Matthew Schwartz
Senior Consultant
Forensic and Litigation Consulting
New York City
Vanderbilt University

• What initially attracted you to consulting, and why did you choose FTI?
  I was initially attracted to consulting because of the variety of work and different day-to-day working experiences that it would entail. I was attracted to the idea of learning new skills and learning about new industries all the time. I was also attracted to the opportunity to travel to destinations throughout the US and abroad.
  
• Since you have been with FTI, what has been the biggest takeaway for you from a professional development standpoint?
  The biggest takeaway is that, at FTI, you have the opportunity to “write your own ticket”. In other words, the resources, training, projects, and development opportunities are all here. They allow an individual to work hard and develop an area of expertise. The more you take it upon yourself to learn, network internally, and be open to new kinds of work and ideas, the more interesting projects will come your way and the more you will be able to excel.
  
• What is the thing you most enjoy about working at FTI?
  The thing I like most is that I am in a constant state of learning. With each project and with each training course, I am learning something new. In addition, after learning and applying new skills, I am immediately given a chance to train someone else and supervise that person. If you build the skills, then projects come to you - and people seek you out for your expertise or skill set. In that way, there is immediate gratification and a sense of an ongoing build-up.
  
• How has the management team at FTI supported you as your career has progressed?
  Supervisors have been excellent in facilitating my career development. Suggesting training, giving constructive feedback, sharing new skills, listening to suggestions, setting expectations and challenges have all aided in my career growth. Management has also done a good job of providing summer training programs, bonus opportunities, and competitive salary adjustments.
  
• What do you like to do when you are not working?
  I like to play sports, exercise, write and record music, play and practice instruments, travel, hang out at the beach, ski, and go to concerts.

Kyle Doebler
Consultant
Technology
San Francisco
William & Mary

• What type of work have you primarily been engaged in since joining FTI?
  I have worked on litigation involving large scale, transactional data sets. The cases include some of the most important pending litigation in the music industry and the largest lawsuit against the US government in history. I provide complex analysis of these data sets and prepare reports of my findings. Frequently, clients present the reports that I prepare as evidence during trial.
  
• What initially attracted you to consulting, and why did you choose FTI?
  From previous work experiences, I knew that I really enjoyed working in fast-paced team environments and knowing that my work was making a difference. I also knew that I wanted to work in a quantitative, business-oriented field. FTI is a great fit for me because I am constantly learning new skills, working on dynamic teams, and the work I do saves the government and major corporations billions of dollars.
  
• Since you have been with FTI, what has been the biggest takeaway for you from a professional development standpoint?
  I have learned about how to convey complicated information to non-technical audiences better. In college my professors were experts on what I would write papers on, so I could assume a level of familiarity with the topics I chose. Frequently, our clients do not have the direct knowledge of the processes or tools we used to perform our analysis or as much knowledge about the data we are analyzing. Because of this, I have to make sure to convey the information in a way that they can understand.
  
• How has the management team at FTI supported you as your career has progressed?
  My management team has been incredibly supportive of me during the time I have been at FTI. They have always given me very helpful feedback and opportunities that stretched my abilities. I have had the opportunity to do self-directed work, interact with clients, and prepare testimony, which are things I might have not gotten a chance to do with less than a year at another firm.
  
• What do you like to do when you are not working?
  I like to travel a lot. My team is very close; so many times, we will travel together and go somewhere for the weekend. Last month an old team that I worked on met up for a reunion weekend in Chicago, and we had a great time. Right now, I have plans to go to Europe in the spring and maybe Australia in the fall.

Katie Lucas
Consultant
Corporate Finance
Dallas
Texas A&M

• What type of work have you primarily been engaged in since joining FTI?
  Since joining FTI, I have worked on two primary bankruptcy cases in the mortgage lending realm. In one case, I got experience on the Creditor side and the newest case has given me debtor side experience. The mortgage industry is a hot topic in the news right now, and it has been interesting getting first-hand experience with the financial side and inner workings of this business.
  
• Since you have been with FTI, what has been the biggest takeaway for you from a professional development standpoint?
  From a professional development standpoint, FTI has given me the opportunity to work not only on multiple sides of bankruptcy cases, but also in many facets within each case. From the beginning of my time at FTI, I have been given significant responsibility and been able to learn from experienced professionals.
  
• What initially attracted you to consulting, and why did you choose FTI?
  Consulting offered a freedom and flexibility in the work product which I had not seen in other financial fields. I enjoy the intellectual challenges that come with each issue within each case.
  
• What is the thing you most enjoy about working at FTI?
  I enjoy many aspects of FTI, but seeing your work and your case in the news is exciting – it gives a sense of reality and importance to your everyday career. You know the logic for decisions being made and the people behind the headlines!
  
• What are some of the top benefits about working at FTI and/or in our industry?
  I have gotten the opportunity to travel quite a bit, which I have enjoyed. It has been interesting to see several areas of the country and get to know professionals across the US.
  
• What do you like to do when you are not working?
  When I am not working, I enjoy traveling, cooking, and running.

Adam Berry
Director
Technology
Chicago
Indiana University

• What type of work have you primarily been engaged in since joining FTI?
  I have spent a majority of my time providing risk mitigation services and complex data analysis to numerous clients involved in bankruptcy, disputes, litigation, investigations, regulatory infractions and general distressed situations. Matters I have worked on have involved companies in industries including automobile rental, commercial airline, distribution, e-commerce, financial services, insurance, government trust funds, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and retail. While the industries have varied, the central focus has been on identifying and analyzing the structured financial data in order to deliver a thorough response to the issues facing our clients.
  
