Business & Corporate

Reading Tax and Financial Statements: A Huge Value Add for Corporate Paralegals

Credits Available
Credit Status Total
California MCLE Paralegal Approved 6 Total
Delaware Certified Paralegal Program Approved 6 Total
Florida Registered Paralegal Approved 6 Total
Indiana Paralegal CLE Approved 6 Total
NALA Approved 6 Total
Montana CLE Credit for Paralegals Approved 6 Total
North Carolina Continuing Paralegal Education Approved 6 Total
New Mexico Paralegal Division, State Bar of Approved 6 Total
Ohio Certified Paralegals Approved 6 Total
NFPA Approved 6 Total
Texas State Bar of Paralegal Division Approved 6 Total
Washington Paralegal Association Approved 6 Total
OnDemand
5 hours 59 minutes
Brian Seelinger
Usman Mohammad
Zuzana Colaprete
Janathan Allen
With Brian M. Seelinger from Knox McLaughlin Gornall & Sennett, P.C. + 3 others
Recorded February 19, 2025
Product ID 99769

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Course Includes
$99

OnDemand Video

Video Download

Course Book Download

OnDemand content will be available within 14 days of event date.


or
Upgrade to IPE Unlimited Pass and Get This Course
$69/month

Overview

Make Yourself Indispensable With These Tax and Financial Analysis Skills

Understanding financial statements and tax returns can significantly enhance a paralegal's value to their legal team. Here's why:

  1. Enhanced Legal Support:

    • Informed Decision-Making: Paralegals can provide more informed insights to attorneys, helping them make better strategic decisions.
    • Effective Negotiation: A deep understanding of financial data allows paralegals to support negotiation strategies more effectively.
    • Stronger Litigation Support: Financial analysis can be crucial in preparing for and supporting litigation cases.
  2. Improved Due Diligence:

    • Risk Assessment: Paralegals can identify potential financial risks and liabilities during due diligence investigations.
    • Red Flag Detection: A knowledge of financial statements can help spot red flags that might indicate fraudulent activity or financial instability.
  3. Proactive Problem Solving:

    • Anticipating Issues: By understanding financial data, paralegals can anticipate potential legal issues and take proactive steps to address them.
    • Risk Mitigation: Financial knowledge can help paralegals identify areas where clients may be exposed to financial risks and advise on mitigation strategies.
  4. Enhanced Client Service:

    • Informed Communication: Paralegals can communicate more effectively with clients by explaining complex financial concepts in a clear and understandable manner.
    • Value-Added Services: By offering financial analysis, paralegals can provide additional value to clients beyond traditional legal services.

In essence, a paralegal's knowledge of financial statements and tax returns can make them a more valuable asset to their legal team, enabling them to provide more effective support, identify potential risks, and contribute to the overall success of their clients' legal matters. This course will help you do just that.

Make yourself indispensable - register today!

Abbreviated Agenda

  1. Obtaining Tax and Financial Records
  2. Understanding Tax Returns and Accompanying Documents
  3. Using Financial Statements and Tax Returns to Support Negotiations and Litigation
  4. Analyzing Business Records and Financial Statements
  5. Investment Portfolio Analysis
  6. Financial Forensics Tools and Working With Experts
  7. Legal Ethics for Paralegals
Product ID 99769

Credit Details

Credits Available
Credit Status Total
California MCLE Paralegal Approved 6 Total
Delaware Certified Paralegal Program Approved 6 Total
Florida Registered Paralegal Approved 6 Total
Indiana Paralegal CLE Approved 6 Total
NALA Approved 6 Total
Montana CLE Credit for Paralegals Approved 6 Total
North Carolina Continuing Paralegal Education Approved 6 Total
New Mexico Paralegal Division, State Bar of Approved 6 Total
Ohio Certified Paralegals Approved 6 Total
NFPA Approved 6 Total
Texas State Bar of Paralegal Division Approved 6 Total
Washington Paralegal Association Approved 6 Total
Select Jurisdiction

Agenda

All times are shown in
  1. Obtaining Tax and Financial Records

    1. Publicly Available Information
    2. Requesting Business Records
    3. FOIA Requests
    4. Subpoena Process and Tips
    5. Due Diligence in Transactions
  2. Understanding Tax Returns and Accompanying Documents

    1. Key Terms and Concepts
    2. Business Tax Returns
    3. Individual Tax Forms and Timelines
    4. Trust and Estate Tax Reporting
    5. Identifying Potential Tax Risks and Liabilities
  3. Using Financial Statements and Tax Returns to Support Negotiations and Litigation

  4. Analyzing Business Records and Financial Statements

    1. Ledgers
    2. Annual Financial Statements
    3. Key Performance Indicators and Ratios
    4. How Data can Be Manipulated and Misrepresented
  5. Investment Portfolio Analysis

  6. Financial Forensics Tools and Working With Experts

  7. Legal Ethics for Paralegals

    1. Key Areas of UPL Risk
    2. Fiducial Responsibility
    3. Competence When Working With Complex Financial Data
    4. Guarding Confidentiality

Who Should Attend

This intermediate level course will teach attendees how to understand essential accounting principles and read financial statements. Those who should attend include:

