News Category: News

StoneTurn Named 2021 Investigations Consultancy of the Year

Growing global advisory firm marks its first appearance on Global Investigations Review’s shortlist with a win in the prestigious Investigations Consultancy of the Year category.

Global advisory firm StoneTurn today announced that it has been named 2021 Investigations Consultancy of the Year by Global Investigations Review (GIR). GIR is a unique service analyzing the law and practice of international investigations. Coverage extends to government agency investigations and internal corporate investigations into matters including international anti-bribery and corruption, financial services misconduct, antitrust, fraud, money laundering, sanctions violations, tax avoidance and evasion, and more. Each year, GIR recognizes the firms that have provided consistent, invaluable and case-winning work during major investigations over the past 12 months. This is StoneTurn’s first win, as well as the first time the firm has been recognized at the GIR Awards.

“Over StoneTurn’s seventeen-year existence, we have carefully curated a culture that is unique in the world of investigative consulting. We have intentionally populated our firm with top-tier professionals from diverse backgrounds, skillsets, experiences and geographies to ensure we provide clients with seamless service in high-pressure situations,” noted Co-Founder and Chair Simon Platt. “Our people have long-standing professional relationships with each other, with clients and with the government agencies we often find ourselves interacting with. As a result, StoneTurn is built on a strong foundation that fosters collaboration among our professionals and clients and we are thrilled that is evident in our work.”

StoneTurn was cited by GIR for its “strong reputation in the investigations market, an image that will only be enhanced by its impressive work supporting Volkswagen’s monitor Larry Thompson.” According to GIR: “StoneTurn played an integral role in seeing the [VW] monitorship to fruition by providing forensic and project management expertise.” Although the StoneTurn team has collectively completed more than 20 monitorships, the firm was singled out for its multidisciplinary—and recently strengthened— expertise in data science & analytics, forensic accounting, sanctions, national security, due diligence, healthcare compliance, and business intelligence as part of a holistic, global Investigations practice.

Founded in Boston in 2004, StoneTurn has grown far beyond its forensic accounting roots. With more than 170 full-time professionals across 16 offices in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Brazil and South Africa, StoneTurn has evolved into a leading global advisory firm that is highly collaborative, people-focused and successfully assists companies, their counsel and government agencies with regulatory matters, risk and compliance issues, investigations and business disputes. StoneTurn’s Investigations practice is supported by a proven team with extensive experience and expertise across geographies and areas of specialty in investigations. Visit the ‘What We Do’ section of StoneTurn.com to learn more about the uniquely qualified professionals who are part of the 2021 Investigations Consultancy of the Year.

Neil Ashton, David Stern Named Among Who’s Who Legal 2021 Quantum of Damages Experts

StoneTurn is pleased to announce that two of its London-based Partners, Neil Ashton and David Stern, have been named by Who’s Who Legal (WWL) as quantum of damages consulting experts. This latest recognition follows recent WWL accolades for Neil and David in the Arbitration Expert Witnesses category.

Since 1996, Who’s Who Legal has identified the industry’s foremost practitioners based upon comprehensive, independent survey work with both general counsel and private practice lawyers worldwide. Only specialists who meet independent international research criteria are listed.

Marking his eighth acknowledgment from Who’s Who Legal, David was cited in Consulting Experts 2021 as part of the Financial Advisory and Valuation – Quantum of Damages category for his excellent reputation for his “outstanding loss and valuation analysis” pertaining to international disputes.

Neil, in his fourth ranking by Who’s Who Legal, was cited as “extremely knowledgeable and thorough – a real asset on any case.”

Click here to view the full WWL Consulting Experts 2021 rankings.

StoneTurn Expands Cybersecurity Practice with the Addition of Two Senior-Level, Former Federal Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations

Growing global advisory firm welcomes Managing Directors Nathan D. Fisher in San Francisco and Daron M. Hartvigsen in D.C.

Global advisory firm StoneTurn today announced the expansion of its Cybersecurity Practice with the addition of two senior-level cybersecurity experts: Nathan D. Fisher, a former Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), has joined the firm as a Managing Director in San Francisco. Daron M. Hartvigsen, a former Special Agent in Charge of Cyber Investigations and Operations, Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI), has joined StoneTurn as a Managing Director in Washington, D.C. Nate and Daron will work closely with the firm’s Cybersecurity Practice Founding Partner Luke Tenery.

