New York (June 3, 2004) -- CPA firm Lazar Levine & Felix has expanded its business valuation services through the formation of Lazar Lipton Valuation Services, a new affiliate headed by Dr. Joan Lipton, CPA/ABV.
The affiliate was created through the merger of Lipton’s valuation practice with Lazar Levine’s. Lipton has over 20 years of valuation experience, most recently serving as a partner at the Woodbury, N.Y.-based forensic accounting and business valuation firm Klein Lipton Liebman & Gresen. That firm is now known as Klein Liebman & Gresen.
“Several of our partners have worked with Joan and as an opposing expert in the past. She came in with a book of business and enhanced our already existing valuation services,” said Anca Munteanu, director of marketing at Lazar Levine & Felix. “Our firm has a good-sized matrimonial practice; through that we do a lot of valuation business. It has been growing and she is just a natural fit.”
Munteanu also said she has already noticed an increase in the firm’s valuation services business.
Lazar Lipton Valuation Services is currently an eight-person team that performs valuations of business interests and assets. It also provides valuation consulting services; forensic accounting and litigation support in connection with matrimonial matters, arbitration and mediation, shareholder and partnership disputes, and other commercial litigation; gift tax planning; ESOP valuations; asset allocations; and other valuation projects.
Lipton explains that her decision to merge with Lazar came about as she had known “several of the firm’s partners” over the years, knew they were looking to expand, and thought “it would be a wonderful fit.”
“We are already off to a fabulous start and have had a great reception, even from a few judges, who in some cases will appoint us as neutral experts in an effort to reduce or eliminate what they see as battles of opposing experts,” Lipton said. “The staff we have now are very experienced and have been doing this for years. We are in the process of expanding and looking for new talent.”
-- Seth Fineberg