  • Paralegals
  • Legal Technicians
  • Legal Assistants
  • Legal Support Staff

Speakers

Brian M Seelinger
Brian M.
Seelinger
Knox McLaughlin Gornall & Sennett, P.C.
Usman Mohammad
Usman
Mohammad
Kostelanetz LLP
Zuzana Colaprete
Zuzana
Colaprete
Law Office of Zuzana Colaprete
Janathan L Allen
Janathan L.
Allen
Allen Barron, Inc.
Speaker bio
Brian M Seelinger

Brian M. Seelinger

Knox McLaughlin Gornall & Sennett, P.C.
Brian Seelinger

is counsel with Knox McLaughlin Gornall & Sennett. P.C. He has spent his career solving complex financial challenges. Mr. Seelinger is compassionate while maintaining a process-oriented methodology. Examining a situation from multiple angles while being able to communicate across business roles is one of his strengths. Mr. Seelinger's breadth of experience across roles and industries provides clients a 360 degree view of situations, often providing unique but simple solutions while also able to engage in the most complex financial situations. He was most recently a Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President in the Trust Department of a publicly traded multi-state bank. While there Mr. Seelinger worked with institutional and personal clients, including municipal governments, pensions, non-profits, guardianships, foundations, endowments, authorities, trusts, small businesses, and high-net worth clients. Beyond investment management he also performed a variety of fiduciary and compliance tasks regarding ERISA, mutual fund selection, financial modeling, risk management, financial projections, and tax planning. Mr. Seelinger is admitted in Pennsylvania, Ohio, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania and U.S. Tax Court. He earned his B.S. degree from Pennsylvania State University, his M.B.A. degree from Pennsylvania State University and his J.D. degree from Syracuse University College of Law.

Speaker bio
Usman Mohammad

Usman Mohammad

Kostelanetz LLP
Usman Mohammad

is counsel at the New York City office of Kostelanetz LLP. His practice includes New York City and state government procurement matters, civil and criminal tax controversies including tax whistleblower matters, and commercial litigation. Mr. Mohammad has litigated cases in a variety of forums, including New York State Court, federal district courts, U.S. Tax Court and AAA and private party arbitrations. He has extensive experience with government procurement award protests, Article 78 proceedings involving procurement matters, foreign asset reporting issues, IRS responsible person and trust fund recovery penalty matters, IRS whistleblower matters, and IRS collection cases. Mr. Mohammad earned his B.A. degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1995, and graduated cum laude and Order of the Coif (top 10 percent) from the University of Michigan Law School in 1998. He was the associate editor of the Michigan Law Review from 1996 to 1997, and an executive editor from 1997 to 1998. Mr. Mohammad joined Kostelanetz LLP in 2000.

Speaker bio
Zuzana Colaprete

Zuzana Colaprete

Law Office of Zuzana Colaprete
Zuzana Colaprete

is an estate planning attorney in Rancho Santa Fe, California, specializing in trusts, wills and estate administration. She is admitted to practice law in California and New York. Ms. Colaprete is also a certified public accountant (certified in Arizona). During the tax season, Ms. Colaprete prepares individual, corporate and trust income tax returns, and estate and gift tax returns. She is also a lecturer at the Fowler College of Business at San Diego State University where she teaches estate planning issues and practice. She earned her J.D. degree from Hofstra University School of Law in New York, her LL.M. degree in taxation from the University of San Diego School of Law and her M.S.B.A degree in taxation from San Diego State University.

Speaker bio
Janathan L Allen

Janathan L. Allen

Allen Barron, Inc.
Janathan Allen

is a partner with Allen Barron, Inc., an estate planning and financial advisory firm located in San Diego. She is also senior partner at Janathan L. Allen, APC. Ms. Allen has an extensive international tax, accounting, finance and legal background, and has worked with a diverse group of businesses advising clients in legal, financial and tax arenas. She began her career in the public accounting arena and then moved into the private sector as tax director for a biotech firm, Hybritech, Inc. Ms. Allen progressed to controller and CFO/legal counsel positions for a number of San Diego companies before becoming a partner at Allen Barron, Inc. and founding Janathan L. Allen, APC. Ms. Allen earned her B.S. degree from the University of Montana; her M.B.A. degree from the University of San Diego; her LL.M. degree from the University of San Diego School of Law, San Diego, California; and her J.D. degree from Southwestern University School of Law, Los Angeles, California.

Top FAQs

What is included with my course purchase?

When you enroll prior to the live event date you will receive access to the live-streaming webinar which will allow you to interact with faculty in real-time.

With each course, you will receive access to the content via OnDemand Streaming and the Video Download.

Course reference materials are included with each course purchase in a downloadable PDF format.

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Courses are available within your account. Simply login to your account and click on My Courses. If you require additional assistance please call our Customer Service Department at 800-793-5274.

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Closed captioning is available for all online live courses. Attendees may enable the closed captioning functionality within the event room once they have accessed the event by simply clicking the "cc" button in the lower right of the event room.

Are multiple attendee discounts available?

Yes, the more people you bring from your organization, the more you save. Please call out Customer Service Department to inquire about savings for your team at 800-793-5274.

When will the OnDemand be available and how long will I have access to the content?

The OnDemand Video will be available to stream within 14 days of live broadcast date. You will have access to the content for 6 months in your account.

If you're a subscriber, you'll have access to your course recordings until 7 days after the expiration date of the subscription.

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