“Nation state-sponsored cyberattacks have increased significantly over the past few years, making it critical that the private sector leverages the sophisticated intelligence-gathering and counterintelligence tactics employed by federal agencies,” said Tenery. “With the addition of Nate and Daron, StoneTurn’s rapidly growing Cybersecurity Practice can leverage significant experience assembling technical, open source, and dark-web information to deliver actionable security insights for corporate and public-sector clients alike. Their intelligence expertise and incident response know-how will be a tremendous asset to StoneTurn clients seeking to protect their organizations from the increasingly profitable cybercrime economy. Furthermore, Daron and Nate solidify our national security and due diligence capabilities where cyber and human intelligence converge with transactional activity including mergers and acquisitions.”

During his nearly 12 years with the FBI, Nate worked on sensitive intelligence collection efforts, collaborating with several other U.S. intelligence community partners. A Russian speaker, Nate leveraged his language skills and subject matter expertise to support national security matters and inform policy. He also investigated threats posed by nation-state actors and worked with private sector and academic institutions to inform threat awareness and resolve vulnerabilities. At StoneTurn, Nate conducts a vast array of complex intelligence, counterintelligence, and cyber-focused investigations and operations. He also advises clients across the national security, Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), and cyber spectrums.

A cyber threat response and mitigation expert with more than 25 years of experience, Daron has conducted incident response, cyber threat pursuit, law enforcement investigations, counterintelligence operations, intelligence analysis, and cyber threat degradation activities in the commercial sector. Prior to joining StoneTurn, Daron helped lead the build out of a new global consulting practice that routinely served the insurance and legal sectors with incident response, cyber investigations, cyber threat intelligence and expert witness services. Earlier in his career, Daron led global counter-threat investigations and operations as the Special Agent in Charge, Cyber Investigations and Operations Unit, at Andrews Air Force Base. His team received multiple awards from the Defense Intelligence Agency and the National Counterintelligence and Security Center for excellence in network traffic surveillance, cyber intelligence analytics, intrusion response, and sophisticated counterintelligence effects activities. Daron is a certified Digital Forensic Examiner, Computer Crime Investigator and Digital Media Collector.

IAM Patent 1000 Again Names Alan Ratliff and Ambreen Salters Top Expert Witnesses

StoneTurn is pleased to share that Partners Alan Ratliff and Ambreen Salters have again been recognized for their outstanding work across the intellectual property (IP) quantum of damages by IAM Patent 1000 United States Expert Witnesses 2021.

IAM Patent 1000: The World’s Leading Patent Professionals is a unique guide that identifies the top patent professionals in key jurisdictions around the globe and shines a spotlight on the firms and individuals that are deemed outstanding in this pivotal area of practice. Individuals qualify for a listing in the IAM Patent 1000 when they receive sufficient positive feedback from peers and clients with knowledge of their practice and the market within which they operate. Only those individuals identified by market sources for their exceptional skill sets and profound insights into patent matters feature in the IAM Patent 1000.

According to IAM Patent 1000, “Alan Ratliff assembles and leads bespoke groups of professionals at StoneTurn to carry out IP assignments, including disputes and transactions; he delegates appropriately while also remaining hands-on. The client service of this team player and ‘people person’ is never less than fully satisfying; so too the results he achieves.”

Ambreen was cited in the 2021 IAM Patent 1000  as: “Another contact point in the firm’s Houston office is Ambreen Salters, who has extensive experience in commercial disputes and IP cases of all kinds. Her testimony, underpinned by sophisticated and thorough analysis, always gets the job done.”

Read IAM Patent 1000‘s full 2021 rankings.

StoneTurn Shortlisted by GIR for 2021 Investigations Consultancy of the Year

Global Investigations Review (GIR) has unveiled the shortlist for its 2021 Investigations Consultancy of the Year award and has identified StoneTurn– along with just two other firms– as in the running for this prestigious honor. Each year, GIR recognizes the firms that have provided consistent, invaluable and case-winning work during major investigations in the last year.

