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Accounting Malpractice

Accounting Malpractice Attorneys

Our firm handles professional negligence actions involving accounting malpractice. Our attorneys have financial backgrounds and are versed in commercial areas that facilitate efficient recovery of damages caused by accountants’ deviations with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (GAAS).

Accounting malpractice actions often involve voluminous document discovery for which our firm has the technological resources to effectively administer. The firm also works closely with skilled forensic accountants and consultants to identify auditors’ negligent acts and omissions and related monetary losses recoverable.

Contact Our Accounting Malpractice Lawyers

At Lydecker, our accounting malpractice attorneys that are fully committed to assisting our clients and helping them recover as much as possible. Contact us today to schedule a legal consultation with our accounting malpractice lawyers.

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Accounting Malpractice Team

Richard Lydecker is a founding partner at Lydecker, a full-service AV-rated national law firm with offices throughout New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida, California, and Georgia. As a distinguished leader and visionary in the legal community, Richard has played an instrumental role in shaping the firm’s reputation and success since its inception in 1994 as an aggressive and responsive law firm.

With a career spanning over several decades, Richard J. Lydecker has established himself as a formidable force in the field of defense litigation. His practice predominantly focuses on complex commercial litigation, professional liability, bodily injury, auto negligence, environmental law, employment, D&O, E&O, accounting malpractice, commercial litigation, bankruptcy, bad faith litigation, and insurance coverage. His extensive background in these areas has earned him recognition as a trusted and skilled litigator, consistently delivering exceptional results for his clients. Richard’s diverse and extensive background makes Lydecker a premiere law firm.

Richard’s legal journey began with a robust education and training, laying the foundation for his future accomplishments. He earned his Juris Doctor from a prestigious law school and quickly rose through the ranks, gaining invaluable experience and expertise in civil litigation. Over the years, Richard has handled a wide array of cases, ranging from intricate commercial disputes to high-stakes professional liability claims.

Prior to Richard’s career in civil practice, he was a Senior Major Case Bureau Prosecutor in New York with an outstanding record of success in preparing, managing, and trying high-profile cases. Casework involved high-profile, high-visibility criminal prosecution of homicides, robbery, arson, rape, and burglary. Richard successfully tried in excess of 100 criminal cases, many resulting in guilty verdicts carrying life sentences. Before accepting his appointment to the District Attorney’s Office, Richard was an attorney at a prestigious Wall Street, N.Y. law firm.

Richard Lydecker’s remarkable career as a founding partner of Lydecker showcases his expertise in defense litigation, his leadership within the firm, and his dedication to client success. His diverse background and extensive experience have made him a respected figure in the legal community, and his contributions continue to shape the firm’s reputation as a premier law firm nationwide.

Today Lydecker has ten main practice areas:

  • Appellate
  • Bankruptcy and Banking
  • Business, Corporate and Transactional
  • Condominium & HOA
  • Construction  Design & Environmental
  • Employment
  • General Liability
  • Government
  • Insurance
  • Professional Liability

Lydecker has the following sub practice areas:

Accounting Malpractice, Admiralty and Maritime, Appellate Advocacy, Appellate Practice, Architects and Engineers, Attorney Malpractice, Bad Faith Litigation, Banking and Financial Services Litigation, Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights, Bodily Injury Defense, Business Law, Business Reorganization, Catastrophic Injury & Loss Defense, Class Action Defense, Commercial Litigation, Commercial Property, Complex Commercial Litigation, Condominium & Homeowners’ Association Law, Construction & Design Contracts, Construction Accident Claims, Construction Defect Litigation, Construction Payment, Delay and Lien Disputes, Corporate Law, Corporate Liability, Coverage Disputes, Cyber Liability ⁄ Internet Law, Defamation, Directors and Officers, Education Law, Environmental Law, Errors and Omissions, Financial Litigation, General Liability, Government, Government Liability, Healthcare, Hospitality, Insurance, Insurance Agents and Brokers, Insurance Coverage and Extra-Contractual Litigation, Intellectual Property, Labor and Employment, Land Use and Zoning, Mass Environmental Toxic Tort Law, Mergers and Acquisitions, Negligent Security, Premises Liability, Products Liability, Property Practice, Real Estate Practice, Residential Property, Tort Liability, Transportation Liability and Workers Compensation.

Complex Commercial Litigation: Richard’s proficiency in complex commercial litigation is well-known. He has successfully represented clients in multifaceted legal battles, navigating intricate legal frameworks and securing favorable outcomes. His strategic approach and meticulous attention to detail have been pivotal in resolving disputes efficiently and effectively.

