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Careers for CPAs in Forensic Accounting Forensic Accounting is the merger of accounting and legal investigative work. Think of a forensic accountant as a Sherlock Holmes who delves into the balance sheet to ferret out nefarious deeds or Elliott Ness of the FBI armed with a calculator. For instance, in March 2008, Heather Mills hired the forensic accounting firm of Lee and Allen to delve into her ex-husband, Sir Paul McCartney’s wealth derived from his career as a Beatle, his music rights, business assets and properties, such as his Peasmarsh estate in East Sussex. When the court found that he was worth only a paltry 400million (over US $639,000,000), Heather Mills stated, “We all know he’s worth 800million. He’s been worth 800million for the last 15 years.” The Sunday Times Rich List put the former Beatle’s wealth last year at 825million. Forensic accountants are hired by law firms in corporate and family law. They are hired by law enforcement: the FBI alone has over 1,400 forensic CPAs and accountants on their payroll already.