StoneTurn was cited for the its “strong reputation in the investigations market, an image that will only be enhanced by its impressive work supporting Volkswagen’s monitor Larry Thompson.” According to GIR: “StoneTurn played an integral role in seeing the [VW] monitorship to fruition by providing forensic and project management expertise. Thompson, for example, made one of StoneTurn’s partners, Michele Edwards, his chief of staff during the monitorship. StoneTurn’s dedication to the project went further, with some staff permanently stationed in Germany during the monitorship. The firm also helped navigate unprecedented challenges with the monitorship completed in the midst of the pandemic.”

StoneTurn’s Investigations practice is supported by a multidisciplinary team with extensive experience and expertise across geographies and areas of specialty in investigations. Visit the ‘What We Do’ section of our website to learn more about the uniquely qualified professionals we have carefully curated to be part of StoneTurn’s Investigations Consultancy.

GIR’s seventh annual awards ceremony, which will be held in aid of Swawou Layout Girl’s School in Kenema, Sierra Leone, is planned for November 9 in Washington, D.C.

Read more at GIR.

StoneTurn Ranks in Chambers’ 2021 Litigation Support Guide

Two Practice Areas and Partner David Stern Are Recognized in the Prestigious 2021 Guide

For the second consecutive year, global advisory firm StoneTurn has been included in the Chambers & Partners 2021 Litigation Support Guide. StoneTurn’s Litigation Advisory and Investigations practices were recognized in the 2021 guide in addition to London-based Partner David Stern, who is ranked Band 2 in the guide’s UK Forensic Accountants category.

Select commentary of StoneTurn in the guide includes:

  • “I would always have StoneTurn on my list. The team there are very practical and pragmatic, and not too academic like some others. They strike the right balance. Particularly useful for quantum issues, too.”
  • “The team are not rigid in their approach. They were responsive and sharp, really getting to the issue. They were great at brainstorming the matter and analyzing lots of transactions in a sprawling and exhaustive process for them. Ultimately, StoneTurn was great at cutting to the core of what steps needed to be taken and what did not.”
  • “We felt they had a great objective view of the matter, and produced a beautifully written report which was really clearly put in layman’s terms, while displaying a great deal of uncovered intelligence and forensic accounting knowledge.”

In the 2021 guide, a client notes “David comes with a very strong background. I’d always have him on my list of preferred vendors.” David has more than 25 years of experience in forensic accounting investigations and complex business litigation. Clients and counsel alike turn to David for his expertise in the quantification of loss and valuation analysis as well as accounting expert witness work in contractual disputes, joint venture and shareholder disputes, post-acquisition claims, competition and antitrust work, civil fraud in domestic and off-shore matters and business interruption claims. Well-known for his high-quality work product and highly regarded by clients, David is consistently recognized by Who’s Who Legal: Arbitration Expert Witnesses and Who’s Who Legal: Experts – Economic Consulting – Quantum of Damages.

StoneTurn’s Litigation Advisory team offers extensive expertise in quantum damages calculations, analysis and investigative expert witness services in complex international arbitrations and disputes. With the support of an extended, multidisciplinary global team, the firm’s litigation experts investigate and explain complex concepts, prepare detailed analyses, and develop clear and concise findings, which are presented in easy-to-understand reports and through testimony at hearings, trials and in arbitration settings worldwide.

The firm’s Investigations Practice is a global multidisciplinary team of highly experienced forensic accountants, business intelligence and regional specialists, investigators, former law enforcement and senior government officials who support our clients on a range of critical challenges. These professionals work with clients to understand the context of the issue, the threat level and ideal outcome. In partnership with clients, StoneTurn professionals consider mitigation strategies, including remediation, intelligence-led investigations or a data driven solutions, that address the underlying risk and compliance issues that typically lead to regulatory inquiries, investigations and business disputes. The approach is a bespoke multidisciplinary, pragmatic and proportionate one. StoneTurn’s Investigations team provides human intelligence and forensic insight into complex matters in opaque and regulatory challenging jurisdictions; broad in-house language capabilities; advanced forensic technology and data analytics tools; and a deep understanding of the legal and regulatory contexts in which they work. The firm delivers time-sensitive high-impact actionable intelligence and investigative reports to support client’s strategic decision making in high-stake challenges.