Professional Liability: Richard has extensive experience defending professionals across various industries against liability claims. His deep understanding of the nuances of professional conduct and standards enables him to provide robust defense strategies, protecting his clients’ reputations and careers.

Bad Faith Litigation: Richard is a recognized authority in bad faith litigation, representing clients in cases involving insurance companies. His tenacity and commitment to justice have resulted in significant victories, holding insurers accountable for their obligations.

Insurance Coverage: Richard’s expertise extends to insurance coverage matters, where he advises clients on complex coverage issues and disputes. His comprehensive knowledge of insurance law ensures that his clients receive the coverage they are entitled to, and he has successfully litigated numerous coverage cases.

Leadership and Oversight
As a founding partner, Richard oversees the firm’s practice groups and manages the firm’s relationships with its clients and carriers. His leadership is characterized by a commitment to excellence, innovation, and client-centric service. Richard is dedicated to fostering a collaborative and inclusive environment within the firm, ensuring that every client receives personalized attention and tailored legal solutions.

Richard’s strategic vision has been instrumental in the firm’s growth and expansion. Under his guidance, Lydecker has become a nationally recognized law firm, known for its dedication to client success and its ability to handle complex legal challenges. His emphasis on continuous improvement and professional development has cultivated a team of highly skilled attorneys who share his passion for legal excellence.

Commitment to Clients
Richard’s client-centric approach is at the heart of his practice. He believes in building long-standing relationships grounded in mutual trust and respect. By understanding each client’s unique needs and goals, Richard provides strategic counsel and representation that aligns with their best interests. His ability to navigate complex legal landscapes and deliver practical solutions has earned him a loyal client base and numerous accolades within the legal community.

Personal and Professional Values
Beyond his professional achievements, Richard is known for his unwavering commitment to integrity, ethics, and community service. He actively participates in various professional organizations and contributes to legal scholarship through speaking engagements and publications. Richard’s dedication to giving back to the community is reflected in his involvement in pro bono work and charitable initiatives.

Looking Ahead
As Lydecker continues to grow and evolve, Richard remains dedicated to leading the firm towards new heights of success. His vision for the future includes expanding the firm’s capabilities, embracing technological advancements, and maintaining the highest standards of legal practice. Richard’s legacy is one of excellence, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to justice.

Senior Partner

Ms. Maken is a partner at Lydecker and has substantial experience in handling complex business litigation and appellate matters in both Florida and in Mississippi. Over her career, she has authored hundreds of briefs filed in the Florida Supreme Court, Florida’s District Courts of Appeal, the Eleventh Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court. Her practice areas include banking-foreclosure law, commercial litigation, torts, insurance defense, employment law, parental rights, criminal law, and challenging unconstitutional state action.

Ms. Maken is a former Assistant United States Attorney with the Southern District of Florida. As Lydecker LLP’s lead counsel, she successfully represented the Florida Department of Financial Services as Receiver in its suit against the statutory auditors (a big 5 accounting firm) of a failed insurance company (whose insolvency exceeded a billion dollars).

She clerked at the Third District Court of Appeals and the Mississippi Supreme Court.

Eric McAliley brings more than two decades of legal experience to his representation of professionals in E&O claims and of clients with respect to high exposure personal injury and CGL claims. He draws on his education in accounting/tax, and unique prior career experience in engineering with Pratt & Whitney and the South Florida Water Management District to bring added value to his practice.

Eric defends cases on behalf of clients involving E&O Claims including, legal malpractice, negligence, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and other common law and statutory claims. Eric represents attorneys, financial professionals, including securities brokers-dealers, accountants, retail and wholesale brokers and insurance agents.

Eric’s CGL practice consists of defending claims involving physical and emotional injuries including, but not limited to, automobile negligence, negligent security, premises liability, 1983 claims, and intentional torts. With respect to claims against governmental entities, Eric regularly handles cases involving complex issues of constitutional law, sovereign immunity, civil rights, torts, and common law claims.

Eric also serves as trial counsel for the firm’s clients and carriers and assists with the firm’s trial teams.

