Understanding and Analyzing Financial Statements

This seminar takes the mystery out of financial statements!

The ability to understand and analyze financial information is essential in all areas of legal practice including estate planning, corporate formation and representation, business valuation, family law, bankruptcy, litigation, workers’ compensation, and even sound law firm management. After Enron and Sarbanes-Oxley, it has become more important than ever for accounting misstatements and corporate financial manipulations to be understood and avoided.

This basic-to-intermediate level seminar will show you easily adaptable techniques for reading a balance sheet, income statement and statement of cash flows, helping you to spot vital financial and legal issues.

You’ll be better equipped to communicate with accounting and financial professionals and to know whether you should place reliance on financial information.

Seminar Highlights

• All essential accounting concepts explained in plain language

• Analyzing the statement – from short-term liquidity to cash flow and forecasting and return of invested capital

• The manipulation, use and abuse of financial statements and other misleading practices

• Special reporting issues including leases, contingent liabilities and business combinations

• Reporting methods, audits, compilations, income vs. cash flow, depreciable assets, capitalization vs. expensing, and inventory flow assumptions

What Past Attendees Say

Over the years I have attended a number of seminars that attempted to accomplish the same objective. This was by far the best.

Very focused and not unduly technical – an excellent course for non-accountants.

Clear explanation of difficult accounting theories and terms.

Very good for those who need to learn or re-learn the basics.

I studied all of this in school, but was surprised how much I’ve forgotten or that I misunderstood. It all seems clearer now – great review.