From CFO to lawyer
For many years I was a Controller, and then a CFO of various businesses in several industries. At first I did everything from financial reporting and budgeting to HR functions and handling various tax issues. As I got more experience I became involved in multiple M&A transactions and built and helped founding teams build several companies. I raised $35 million for some and served as a Public Company Board Member for 5 of them in multiple countries. Handling SEC reporting and doing 5 IPO’s and DPO’s was great experience. Audit preparation was needed and I was involved in planning for growth, supervised staff and was involved with other strategic issues.
I became certified in valuations after having to value several acquisitions. I became certified in fraud examinations after uncovering an embezzlement.
Then after seeing some litigation surrounding usurious lending and related issues, I decided I could use my financial experience to become an expert witness.
Around the same time I decided to go to law school, since I already had some legal experience from both my CFO and expert witness work.
Eventually I passed the Bar exam and became a lawyer. The Bar exam was very difficult, and I probably passed because I did over 50,000 multiple choice questions, read/wrote over a thousand essay questions and spent years studying the law. Taking a mock practice exam for extra credit also helped as the Bar was revamping their processes the year I took the exam.
Now I can handle some legal issues such as Demand/cease & desist letters, Securities opinion letters, Negotiations, Contract review, Employment hearings, Discovery preparation, Bankruptcy preparation, Litigation strategy, Dispute resolution etc.
