Derek Barto, CPA

Bio

As a partner in the Law Firm Services group, Derek spends 100% of his time consulting with law firms. He provides advice on critical issues that law firm managers encounter, including advising on partner compensation methodologies, merger and acquisition analysis, firm startups, finance and reporting restructuring, accounting department process improvement, profitability improvement, and analysis and benchmarking studies.

His clients range from startup law firms with less than 10 attorneys to multi-office firms with over 500 attorneys operating in multiple states. He also manages tax return and financial statement engagements for his law firm clients.

Derek has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accountancy from Wake Forest University and a master’s degree in law firm management from George Washington University.

Experience

RBZ, LLP
Reznick Group

Education

George Washington University
Wake Forest University

Q&A

Accounting is the best of all worlds. My accounting focus provided me with a specialized skillset to take into the business world yet still have many career options. Through my time as an auditor I was able to learn a lot about many businesses, providing a very strong foundation for the consulting services I have been providing to law firms for all these years.

I’m lucky to have a lot of great clients and even more fortunate that I get to work with most of them on a frequent and recurring basis. My favorite client experiences are those through which we transform something that isn’t working well into a highly functioning business process.

Highly collaborative. I prefer to work with a team, which suits me well in my role as an advisor. While I have a knack for analysis and applying my observations and experiences to develop workable strategies, I rely heavily on collaboration with others to develop and execute structured workplans to achieve success.

I am proud of many things that I have accomplished or helped others accomplish. While moments are fleeting, the thing I am most proud of is my relationship with my children. We have a special bond, and I am thankful we have been able to influence one another so deeply.

When I was 13, I worked in my godfather’s restaurant during my summer vacation. One day I called him to let him know I wasn’t feeling well and couldn’t go to work. He quickly rebutted that I was not sick (I wasn’t) and he would be over to pick me up all the earlier. This experience and many others as I continued to work for him for the next eight years in various capacities reinforced the importance of taking ownership and responsibility for the commitments I make. These lessons shaped me into the person I am today and prepared me to be a successful consultant and a dedicated parent.

The people are what make me love my work most, and the culture we have at Armanino is the special sauce that makes it all come together. Learning from my coworkers while sharing my own knowledge and together helping clients achieve success is what makes being a consultant so fun.