Dissecting accounts

Forensic Accounting is the title of a mighty tome, which will be published after Christmas and which has more than a little relevance…

Forensic Accounting is the title of a mighty tome, which will be published after Christmas and which has more than a little relevance to certain aspects of society in Ireland today. By two chartered accountants, Niamh Brennan, the Michael MacCormac Professor of Management at UCD and John Hennessy, barrister, it covers a subject which is a little like forensic medicine in that it dissects an object or account in order to find what it wants. The new book covers everything to do with the interfacing of accountancy and the law and is particularly relevant at present. "Forensic accounting is growing as a discipline worldwide. Here the Larry Goodman/Pascal Phelan case is an example of a lot of accounting evidence," says Brennan. There are chapters on tribunals and marital disputes and valuations, employment, fraud, personal injury, acquisitions, damages. Obviously an essential tome for the teams of lawyers/accountants wending their way in and out of Dublin Castle.

The book is 1,045 pages long, costs £150 and, confined as it is to Irish law, is so specialised it has a print run of only 500. It will be launched at the publishers Roundhall on January 17th by the AG Michael McDowell. He just happens to be Prof Brennan's husband.