Widely recognized as an invaluable resource for lawyers, GCs and private clients tackling complex disputes, Chambers Litigation Support researchers conducted hundreds of in-depth interviews with senior market figures – both practitioners and purchasers of litigation support services worldwide – in order to arrive at the 2021 rankings.

For more information on StoneTurn in Chambers, visit: https://chambers.com/law-firm/stoneturn-litigation-support-58:354611

 

 

StoneTurn and Silverseal Selected by Oakland Police Department to Conduct an Independent Review of Personnel Practices

The “New Blue” Initiative is Designed to Bring Lasting and Measurable Change to Police Departments and Their Communities Across the U.S.

StoneTurn, a global advisory firm, and its partner organization Silverseal, an international security consultancy, have been selected by the City of Oakland, California, to conduct an objective, third-party review of the Oakland Police Department’s (OPD) promotion and hiring practices. The two firms have joined forces on a law enforcement compliance and community engagement initiative, The New Blue, which brings together a diverse and talented team of law enforcement, investigative, compliance, data analytics, and community engagement experts to help OPD both understand its current challenges and bring lasting and measurable changes that will benefit the Oakland community and OPD.

In August 2020, the City of Oakland Police Commission (the Commission) issued a Request for Proposal, seeking an independent third party to examine a subset of allegations raised by the Oakland Black Officers Association (OBOA) in its March 15, 2019 letter to the Commission. After a rigorous interview process, The New Blue team’s professionalism, diversity and multifaceted approach led to the selection.

“We appreciate the OPD’s efforts to address the concerns raised by the OBOA. Our independence and objective approach should give the OBOA, other members of the OPD, and citizens of Oakland, confidence we will prioritize transparency and results in an impartial reflection of our findings. We look forward to working with community representatives, local government personnel, and police department leadership to understand current practices and identify areas for potential improvement,” said Joshua Holzer, a StoneTurn Partner and former federal law enforcement official, who leads the engagement team. Joshua noted, “Our data analytics expertise will be critically important in identifying existing trends and will act as a roadmap for any required remediation.”

The New Blue team will review policies, procedures, and historic approaches and activities. Findings from community engagement, including surveys and focus group discussions, will help tailor and support recommendations. Upon completion of the review, The New Blue team will present its findings and recommendations to the Commission and the Oakland community.

“Assessing and helping to improve OPD’s hiring and promotion practices requires an evaluation of this community’s unique needs, risks, resources and culture,” said Patrick Timlin, Chief Executive Officer of Silverseal and former Deputy Commissioner of Operations for the New York City Police Department (NYPD). “I’m confident that this independent, transparent and objective review will help facilitate the collaborative and constructive conversations needed to achieve meaningful change, including bias-free practices within the police department.”

The New Blue team includes multidisciplinary experts in community policing, community empowerment, law enforcement procedures and management, police misconduct investigations and compliance controls, and data analytics. The team will help bring material improvements to OPD’s processes and procedures by leveraging over a century of combined law enforcement experience, at both the local and federal levels, and insights gained by providing guidance in the wake of crises such as the Crown Heights Riots; investigating allegations of abuse by law enforcement against suspected terrorist detainees; overseeing major operations and divisions of the NYPD; and conducting organizational analysis and delivering recommendations for improvements to police departments around the country.

About StoneTurn

StoneTurn, a global advisory firm, assists companies, their counsel and government agencies on regulatory, risk and compliance issues, investigations, and business disputes. We serve our clients from offices across the U.S., U.K. and in Germany, Brazil and South Africa, assisted by a network of senior advisers around the world. To learn more, visit StoneTurn.com.

About Silverseal

Silverseal, a global consultancy firm has expertise in organizational analysis, program design and training in law enforcement and security environments. The firm’s leadership consists of community-based law enforcement executives, and community engagement and empowerment specialists. The firm deploys operational protective services globally, technology solutions and conducts complex investigations.