• What initially attracted you to consulting, and why did you choose FTI?
  I was initially attracted to consulting due to the expectation that I would be able to get broad exposure to many industries and work on a variety of the toughest current business issues. I chose FTI because they were positioned to rise up from the ashes of the post-Anderson/post-Sarbanes-Oxley consulting world to become one of the world’s leading consulting firms. While some of FTI’s competitors had more brand recognition at the time, I found that FTI had a more rounded service offering that could withstand fluctuating business cycles. To this day, not only have my initial thoughts on FTI’s competitive position held true but FTI continues to grow at a rapid pace towards being the leading consulting firm.
  
• Since you have been with FTI, what has been the biggest takeaway for you from a professional development standpoint?
  The biggest takeaway I’ve had since joining FTI is the ability to adapt to every situation. Our clients face ever changing challenges, often in distressed situations. With that brings the pressure to perform as well as the necessity to learn new skills. Every engagement forces you to become an expert on the issue at hand and many require you to push yourself to the limit. The result of the rigors involved with these client situations is that you are well prepared to face stronger tests and you have prepared yourself to be able to face almost anything that comes your way.
  
• What is the thing you most enjoy about working at FTI?
  The thing I most enjoy about working at FTI is my colleagues. From top to bottom everybody is invested in making each other successful, which breeds an environment second to none.
  
• If you could sum up FTI in a few words, what would they be?
  FTI is a workplace that provides an excellent opportunity to be exposed to challenging situations that you might not be faced with working for a traditional corporation. The complex issues surrounding our work allow us to have an impact in the headlines you read about in the Wall Street Journal.
  
• What was the biggest surprise for you when you joined FTI?
  The biggest surprise for me when I joined FTI was how small the firm feels. Although we have over 3,000 employees, each individual can still get the attention needed to grow a career.
  
• What do you like to do when you are not working?
  When I am not working I like to spend time relaxing outdoors while watching or playing sports.
  

Richard Baxter
Senior Consultant
Corporate Finance
Atlanta
University of Georgia

• What type of work have you primarily been engaged in since joining FTI?
  Since joining FTI, I have been engaged on both restructuring, in and out of court, and transaction advisory projects in a variety of industries, including, but not limited to, furniture manufacturing, real estate development, auto parts manufacturing, and meat processing.
  
• What initially attracted you to consulting, and why did you choose FTI?
  I was one of the fortunate few that knew throughout college that I wanted to go into consulting. I knew that I wanted a career in which I was constantly exposed to new experiences and challenges. Consulting offered that experience and also afforded the opportunity to work with high-level personnel on both the client and FTI side.
  
• Since you have been with FTI, what has been the biggest takeaway for you from a professional development standpoint?
  Since graduating, I have grown from having only a basic understanding of business to being able to construct fully integrated business plans and cash flows and communicate to the clients and other professionals the methodology used to develop the analysis and any concerns present. I have further been involved in numerous conference calls and meetings where I observed senior professionals present presentations and negotiate deals.
  
• What is the thing you most enjoy about working at FTI?
  The thing I enjoy most about working at FTI is the people. FTI goes to great lengths to establish strong mentoring relationships between the various experience levels. Since joining, I have had the opportunity to work with both my Director level mentor as well as my Managing Director level mentor. In each case, I benefited greatly from their guidance, and at times, patience.
  
• What do you like to do when you are not working?
  When I’m not working I enjoy traveling, martial arts, and working around my house.

Bridget Meacham
Consultant
Forensic and Litigation Consulting
Chicago
University of Notre Dame

• What type of work have you primarily been engaged in since joining FTI?
  I’ve been involved in a variety of projects, including restatements, health care investigation, fraud investigation, post-acquisition disputes, and intellectual property. As a first year consultant, I tried to get exposed to as many different types of work as possible. I’ve used Access, Excel, and various document review software programs, and I’ve done everything from typing out reports to drafting reports to creating exhibits.
  
• What initially attracted you to consulting, and why did you choose FTI?
  I wanted to be constantly challenged with different projects in different industries. I wanted to do work that was not strictly within the framework of accounting. I chose FTI because of its excellent reputation and my great experience as a summer intern. After my internship, I interviewed with several other firms to make sure I was making an informed decision in choosing FTI, and none of the other firms measured up.
  
• Since you have been with FTI, what has been the biggest takeaway for you from a professional development standpoint?
  My biggest takeaway is that you learn by asking questions. Don’t be afraid to ask questions when you don’t know how to do something or don’t understand a scenario. At the same time, make sure you ask informed questions, and make an effort to figure things out on your own before asking for help.
  
• What is the thing you most enjoy about working at FTI?
  I like the changing nature of the work and my great colleagues.
  
• What advice would you give someone who is considering a career in consulting, and also a career at FTI specifically?
  Get to know the corporate culture that you are entering. Not all consulting firms are created equally. You are going to spend lot of time at work, and being in an environment that makes you comfortable is very important.
  
• What do you like to do when you are not working?
  I play in a community orchestra, volunteer at a food pantry and serve on its board, play lacrosse, sail, and read.

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