Your Divorce Or Business Litigation Case: Why Lawyers Need An Expert Witness
Quick Answer
Florida lawyers need a forensic CPA expert witness in divorce, business litigation, shareholder oppression, partnership dissolution, breach of contract, business interruption, IP infringement, and employment cases because the financial issues require independent, objective, Daubert-defensible analysis grounded in primary-source records (Florida adopted Daubert in 2013, replacing Frye). The expert prepares reports under Federal Rule 26 or Florida Rule 1.280, withstands cross-examination at deposition, delivers demonstrative exhibits at mediation or trial, and rebuts opposing-expert testimony. Required credentials typically include CPA license, ABV (Accredited in Business Valuation) for valuation work, and case-specific deposition or trial experience. Joey Friedman CPA PA, ABV-credentialed since 2008 and serving Hollywood FL, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Orlando, and West Palm Beach, supports engagements $5,000-$100,000+.
Joey Friedman CPA PA is a litigation-focused forensic accounting and business valuation firm. We do not prepare income tax returns or provide tax planning services. Our practice serves attorneys, businesses, and individuals in financial disputes, divorce, expert witness engagements, and forensic investigations.
by Joey N. Friedman, CPA, ABV, M.Acc, MIB
Joey N. Friedman, CPA, ABV, M.Acc, MIB is an expert witness for divorce and business litigation cases. He delivers reports, opinion, and testimony anout business valuations or damage valuations for his clients and attorneys to present in their cases.
Direct Line: 954-282-9615
Office: 954-282-9615
1 SW 129th Ave, Suite 408 Pembroke Pines, FL 33027
“DO YOU SOLEMNLY SWEAR THAT ¥OU WILL TELL THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH, 50 HELP YOU GOD?”
The Sworn Testimony is a power- ful statement. but in reality, it holds no power over the person who ver- balizes it. While we would all like to believe that truth is always told in court, this is unfortunately not the case — even if the person taking the stand intends to be honest. As the American writer Patricia Maclachlan explains, “Fact and fiction are differ- ent truths,” and humans have differ- ent maral codes and subjective per- ceptions of reality. This is especially true in divorce or business litigation cases where emotions run high and often cloud a person’s testimony.
To cut through the noise and get down to the facts, an expert witness is an invaluable addition to these cases, While a witness solidifies a convincing case, a forensic account- ing expert witness cements it. Most attorneys know the law, but they are not familiar with financial state- ments, math, accounting knowledge, and financial information. Investing in an expert witness frees up attorneys to deal with the law and helps them figure out the case’s financial end based on concrete facts.
Only with expert witnesses is a sense of objectivity and credibility provided and seamlessly integrated within a legal team, strengthening the case overall. Important to all divorce and litigation cases, expert witnesses help attorneys and jurors understand nuanced and complex in- formation while grounding opinions into specialized knowledge. When combined with background informa- tion, scientific principle, and contex- tual understanding, this plays well with juries.
Often, an expert witness can also identify additional elements of a case that need to be considered. One
of my clients, for example, went to court to recover the damages from angther driver who had collided with one of his company vehicles. | determined that the damages value included more than just the repairs and income loss from the unusable vehicle. There was also a logo on the side of the vehicle, 50 my client had lost advertising value.
Even when an expert witness states an opinion, it is connected to general principles and is not considered a per- sanal perspective. Sound explanations back these opinions in accordance with a relevant field. By building a bridge between perspective and the jurors’ “real world! a powerful, per- suasive testimony becomes rooted in objective reality. Misunderstood issues are understood by exploring the issue in different expert domains.
For example, in a divorce case, when a couple finds themselves bat- thing it out for equal financial gain and a fair share of an individuals business, a forensic accounting ex- pert witness is needed to establish the business’ precise worth. Often, the couple and their attorneys will present a biased case. However, an expert witness will solidify the facts and present the financial information in a non-biased way.
As expert witnesses, we are edu- cated in a specialty area, and we can take what is presented by the law- ver and build on it. We consult the documents and relevant academic or industry literature and objectively interpret the facts and develop an analysis of the liability to base the testimony. An expert witness work- ing with an attorney is a powerful combination,
Numbers are not biased. nor is the expert accountants opinion. With these cases, its evident that you can’t divorce the importance of an expert witness and a favorable case outcome.
Related Services
Visit our main service page on expert witness and litigation support to learn more about how Joey Friedman CPA PA supports attorneys, businesses, and individuals in financial disputes, litigation, and forensic engagements across Florida and nationally.
Florida Counties — Forensic Accounting and Business Valuation Hubs
Joey Friedman CPA PA serves clients throughout Florida. For county-specific forensic accounting and business valuation engagement details, see:
- Miami-Dade County Forensic Accounting (11th Judicial Circuit)
- Broward County Forensic Accounting (17th Judicial Circuit — Joey’s home county)
- Palm Beach County Forensic Accounting (15th Judicial Circuit)
- Orange County (Orlando) Forensic Accounting (9th Judicial Circuit + US Middle District Orlando Division)
- Hillsborough County (Tampa) Forensic Accounting (13th Judicial Circuit + US Middle District Tampa Division)
- Pinellas County (St. Petersburg / Clearwater) Forensic Accounting (6th Judicial Circuit + US Middle District Tampa Division)
- Duval County (Jacksonville) Forensic Accounting (4th Judicial Circuit + US Middle District Jacksonville Division)
- Lee County (Fort Myers) Forensic Accounting (20th Judicial Circuit + US Middle District Fort Myers Division)
- Collier County (Naples) Forensic Accounting (20th Judicial Circuit + US Middle District Fort Myers Division)