Opus, a national business advisory, restructuring and insolvency practice, continues to grow and develop its service offering. Pear Tree Forensic Accounting, a forensic accounting company based in London is now part of the group.

Growing corporate governance and tough economic conditions have seen a rising need for forensic accountants. Carrying out investigations for actual or anticipated disputes and litigation, forensic accounting also offers expert witness litigation support and investigations into alleged fraud, corruption, and bribery.

As well as its UK client base, Pear Tree delivers services internationally making it a natural fit for the group. Incorporating the original company name and the Group’s branding, the forensic accounting team now identifies as Opus Pear Tree.

Jo Rolls, Partner at Opus explains,

“We are really pleased with the new members to our group. Nicholas is a great addition to our Partner team and we have a fantastic mix of like-minded people running each of the businesses. Whilst each business can be identified in its own right, the group structure ensures that we maintain a consistent high level of service for all of our clients.”

Forensic accounting services also complement the corporate finance business within the group. Opus Pear Tree provides advisory and investigation services which can to support the due diligence process in a merger or acquisition. Carrying out investigations at the early stages of the sales process can mitigate any financial or integrity issues further down the line as well as reduce the risk of last minute deal breakers or future litigation.

Nicholas Parton, Partner at Opus Pear Tree adds,

“Partnering with an established and reputable company such as Opus is an excellent opportunity for us to open avenues for new business and grow with the support of the Opus Business Services Group. It’s pleasure to become an Opus partner. Both our companies have the same outlook and ethos with regards to collaboration, delivering high-quality services to our clients with an ethical and environmentally conscious approach. We’re excited to explore the synergies and watch the Pear Tree grow.”

Opus Pear Tree works on behalf of solicitors, barristers, high-net-worth individuals, insurers, regulatory bodies as well as directly for businesses. The teams have experience with large-scale, multi-jurisdictional investigations and assisting law firms with complex quantum matters and litigation support. The practice will offer the following services:

• Litigation support and valuations
• Employee fraud investigations
• Corruption, bribery & remediation
• Tax dispute resolution
• Merger & Acquisitions integrity due diligence
• Corporate intelligence
• Intellectual property infringement & royalty fraud
• Media rebate contract compliance

Nicholas explains,

“We have harnessed a business model which taps into our network and the enormous skill set available from leading industry experts across the world, without the associated expense. Our versatility opens up forensic accounting services to a much wider range of clients and enables us to expand at short notice dependent on our clients’ needs. In the last couple of years, we have seen a significant rise in corporate fraud within SMEs, not just in the UK, but internationally. Our model allows us to call upon forensic accounting experts across the globe to assist our clients at short notice. We’re also seeing a rise in the pro-active services we offer such as the financial due diligence for our Private Equity and M&A clients.”

Jo concludes,

“Helping our clients through difficult financial and operational challenges is why Opus was established. Forensic accounting is a great fit for our clients and our business. We look forward to working with Nicholas and his team and continuing to build reliable, cost sensitive services across the group.”