Director, LAC Associates · Expert Witness & Forensic Accountant
Christopher Chapman is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (FCMA) and holds the Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) designation. He also holds an Advanced Diploma in Forensic Accounting — a specialist qualification that underpins his work as an expert witness and forensic financial analyst.
He founded LAC Associates to provide two things the market consistently underserves: genuinely independent expert witness evidence for commercial litigation, and rigorous financial analysis for businesses entering significant contracts.
As an expert witness, Christopher prepares reports in strict compliance with CPR Part 35 and the Guidance for the Instruction of Experts in Civil Claims 2014. His overriding duty is to the court. He has given oral evidence and is experienced in the demands of cross-examination.
On the advisory side, he brings the same forensic discipline to tenders, contract negotiations, and pre-award assessments — working with businesses to identify financial risk before it becomes a contractual liability.
The highest grade of CIMA membership. Awarded to members who have demonstrated sustained excellence in management accounting and financial leadership.
A globally recognised designation issued jointly by CIMA and the American Institute of CPAs, signifying expertise in management accounting across international commercial contexts.
Specialist qualification in forensic accounting — covering financial investigation, fraud analysis, litigation support, and the preparation of expert evidence for court proceedings.
The single most important quality in an expert witness is independence. A report calibrated to support the instructing party is not expert evidence — it is advocacy dressed as analysis. Courts see through it, and it damages the credibility of the case it was meant to support.
Christopher's approach is straightforward: the evidence is analysed on its merits, the methodology is documented and defensible, and the conclusions reflect his honest professional judgment. Where the evidence supports a range, that range is stated. Where a claim is not supported by the financial evidence, that is stated too.
Solicitors instructing LAC Associates can expect a report that will withstand cross-examination — because it was written to assist the court, not to win the argument.
"It is the duty of an expert to help the court on matters within their expertise. This duty overrides any obligation to the person from whom the expert has received instructions or by whom the expert is paid."
CPR Part 35.3(1)