Elder Law & Estate Planning Firm case study
From Disorganized Books to Fraud Prevention
Client Overview:
A law firm providing elder law and estate planning services. With a team of 5-10 employees, two partners, and limited financial oversight, they needed support bringing order to their financials and safeguarding the integrity of their funding.
The Problem:
When we first met this client, they were overwhelmed. Their books were disorganized, and no one on the team was confident managing the day-to-day financials. More importantly, there were no clear controls in place, which made them vulnerable to risks they hadn’t even considered.
The Work:
We started by cleaning up their financial systems and reconciling their accounts. As we dug in, we spotted a pattern: a handful of small, unusual expenses that didn’t align with the client’s normal spending habits. We flagged the transactions and alerted the owner.
Turns out, they were not authorized. An employee had been making purchases under the radar – small enough to go unnoticed, but not insignificant over time.
Thanks to our diligence, we caught it early and helped the client take swift action. More importantly, we helped implement tighter oversight moving forward to prevent future misuse.
The Results:
Potential fraud caught early, before it became a larger issue
Unauthorized expenses recovered and stopped at an early stage
New financial visibility for leadership that had previously been operating in the dark
Clarity and oversight the leadership team didn’t have before
