Lecturer Bios
Jeffrey W. Brend
Jeffrey W. Brend, J.D., CPA/ABV, ASA, CFE, principal of Levin & Brend, P.C., is the only person in the country who is a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, an accredited senior appraiser with the American Society of Appraisers, an accredited business valuator with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and a certified fraud examiner with the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. He has received the highest rating in the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory and is a 2007 Illinois Super Lawyer. Mr. Brend is the past chair of the Matrimonial Law Committee for the Chicago Bar Association. He has concentrated his practice in all aspects of divorce. He is routinely appointed by the courts to represent children in complex custody and visitation cases. Along with being an attorney, Mr. Brend is a certified public accountant and has been qualified as a financial expert to value businesses, determine net income and complete forensic financial investigations throughout the Chicagoland area. He is also an adjunct professor at the Chicago-Kent School of Law, where he teaches financial aspects of divorce in the LL.M. Family Law Program. Mr. Brend speaks nationally, including at the 2006 Training Conference for the FBI’s Certified Public Accountants and at the 2006 Annual Conference of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.
John M. Christensen
John M. Christensen, CPA/ABV, ASA, CFE, serves as a financial expert in the nationally recognized forensic accounting practice at Levin & Brend, P.C., in Chicago, Illinois. Mr. Christensen previously worked for Arthur Andersen in their Corporate Tax Consulting Group, working with mergers and acquisitions of closely-held businesses. He also served as a vice president of a $6 billion distribution company. Mr. Christensen’s broad financial expertise gives him a distinct approach to business valuations of closely-held businesses and forensic accounting investigations. He is a certified public accountant, a certified fraud examiner and a accredited senior appraiser, and is accredited in business valuation by the AICPA. Mr. Christensen is currently a Level II candidate in the chartered financial analyst program.
Gregory A. Papiernik
Gregory A. Papiernik is a member with Levin & Brend, P.C. He is both a CPA and an attorney. He focuses his practice in the areas of individual taxation, corporate tax planning, business tax planning, estate planning, probate administration, retirement planning, elder law, nonprofit organizations law, business transactions, business valuation and forensic accounting. He is a member of the Chicago, Illinois State and American Bar Associations; the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys; the American Society of Appraisers; the Illinois Certified Public Accountant Society; and the American Association of Attorney Certified Public Accountants. In addition to his work as an attorney, Mr. Papiernik is an adjunct professor at Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois, where he teaches financial accounting in the master’s program. Mr. Papiernik received a J.D. degree, with honors, from the Chicago-Kent School of Law and graduated with a B.B.A. degree from the University of Notre Dame.
Jennifer M. Fletchall, Esq.
Jennifer M. Fletchall joined the law firm of Levin & Brend, P.C., in 2001. She is an attorney who focuses her practice in the areas of family law, domestic relations, tax law, business valuation and forensic accounting. Currently sitting for the certified public accounting exam, Ms. Fletchell is preparing to fulfill her licensing requirements by August 2006. In addition, she is completing her certification requirements as a business valuator. Ms. Fletchell’s professional memberships include the Chicago, DuPage County, Illinois State and American Bar Associations; the American Society of Appraisers; the Certified Public Accountant Society; and the Business Valuation Association. She is the co-author of a textbook, Accounting For Divorce: Taxes, Business Valuation and Forensic Accounting. Ms. Fletchall earned her J.D. degree from The John Marshall Law School after graduating from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a B.S. degree in accountancy.
