A class on expert witnesses, and an unforgettable speech by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York
Pursuit Magazine‘s coverage of the ACFE 24th Annual Fraud Conference in Las Vegas, NV—brought to you by executive editor Thomas H. Humphreys, CFE.
We’ll be hosting an editorial meeting of Pursuit Magazine writers tonight. Brian Willingham, CFE and Eli Rosenblatt, CFE are both here in Las Vegas and plan to join us for dinner and drinks and a chance to talk about the editorial calendar and upcoming articles. If you’re attending the conference and want to join in the festivities, send me an email directly: hal [at] storyboardemp [dot] com
I sat in the expert witness class this morning. Philip Levi, CFE, FCA, CPA, CFF presented an hour of dense and useful information. The slide deck was packed with words, making the presentation a bit on the stuffy side; but the information was valuable, and Mr. Levi is a good speaker and well versed in his field. The course covered Daubert and Federal rule 702, both critical to expert witness testimony. The most important takeaway: independence. You must, for credibility’s sake, maintain independence and avoid advocating for a particular theory of the case. Great information.
The working lunch, in which we’re fed and lectured at the same time, was great. Preet Bharara, the U. S. Attorney for the Southern District of NY (Wall Street’s top cop), took the stage with a casual ease and sense of comfort behind the podium that you don’t often see. He was hilarious, something I didn’t expect. He was engaging. He offered advice that I wholesale agree with.
It’s not about skirting rules and just avoiding legal trouble. “It’s a dangerous thing to walk the line,” he said. Rather, it’s better to, “… aspire to more than the minimum.”
If you ever find yourself in a situation where you can hear Mr. Bharara speak, avail yourself of that opportunity.
The afternoon sessions are about to start. We’ll check back in tonight with photos from the Pursuit Magazine “editoral meeting.”
Cheers,
THH