NickSenior Manager, Forensic & Dispute Services, Cayman Islands |
I’m really motivated by the opportunity that data presents: Acquiring, processing, and analyzing data, and then deploying the results for use by lawyers and other professionals. It is very interesting because merely addressing data issues can make legal professionals think differently about how they formulate their strategies and facilitate a fact-driven approach.
I manage forensic investigations and litigation support projects and my role is mainly focused on capturing and interrogating data to obtain evidence for litigation and to meet disclosure requirements. My work is focused primarily on the financial services and hedge fund industries.
When I began my career, data played a very minor role in litigation. This has completely changed with the exponential growth of data, the almost total transition to electronic communications and the proliferation of data platforms. During litigation, clients may commonly view data issues as primarily an exercise in meeting disclosure requirements, but our experience is that maximizing the understanding of client data can provide significant strategic advantage in business disputes.
My most memorable project has been the investigation of complex money laundering which occurred over several years and involved hundreds of millions of dollars. A complicated web of offshore shell companies and non-commercial accounts had been created and forensic investigation required the analysis of thousands of inter-bank transactions. Most of the evidence of these transactions was in the form of telexes and a significant amount of work was required to locate and render the information searchable. It was a litigation project that spanned several years and finally resulted in a very significant settlement from some of those involved.
Deloitte’s strength is the depth of knowledge that we have about our clients’ businesses. In the Cayman Islands, this is primarily the offshore financial services industry, hedge funds and insurance. We ensure that our clients know that we are not just IT or software/data consultants, but that we have a deep understanding of their businesses and can assist in identifying challenges, opportunities and risks when addressing their data issues.
When I joined Deloitte I never expected that I would be looking at data from social media for use in litigation because when I started the internet barely existed – let alone social media.
