in a wide range of industries, and has experience acting as expert witnesses in cases of breach of contract, business interruption, personal injury, fraudulent claims, and professional negligence. If you would like to speak to Opus about our litigation support services, please contact our Partner, Nicholas Parton.

Technical forensic accounting advice and assistance

“I am very pleased to recommend  Nicholas Parton, head of forensic accounting at Opus to anyone who is looking for an excellent forensic accountant. I am a practicing litigation solicitor for over 30 years. I have instructed Nicholas for a number of years. His expertise has produced what I required every time. Nicholas provides me with  technical advice and assistance in a timely and cost effective way. He places great emphasis on wanting to understand the client, their needs and expectations, as well as mine as instructing solicitor. His approachable manner makes him my “go to “ forensic accountant.”