Lee Patten is the Co-Chair of the Firm’s National Catastrophic Injury and Loss Defense Department.  Mr. Patten has extensive trial court experience in complex litigation, and has defended numerous cases involving wrongful death, paralysis, amputation, traumatic brain injury, sexual assault, and other serious injuries throughout New York, New Jersey, and Florida. These claims and large loss exposures arise from a variety of liability scenarios, including premises liability, medical/healthcare/nursing home liability, school/early education/day care liability, construction site accidents (including New York labor law claims), road construction accidents, commercial trucking and car accidents, negligent security, and products liability, among others.  Mr. Patten brings to bear his extensive experience in each of these specific industries to obtain excellent results for his clients. 

Mr. Patten maintains a progress-oriented practice, whether pre-suit or in litigation, Mr. Patten works closely with his client to advance the case with every court filing, correspondence, email, and phone conference. Every action is designed to move the case forward toward trial or resolution.  

Mr. Patten has taken countless depositions, including deposition of subject matter experts, liability experts, and damages experts. He has attended countless hearings, including important summary judgment hearings, as well as multi-day arbitrations and multi-day framed issue evidentiary hearings.  

Mr. Patten has tried cases before many trial courts throughout the state of Florida, New York, and New Jersey, and has obtained many favorable settlement outcomes at the eleventh hour due to detailed trial preparations, including motions in limine and Daubert challenges to opposing experts. 

Mr. Patten has also served as monitoring counsel and converted to lead trial counsel in numerous cases involving large losses or multiple layers of insurance.  He is successfully able to parachute into potential “problem” or “high risk” cases, and laser in on key areas to prepare liability and damages defenses quickly and efficiently. 

Before joining the firm, Mr. Patten was a prosecutor at the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s office, as well as a prosecutor for the Department of Children and Families. It was there that Mr. Patten started his trial career and was able to transfer those skills to civil litigation. In Law School, Mr. Patten served as Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review and won several awards for both Mock Trial and Moot Court competitions.  

Ronald (Ronn) S. Whitaker is a partner in the firm’s Los Angeles office and brings a wealth of litigation experience in the both the public and private sectors. He has represented corporate clients, public entities and private individuals in all phases of litigation in both State and Federal Courts with an emphasis in the defense of product liability, class action, personal injury, civil rights, professional liability, and premises liability cases. He also has extensive experience in employment litigation, including being admitted in pro hac vice in the State of Arizona to successfully defend a large national corporation against claims of wrongful discrimination and racial discrimination. Prior to joining Lydecker, Ronn had a lengthy career in defending high exposure claims on behalf of both corporate and governmental clients, including a number of high-profile parties in high stakes litigation. He has represented multinational corporations, and has a deep understanding of the complexities in defending large corporate entities and institutions, including providing legal and strategic advice which contemplates the impact of large scale litigation and claims on the client’s competing needs.

As a trial attorney for Lydecker’s Environmental Mass Tort, Product Liability Department and General Liability Department, Ronn has tried in excess of sixty (60) jury trials as lead trial counsel with an outstanding record of success. At Lydecker, his primary focus is utilizing his extensive experience and unique background to vigorously defend global manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, and other business owners from the inception of a claim through trial, as well as in spearheading new and emerging litigation in the mass and toxic tort arena.

Ronn completed his undergraduate studies at UCLA, and then obtained his law degree from the UCLA School of Law, where he was selected as a Distinguish Advocate in the Moot Court Honors Program.

Mr. de Zayas’ experience includes debtor-creditor law, bankruptcy law, insurance insolvency, construction litigation, employment litigation, and appeals.

He has tried numerous jury and bench trials in state and federal courts and has been appellate counsel in many reported appellate decisions in the commercial litigation, insolvency, creditors’ rights and bankruptcy areas. Mr. De Zayas  also has significant experience representing clients in civil antitrust, competition and restraint of trade litigation in state and federal courts. Mr. de Zayas has served as general counsel for the Florida Workers’ Compensation Insurance Guaranty Association since 2004. He heads the Bankruptcy and Insurance Receivership Practice Group at Lydecker.

Mr. de Zayas also has substantial experience representing both commercial debtors and institutional creditors in connection with commercial claims,  collections; in documentation and perfection of security interests in all types of collateral; in protection of, and realization on, various types of collateral upon default; in enforcement of judgments; in commercial foreclosure of mortgages and other security interests; in contract litigation; in preference and fraudulent conveyance actions, in insurance company and other commercial receiverships, and in Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganizations. This varied experience with “both sides” of typical commercial litigation disputes benefits the Firm’s clients in developing successful and efficient strategies for the protection of their interests.

Mr. de Zayas’s practice includes professional liability defense and defense of Bar disciplinary proceedings.