• Artificial Intelligence - QuickRead Top Story - Valuation/Appraisal

    Leveraging AI in Business Valuations: Practical Applications, Ethical Boundaries, and Defensible Practice

    The central question is not whether AI can be used in valuation work because it clearly can. Rather, the key question is how it should be used in a way that improves quality without compromising professional judgment, ethical obligations, or defensibility. The author shares his thoughts on the later question. Artificial intelligence (AI) is quickly becoming part of the day-to-day workflow in business valuation. What began as a novelty for drafting and summarizing has matured into a practical tool that can assist valuation professionals with research, data organization, financial analysis, visual presentation, and administrative efficiency. The central question is not…

  • Case Law - QuickRead Top Story

    Legal Update: March 2025 | Matter of Weber—Challenges to a Trustee’s Accounting Go Awry

    Serving as a Trustee of a Trust is difficult. In the case presented, a trust beneficiary alleged that the trustee—his aunt—breached her fiduciary duty. The trust beneficiary retained an expert in connection to this claim and this did not go well for either the beneficiary or damages expert. The article summarizes the case, provides a road map and an admonition to experts in these types of cases regarding what is needed, and the perils of using AI. British mathematician, Hannah Fry, once said, “People are often quite lazy. We like taking the easy way out …” In Matter of Weber,…

  • Expert Witness - Litigation Consulting - QuickRead Top Story

    Beyond the Hype

    Why AI may Undermine Your Credibility as an Expert Witness In a recent New York Surrogate’s Court decision (Matter of Weber, 2024 NY Slip Op 24258), an expert witness’s reliance on Microsoft Copilot for financial calculations led to a notable exclusion of their testimony. The court highlighted the risks of using generative AI for evidence-based tasks, marking a significant moment for experts in accounting and other fields that demand high standards of accuracy and verifiability. This article discusses the case, as well as the risks and limitations of using AI. In a recent New York Surrogate’s Court decision (Matter of…