Kirsty Shuckford: the First 90 Days.
Thriving in Forensic Accounting
Kirsty Shuckford, a qualified and experienced accountant joined FHM Forensic Accounting as an Assistant Manager in May 2025. In this article she shares her insight from her first 90 days in her transition into forensic accounting and expert witness work.
What interested me about joining FHM Forensic Accounting?
I have always been interested in working as a forensic accountant but what made FHM stand out to me was how lovely Tom and Fiona were during the interview stage. They explained the role in detail knowing that I hadn’t worked in forensic accountancy before. This assured me that they would be supportive and understanding as I took my first steps into the world of forensic accounting.
How has my previous experience helped?
A significant part of my role as a forensic accountant is understanding how to perform business valuations as well as understanding and applying various accounting policies. I also have to write professional letters and reports and manage multiple projects at the same time. My ACA studies and my previous roles in audit and financial accounts enable me to establish a good understanding of financial reporting and the regulatory environment. This has contributed to my ability to work independently despite this being a new area for me and has provided me with a great foundation for this role.
What sort of cases have I worked on?
Most of the cases I have worked on to date at FHM are matrimonial cases which involve valuing the parties’ businesses and their respective individual interests in the businesses. However, I have also worked on some dispute and business valuation cases, including a dispute regarding the earn-out payments that were due to the sellers of a business and a dispute over the incorrect advice given by professional accountants.
What have I enjoyed?
I have really enjoyed the variety of the role, in particular the element of learning something new every day. Fiona, Graham and Tom are all great to work with and instantly made me feel like part of a great team – something which has always been vitally important for me to achieve job satisfaction. I also very much appreciate the guidance and support I have been given so far and their appreciation that the requirements for this role are different to my previous roles.
How have I applied my experience as an auditor and in industry?
My time working in audit and as a financial accountant have both given me a good understanding of the various accounting policies and how these are applied in practice, which is crucial when assisting with disputes between parties. Whilst working as an auditor and financial accountant I have drafted various professional reports and letters (such as accounting papers, letters to clients and statutory accounts). This has helped me enormously when drafting reports and letters for Fiona.
How has the role differed from my expectations?
I expected forensic accountancy to be completely different to my previous roles, but there are in fact many transferrable skills and knowledge. I thought forensic accounting would be difficult to adapt to. However, with the FHM team’s support so far, I have significantly more confidence than I thought I would have at this stage. The variety in the role was a welcome surprise too, with each of the cases having their own complexities.
What am I looking forward to?
I am looking forward to expanding on the knowledge and experience I have gained so far since joining FHM: there are some very interesting cases in the pipeline. Whilst I am more confident than I thought I would be at only 90 days into the role, I am looking forward to gaining even more confidence, especially when assisting with the more complex and niche cases.
Getting in Touch
Fee estimates and CVs are readily available. Quotes can typically be provided within two working days.
Email: fiona@fhmforensic.co.uk
Telephone +44 (0)7770 642491
