Stuart is the founding partner of the specialist forensic accounting team within HW Fisher LLP. He has been involved with traditional forensic accounting work and royalty auditing and licensing for over 28 years.
Initially working in traditional forensic accounting, both in the criminal and civil arenas, he has worked on cases such as drug trafficking, money laundering and fraud, as well as on contractual disputes, matrimonial, and consequential loss. Quickly, DreamWorks became a client and the department grew and developed over the next 20 years into one of the largest and most experienced teams in the world. Their royalty clients include best-selling authors, musicians and international fashion houses, as well as an array of ‘superbrands’, inventors and technology companies.
He acts for many licensors, from major international publicly-owned companies with vast portfolios of licensees, to smaller licensors with only a few licensees. He advises licensors on the drafting of the key clauses within their boilerplate licence agreements, based upon his vast experience of auditing many thousands of licensees over the years.
Similarly, his work extends to contract compliance, where major companies have signed significant supplier/vendor agreements and wish to ensure supplier/vendor compliance with the contractual terms.