Industries
Law Firms
An independent investigative and economic-damages arm for AmLaw and mid-size litigation and transactional firms.
AmLaw and mid-size litigation, white-collar-defense, and transactional firms engage Fortaris when a matter requires investigative depth, economic-damages quantification, asset tracing, or expert testimony that their teams do not maintain in-house. Our work is managed under privilege, through counsel, and built to evidentiary standards that survive cross-examination. Every engagement is led by a Managing Director drawn from federal investigative service and forensic accounting — not handed to an associate.
Where firms bring us in
Pre-suit case assessment
Before counsel commits to a litigation theory or settlement posture, Fortaris investigates the factual basis of the dispute — subject research, public-records review, key-person background work, and an evidentiary read on the strength of the matter.
Economic damages and expert testimony
Lost-earnings, lost-profits, business-interruption, and fraud-loss modeling, delivered as Daubert- and Kumho Tire-ready expert reports with a Managing Director testifying plaintiff- or defense-side at trial and in arbitration.
Investigative due diligence on parties and witnesses
Independent background, litigation-history, and reputational work on opposing parties, witnesses, and counterparties — the facts a case team needs before deposition or before a transaction closes.
Asset tracing and judgment enforcement
Locating assets, reconstructing fund flows, unwinding shell structures, and analyzing beneficial ownership to support recovery, fraudulent-conveyance claims, and post-judgment collection.
Fraud examination and forensic accounting
ACFE Certified Fraud Examiner-led analysis of embezzlement, financial-statement fraud, kickback and procurement schemes, and misrepresentation — quantified and documented for the legal record.
Privileged internal investigations
Investigations conducted under attorney-client privilege specifically to inform litigation strategy, regulatory engagement, or board reporting, coordinated tightly with the engaging firm.
Practices most relevant to law firms
Litigation Support & Economic Damages
Economic-damages and financial-loss analysis, forensic accounting, asset tracing, and Daubert-ready expert witness testimony for trial-bound and arbitration matters — plaintiff- and defense-side.
Investigative Services
Privileged internal investigations, white-collar fraud examination, asset searches, and forensic interviews, held to evidentiary standards and managed through counsel.
Corporate Intelligence
Investigative due diligence, executive vetting, and reputational profiles on parties, counterparties, and witnesses where a firm needs an independent investigative arm.
International Due Diligence
US-licensed verification, cross-border fraud investigation, and asset tracing for international counsel representing foreign clients in US matters.
Why Fortaris
Why litigation firms choose Fortaris
Fortaris pairs federal investigative pedigree — Former DHS Office of Inspector General, US Treasury, INS / Border Patrol, and state attorney's office service — with CPA forensic-accounting and ACFE Certified Fraud Examiner depth, so the same engagement can investigate, quantify, and testify without a hand-off across firms. We are privately held and independent of any audit or consulting parent, which lets us take matters that conflict out the Big-4 alternatives, and our conclusions carry no cross-sell agenda. Every engagement is led by a Managing Director and built for the privileged channel: defensible deliverables, documented chain of custody, and discretion that keeps client names and matter wins off the record.
Frequently asked
Will Fortaris work under attorney-client privilege?
Yes. The majority of our engagements with law firms are managed under privilege through outside or in-house counsel. Engagement letters are drafted accordingly, and deliverables are sequenced — including oral-findings-only formats where appropriate — to preserve privilege through the matter's lifecycle.
Do your experts testify, and are reports Daubert-ready?
Yes. Managing Directors and credentialed specialists serve as expert witnesses on economic damages, fraud examination, asset tracing, and investigative methodology. Reports are prepared to Daubert and Kumho Tire standards, with methodology, qualifications, and evidentiary basis documented to survive challenge.
Can Fortaris support both plaintiff- and defense-side matters?
Yes. We are engaged on both sides across commercial litigation, personal-injury and earning-loss claims, white-collar defense, regulatory enforcement, and bankruptcy and receivership matters. Independence is the point — our conclusions are not shaped to a predetermined outcome.
When in a matter should we bring Fortaris in?
Earlier is sharper and usually less expensive. Pre-suit case assessment and early damages quantification can shape litigation theory and settlement posture before the complaint is filed. We are also engaged mid-matter for testimony, asset tracing, and rebuttal work as the case develops.
What is Fortaris's geographic reach for litigation matters?
Fortaris conducts engagements nationwide, drawing on federal investigative pedigree, Managing Director coverage across our offices, and a specialist subcontractor network. International components are coordinated with vetted in-country partners and, for inbound matters, handled under our cross-border due diligence practice.
Bring Fortaris into the matter.
Every engagement begins with a confidential conversation — led by the Managing Director who will own your matter.