Paul Widger

Full Profile

As a Forensic Accountant, Paul assists our lawyers and clients globally by investigating, analysing, quantifying and presenting the financial aspects of disputes. He has particular experience of running investigations, including in commercial disputes, white collar crime, personal and corporate insolvency, professional negligence and regulatory matters.

Paul has presented internally and externally on fraud risk and financial controls, interpreting financial statements, reviewing forecasts and quantification of complex loss of earnings claims. He also has extensive financial modelling experience.

Paul is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) (qualified 2008), and a member of the ICAEW's Forensic and Expert Witness Group and the ICAEW’s Data Analytics Community.

Experience

• On behalf of an African state-owned entity, Paul performed the audit of a mining company relating to an UNCITRAL Arbitration dispute.
• In the context of an international bribery and corruption investigation, Paul reviewed banking and accounting evidence, identifying corrupt payments, the third parties involved and the corresponding banking jurisdictions.
• When a tower block construction was struck by an aircraft, Paul evaluated insurance claims for damages and delay, including presenting quantum findings at a successful settlement meeting.
• In defending a contractor involved in installing cabling to a major sports stadium, Paul evaluated the owner’s claims for damage, delay and forgone profits.
• In the context of alleged fraudulent misrepresentation in the sale of a software company, Paul advised on accounting standards for revenue recognition and assisted in quantifying a claim for USD 30 million.
• In defending an audit negligence charge, Paul ascertained (from incomplete records) the audit testing that had been performed and evaluated it against the auditing standards and the audit firm’s own policies.
• Experience of advising in post-M&A disputes (both uninsured disputes and W&I insurance disputes). Issues included the impact of IFRS accounting standards on share purchase agreements and completion accounts; and the relative contributions made by different financial advisors to draft completion accounts.
• Numerous company valuations in the context of all manner of disputes, including shareholder disputes, breaches of contract, professional negligence, government confiscation/CPO, and matrimonial.
• Advanced spreadsheet work, including live quantum adjustments during (eg) mediations, scenario-modelling of (eg) insurance towers, and class-action record handling.
• Numerous loss of earnings/pension/dependency quantifications in the context of claims for personal injury, medical negligence, fatal accidents and industrial disease.
• Assisting insurers in coverage disputes by providing evidence of (for example) fraudulent business projections, VAT-evasion, undeclared insolvencies, or the involvement of disqualified shadow directors.