Expert profile

John Temple-Cole

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Highlights

Chartered Accountant with nearly 30 years of experience.
Proven as a credible expert witness under cross-examination.
Certified Fraud Examiner and Certified Forensic Accounting Specialist.
Acted as an expert regarding loss and damage, fraud, false accounting, failed investments, tax avoidance, and breaches of contract.
Experience in preparing expert reports and testifying across numerous jurisdictions in court and arbitration proceedings.

Services

Economic Damages | Forensic Accounting | Investigations | Commercial Litigation | International Arbitration

Industries

John Temple-Cole is a prominent name in forensic accounting, with a well-established practice focused on complex financial and accounting investigations. He is highly skilled in providing expert evidence on loss and damage, asset tracing, and accounting fraud, and frequently testifies in courts and arbitrations across Australia and internationally.
Lexology Index - Consulting - Forensic Accountants - Global Elite Thought Leader

Expertise

John Temple-Cole is a Chartered Accountant and accounting expert witness with 30 years of experience. He has been appointed as a forensic accounting expert on over 100 occasions.

John has testified (including via concurrent evidence) for proceedings in the Supreme Court of New South Wales, the Federal Court of Australia, the Supreme Court of Western Australia, the High Court of the Republic of Singapore, the District Court of New South Wales, the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, domestic commercial arbitration proceedings in Australia, and SIAC and ICC International Arbitration proceedings. He has also been appointed as a court-appointed Referee. He has prepared numerous expert reports, with disputed loss and damage values of up to A$1 billion.

John specialises in providing expert evidence in claims for loss and damage, and in conducting financial and accounting investigations. He has led numerous complex engagements regarding the assessment of loss of profit and damages, accounting irregularities, accounting fraud and tax avoidance, and flow of funds and asset tracing, including testifying in criminal proceedings.

Professional recognition

Lexology Index

Consulting – Forensic Accountants – Global Elite Thought Leader
Investigations – Forensic Accountants – Thought Leader
GIR – Investigations Forensic Accountants – Thought Leader
Arbitration
Australia and New Zealand – Arbitration and Investigations Forensic Accountants

John was able to quickly get familiar with a complex statutory regime and produce a reader-friendly report. He is reliably good in his analysis, responsive and clear in his explanations and communication.
Lexology Index - Investigations Forensic Accountants - Thought Leader

Background

John previously gained experience in providing audit-related services to major listed and private companies in London and Sydney. He is also a Director of the Justice and Equity Centre (formerly the Public Interest Advocacy Centre), a not-for-profit which aims to change laws and practices that cause injustice and inequality.

John is a Certified Fraud Examiner and Certified Forensic Accounting Specialist. He is a fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand and of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. He is a member of the Users Council of the Australian Centre for International Commercial Arbitration.