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7/24/2009

Carney Addresses PLI's "Basics of Accounting for Lawyers"

New York partner John Carney was invited to speak at the Practising Law Institute's "Basics of Accounting for Lawyers 2009: What Every Practicing Lawyer Needs To Know" conference, held July 20-21, 2009, in New York City. Carney is a former Securities Fraud Chief, Assistant United States Attorney, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Senior Counsel and practicing CPA.

Carney's presentation, "The Importance of the Notes to the Financial Statements: The Rest of the Story," was a practical discussion on using the financial statement notes to understand the financial statements, identify policies or transactions of interest and enhance assessment of company performance and financial condition.

Taught by an experienced panel of accountants and lawyers, the conference was specifically designed for the non-accountant attorney to provide an understanding of the key principles of accounting and the basic financial statements. Topic covered during the conference included:

  • Understanding financial statements: how to read, analyze and understand financial statements (the balance sheet, income statement and statement of cash flows)
  • How the notes to the financial statements tell the story behind the numbers
  • How to use your accounting expert
  • Use and misuse of accounting language in legal documents
  • Current SEC enforcement actions and priorities
  • Fraud and other issues in the new financial environment
  • Ethical issues for attorneys: recent areas of risk and focus