UK headquartered HKA has acquired TM Financial Forensics, as it builds its offering in the US. The disputes consulting firm will help HKA meet growing demand for expert testimony among professional services clients.
Founded in 2010 by Ave Tucker, Paul Meyer, Mike Wallace, Cheryl LeeVan and other experienced consultants, TM Financial Forensics (TMF) employs approximately 65 professionals and operates from offices across California and in Chicago. The firm assists clients in all phases of the litigation process across a broad range of sectors and practice areas.
HKA, meanwhile, is a multi-disciplinary expert and specialist services provider, specialising in risk mitigation and dispute resolution within the capital projects and infrastructure sector. The UK headquartered firm is home to more than 1,000 consultants, experts and advisors in more than 40 offices across 18 countries.
The professional services firm boasts particular experience advising clients on the economic impact of commercial and investment treaty disputes, forensic accounting matters and in cybersecurity and privacy governance and compliance. By acquiring TMF, HKA hopes to boost its advice to clients on consulting and expert testimony in the areas of forensic accounting and economics, construction quantum, delay and technical, government contracts, and commercial damages – particularly in the US market.
The US consulting sector is the largest in the world, and as a US disputes consulting firm, TMF has already worked in a number of high-profile settings. The firm’s experts have testified on matters in US state and federal courts, administrative proceedings, in the United States Court of Federal Claims, in the United States Bankruptcy Court, before the Armed Services Board of Contracts Appeals, and in arbitrations in or involving the US, UK Canada, Australia, France, South Africa, Switzerland, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, China, Japan, and other countries.
“TMF joining HKA is another major milestone for the Americas Group,” commented Frank Giunta, HKA Partner and Head of Americas. “Our capabilities in intellectual property and patent litigation are also significantly enhanced in addition to adding complementary resources in other practice areas.”
The purchase of TMF is HKA’s second major US acquisition over the past three years. In 2019, it acquired The Kenrich Group to significantly bolster its position as a market leader in dispute resolution services. Both acquisitions consolidate HKA’s position in the US market and establish the firm as one of the largest dispute and litigation support consultancies in the Americas, while also boosting its capabilities in forensic accounting, commercial damages, and government contract services globally. Meanwhile, it also opens up fresh international opportunities for TMF to reach new clients.
Ave Tucker, TMF’s CEO, added, “Over the past four decades our experts have consulted and testified in numerous significant foreign and domestic complex litigations. Our highly regarded consultancy services in financial, accounting, economic, engineering, scheduling and damages analysis and expert testimony fit perfectly with the HKA culture and business strategy.”