Media Contact:

Cliff Maroney
Crenshaw Communications
cliff@crenshawcomm.com

Michele Edwards Recognized as a Global Leader in Consulting by Consulting Magazine

StoneTurn is pleased to announce that Partner Michele Edwards, former Chief of Staff and member of the senior leadership team on the VW monitorship, has been recognized as a 2021 Global Leader in Consulting. Each year, Consulting Magazine’s editorial committee works to identify and present awards to “…individuals who have displayed outstanding leadership qualities and exert extraordinary influence in their firms, for their clients and over the entire consulting profession.” The committee favors trusted, global advisers who can provide measurable metrics and have helped deliver quantifiable results.

Michele was selected in Consulting Magazine’s ‘Excellence in Execution’ category, in part, for her work overseeing the VW monitorship– one of the largest and most complex corporate compliance monitorships in history. Over the course of this high-profile, three-year effort, Michele advised the Monitor and Deputy Monitors, led the team, managed day-to-day operations and was also critical in ensuring VW met its commitments as part of a DOJ Plea Agreement and Civil Consent Decree. Her work ultimately impacted over 670,000 employees worldwide and included recommendations to enhance compliance culture and drive transformational change that resulted in 300+ new or revised internal regulations and policies.

“It took a phenomenal team effort on the VW monitorship to achieve our mandate, so collaboration was key,” Michele explained. “I am personally grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of and help lead this high-performing team and applaud the great work done by Mr. Larry Thompson and everyone at VW. This honor provides independent affirmation of my and StoneTurn’s deep dedication to our clients and serves as an acknowledgement of the shared values I try to live every day – empathy, a global mindset, hard work and diligence to achieve the best possible result for my clients.”

Read more at Consulting Magazine.

Simon Platt Again Recognized as Top Investigations Forensic Accountant by Who’s Who Legal

StoneTurn is pleased to share that Chairman and Co-Founder Simon Platt has again been recognized by Who’s Who Legal (WWL) – an independent research firm. For the third consecutive year, Simon has been cited among the top 173 forensic accountants operating in investigations proceedings as part of WWL’s Investigations 2021 – Forensic Accountants – Legal Marketplace Analysis.

Simon was chosen for “top-notch skills and experience of providing expert witness testimony in litigation and arbitration proceedings; advising on valuation issues; and conducting analyses in investigations across a wide variety of sectors and jurisdictions.”

Since 1996, Who’s Who Legal has identified the industry’s foremost practitioners based upon comprehensive, independent, global survey work. The 2021 research process was WWL’s most extensive ever and reflects tens of thousands of recommendations from clients and peers around the world with 95 countries listed.

Simon was previously named Global Leaders and Forensic Accounting Experts by WWL in 2020 and 2019.

Learn more: Who’s Who Legal

StoneTurn’s Jonny Frank Again Appointed to Law360’s Compliance Editorial Advisory Board

StoneTurn is pleased to share that Jonny Frank again been selected by Law360 for its Compliance Editorial Advisory Board. An expert in compliance monitorships and remediation, Jonny has served on Law360’s Compliance Board for the past two years, providing feedback on the publication’s compliance-focused coverage and also, helping to shape future coverage.

A former federal prosecutor, Jonny draws upon his significant 40-year career to investigate and remediate fraud and misconduct by and against Fortune 500 companies. He was selected to serve as the Department of Justice (DOJ)-appointed Independent Compliance and Business Ethics Monitor to Deutsche Bank, the DOJ-appointed Independent Auditor to a Top 5 automotive manufacturer, the SEC-approved Independent Consultant to a Big Three credit rating agency, remediation consultant to a Northern European bank, E&C adviser to the SEC-appointed Independent Consultant of a large public accounting firm, Forensic Adviser to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)-appointed Monitor of a Tier One automotive supplier and the DOJ-appointed Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) Monitors of a $250 billion oil and gas conglomerate and $6 billion medical device manufacturer. Jonny was also the former Executive Deputy Monitor of Volkswagen AG.

Prior to joining StoneTurn in 2011, Jonny was a Partner at PwC, where he led more than 500 engagements and founded and led the firm’s global Fraud Risk & Controls practice. At PwC, Jonny pioneered the “scheme and scenario” antifraud risk assessment framework, subsequently embraced or endorsed by the SEC, COSO, AIPCA, and IIA. He also trained over 5,000 professionals worldwide in a forensic auditing and monitoring curriculum he developed. Earlier in his career, Jonny served as EDNY AUSA.

Learn more: https://www.law360.com