Mandi M. Fridkin, CPA/ABV/CFF, CFE
The Holder Group, LLC , Marietta, GA

Jennica Moore, PhD,MBA,CPA/CFF,CFE
Advisory Senior Manager / Frazier & Deeter LLC , Atlanta, GA

Thomas W. Treweeke Jr., CPA/ABV/CFF
Supervisor / Frazier & Deeter LLC , Atlanta, GA

Divorce litigation in Georgia frequently raises contested questions of separate versus marital property, and forensic accountants are often at the center of those disputes. This session examines two foundational but sometimes conflicting frameworks: Thomas v. Thomas, which established the “source of funds” rule for tracing separate and marital contributions in real estate, and Lerch v. Lerch, which addresses how separate property can be transmuted into marital property. Speakers will tackle the active versus passive appreciation distinction as applied to real estate and retirement accounts, where careful tracing of pre-marital and marital contributions is critical. Drawing on real-world case examples, attendees will leave with practical tools for analyzing these disputes and presenting their findings persuasively.

Ben Kehler
GlassRatner Advisory & Capital Group B. Riley Advisory Services , Atlanta, GA

Upgrade your Excel skills to take advantage of the newest and most powerful features. Learn how to replace outdated functions and best practices to write complex formulas clearly. Attendees will become more comfortable with basic dynamic array functions and using regular expressions (REGEX) to solve common problems with poor data. Gain exposure to recursive and iterative calculations with LAMBDA and create custom functions to step up your Excel knowledge.

Theodore H. Brown, CPA
IDiscovery Solutions, Inc. , Washington, DC

Employees are increasingly using large language models as sounding boards for workplace stress and interpersonal conflicts, turning what feels like a private conversation into an unmonitored data exfiltration channel. This session explores the disclosure patterns emerging in investigations and the fraud and litigation implications when these conversations surface in discovery.

Natalie S. Lewis, CPA, CGMA, CFE, CFF
Senior Vice President / J.S. Held , Alpharetta, GA

David M. Chaiken, J.D.
ChaikenLaw , Atlanta, GA

What really happens when internal controls break down? In this interactive session, an attorney and a forensic accountant share firsthand insights from complex fraud investigations. Learn best practices for planning and executing investigations, identify critical missteps to avoid and examine how seemingly strong controls are bypassed in practice. Walk away with actionable strategies to enhance your organization’s fraud response and prevention framework.

Dan Branch, CPA, ABV, ASA, MBA
Partner / IAG Forensics & Valuation , Atlanta, GA

Richard Walker, Esp.
Greenberg Traurig, LLP , Atlanta, GA

Companies invest substantial resources building their brand image, customer lists, copyrights and patents, digital ecosystems, other business processes and systems and more. This session explores the potential impact of trade secret theft, the legal fight for damages and other remedies available to companies that have had their sensitive commercial information misappropriated. Discuss these and related issues from the perspectives of a lawyer litigating a trade secret case and a forensic accountant who provides financial analysis to calculate such damages. Look beyond the numbers to explore legal remedies beyond the calculation of damages (preliminary injunctions, temporary restraining orders, oh my!).

Toby Groves, Ph.D.
Groves Research and Consulting , Cincinnati, OH

Ethical intelligence is the level of one’s ability to understand, develop and regulate their own ethical reasoning. It includes ability to recognize and interpret ethical elements of a situation, determine best actions and follow-through on ethical commitments. While emotional intelligence involves the ability to connect with feelings, ethical intelligence focuses on how you interpret your feelings and make decisions from an ethical perspective.  The session tackles difficult questions beginning with whether it’s even possible to teach ethics in the first place.