Professional services firm Begbies Traynor Group, which incorporates the insolvency and corporate recovery practice Begbies Traynor, has responded to the continuing economic crisis by launching a specialist forensic service in the Midlands.

BTG Forensic will be headed by Martin Long, a former RSM Robson Rhodes and Grant Thornton partner in Birmingham.

Begbies Traynor Regional Managing Partner John Kelly said: “We frequently find ourselves asked to provide expert witness and litigation specialist support to our clients and intermediary contacts.

“Coupled with the growth in regulatory compliance, the increase in fraud activity and the fact that forensic accounting skills are very much integral to our recovery teams, it was inevitable that we would bring forensic accounting within our service offering in the Midlands.

“We are delighted to have Martin on board as a partner launching this vital new service for us. I am sure he will be a great asset to the team and his arrival makes available further expertise to our client base.”

BTG Forensic also has offices in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, London, Manchester and Plymouth.

Apart from a three-year spell in Italy, Mr Long, a Birmingham University graduate, has spent all his 25-year career working in the accounting profession in the city.

He said: “Begbies Traynor Group differs from the other large accounting firms in that it is corporate recovery led and has no audit practice, which minimises the risk of independence conflicts. The firm’s extensive insolvency skill base and experience are tremendous assets to the work of forensic accountancy.”

Mr Long has worked on commercial loss cases, insurance claims, business valuations and professional negligence issues.

“These matters often arise in the context of a legal dispute, but not always. We now see a much enhanced general awareness of the commercial advantages that can be achieved by using specialist forensic accounting support. This pattern is now also emerging in the developing countries which need to call on the expertise found in the West.”

He has trained many professionals in the developing world, particularly India and Africa, in fraud prevention and investigation. He said: “Invariably, only a handful of the course attendees will have heard of the term ‘forensic accountant’; this was the situation in the UK 20 years ago. I usually have one day to provide them with an understanding of how the forensic accountant can help them in their respective corporate or public administration roles.”

He is looking to maintain a proportion of overseas assignments in his workload. “I find myself increasingly involved in international arbitrations so it is important for me to have access to the Begbies Global Network and the firm’s joint venture with BTG Mesirow Financial Consulting in the US, which together has resources in over 100 countries.”