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22 May 2015 • www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com FIRM NAME M i ke Mei linger, CPA and ow ner of Mei linger Con- s u l t i n g , P. C . , r e c a l l e d h o w h i s f i r s t f o r e n s i c accou nt i ng ca se cha nged h is professiona l foc us. "A f ter testif y ing for the plaintif f ten hours dur ing the tr ia l, the judge agreed w ith my assessment and r u led for our cl ient. T he decision was event ua l ly appea led by the defendant a l l the way to the South Carolina Supreme Cour t. In the end, the Supreme Cour t agreed w ith the tr ia l cour t's assessment and r u led for our client." At the time, Meilinger was a partner in a traditional tax and accounting frm, where he worked a great deal in tax. A fer the positive experience with his frst forensic case, he handled a few more. Eventually, he realized that this was the type of work he wanted to pursue full time. "I became ver y passionate about forensic accounting, and I knew that I wanted to pursue it. Tese cases can go on for years and require total focus, so I knew that if was going to be successful, I needed to dedicate my time to it. It was then that I sold my interest in my previous frm and started Meilinger Consulting." In 2007, Meilinger launched Meilinger Consulting, P.C.—a boutique frm that specializes in litigation, valuation, and high-end tax consulting. "W hen I sold my accounting frm, I had a non-compete agreement for fve years. Now expired, we have a few high-net worth, high-income clients for whom we prepare returns and perform tax planning. About 35% of the frm's revenue comes from these business clients. Te other 65% of revenue is from our litigation work, which can be very proftable." Forensic accounting has been very good to Mike Meilinger. Since 2007, the frm has experienced tremendous growth, which he credits a great deal to building a strong referral program. However, he also admits that developing his referral base was not easy. An Accountant Testifes to Proftability of Forensic Accounting By Kristy Short, Ed.D STATS AT A GLANCE Firm launch: 2007 Total employees: 3 F/T; 3 P/T Offce Location: Greenville, SC Firm description: Boutique accounting frm specializing in litigation, valuation, and high-end tax consulting Technology & Service of Choice: QuickBooks, CCH, Microsoft Word and Excel, Chrometa, Asana, Build Your Firm GREAT PRACTICES