News
September 29 to October 1, 2026:
John Darlison, Sönke Schwartz, Calum Silvester, Sally Zhong and Heiko Ziehms will be attending the Dispute Resolution Days in Berlin from 29 September to 1 October 2026.
On 30 September, Heiko Ziehms will be speaking on the relationship between counsel and experts, hosted by the Swiss Arbitration Association at the Grand Hyatt Berlin Mitte (the same venue as the preceding DIS conference).
For more information and registration: It Takes Two to Tango – Counsel & Experts Convincing Together
We hope to see you in Berlin!
September 1, 2026:
We welcome two new colleagues to the Ziehms & Schwartz team, Sally Zhong and Calum Silvester, effective 1 September 2026.
Sally Zhong
Sally joins as a senior director. She is a forensic accountant specialising in business valuation and the quantification of damages in international arbitration and litigation. Sally has worked on matters in international arbitration as well as before the High Court of England & Wales, the Royal Court of Jersey, and the Hong Kong High Court. She has more than 11 years of professional experience. Before joining Ziehms & Schwartz, Sally spent over six years in Grant Thornton UK’s forensic practice, where she led complex contentious valuation and damages engagements. Sally is a Chartered Accountant (ACA) and CFA Charterholder (having placed in the 90th percentile in two levels of the CFA programme). She holds a Master’s degree in Accounting and Finance from the University of Adelaide and a BBA (Hons) in Accounting and Finance from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Calum Silvester
Calum joins as a senior consultant. He focuses on forensic accounting matters and the quantification of damages in commercial disputes. Calum has experience supporting expert witness engagements in litigation and international arbitration, including disputes involving allegations of accounting irregularities, post-M&A claims and complex damages assessments.
Calum previously worked in the disputes practice at Berkley Research Group (BRG). Prior to BRG, Calum worked in the audit practice of BDO. He is a Chartered Accountant (ICAS) and Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE). He holds an MA in Mathematics and Philosophy from the University of Edinburgh.
Please join us in giving Sally and Calum a warm welcome!
December 2, 2025:
The Art of the Next Move: What M&A and dispute resolution can learn from chess strategy with Jan Gustafsson, two-time German Blitz Chess Champion.
Howden M&A and Ziehms & Schwartz are co-hosting a chess-themed M&A and disputes event in Frankfurt. The evening will feature brief updates on key developments in M&A, W&I insurance and M&A-related disputes, drawing on strategic insights from chess, followed by a chess simul with GM Jan Gustafsson who will take on a group of participants randomly selected from those who express an interest in playing.
For more information and registration: Registration
September 4, 2026:
Professor Aswath Damodaran will be joining the next episode of the Ziehms & Schwartz Podcast Series on 4 September. This follows previous conversations with Stephen Penman, Gary Born and Claudia Salomon.
Professor Damodaran is the Kerschner Family Chair in Finance Education and Professor of Finance at NYU Stern School of Business. Widely regarded as one of the world’s foremost authorities on valuation, his research and publications have become essential reference points for both non-contentious and contentious valuations. Although he does not act as an expert witness, his work is frequently cited by valuation experts in reports and oral testimony. Professor Damodaran’s contributions to the field of Finance have been recognised many times over. In addition to many publications in academic journals in his earlier career, Professor Damodaran has written extensively for practitioners, and is the author of several highly regarded and widely used academic texts on Valuation, Corporate Finance, and Investment Management.
Join us for a discussion about the past, the current state of the art, and the future of valuation.
June 6, 2026:
ZS Forensic has co-founded CATO Forensic Analytics, an advanced AI-driven analytics tool designed to detect financial statement fraud and misrepresentation risk in M&A transactions.
For more information: Cato Forensic Analytics
June 1, 2026:
The 7th edition of the GAR Guide to Damages has been published. Ziehms & Schwartz have contributed the chapter “Overview of Commercial Damages: Valuation Principles, the Relevance of Accounting, and Approaches to the Assessment of Damages.”
The chapter appears in The Guide to Damages in International Arbitration (7th edition), edited by John A. Trenor, Part III: Approaches and Methods for the Assessment and Quantification of Damages, published by Global Arbitration Review.
Find the publication here: GAR Guide to Damages: Overview of Commercial Damages
January 10, 2026:
Lexology Index (formerly Who’s Who Legal) recognised Heiko Ziehms in the 2026 edition of its experts guide. This is the 10th consecutive year Heiko has been recognised in the publication. For 2026, he was ranked as a Global Elite Thought Leader in two categories – “Arbitration Expert Witness” and “Financial Advisory and Valuation – Quantum of Damages”, alongside only one other expert in the German-speaking markets. He is also listed as a Thought Leader in “Commercial Litigation” and further ranked in “Forensic Accountant”, “Quantum and Delay” and several other categories. Thank you to all clients, colleagues, and former colleagues for the support and kind words over the years.
See the Lexology profile, including a Q&A with Lexology on M&A disputes trends and thoughts on building a boutique expert firm, here.
September 8 to 11, 2025:
Sönke Schwartz and Heiko Ziehms will be attending the Dispute Resolution Days in Berlin from the 8th to 11th September 2025.
On September 8th, Heiko Ziehms will be speaking on a panel at the Austrian Embassy, hosted by VIAC, on the topic “Challenges in M&A Disputes: W&I Insurance and Expert Determination.”
For more information and registration: Challenges in M&A-disputes: W&I insurance and expert determination | VIAC CAN
We hope to see you in Berlin!
News
September 29 to October 1, 2026:
John Darlison, Sönke Schwartz, Calum Silvester, Sally Zhong and Heiko Ziehms will be attending the Dispute Resolution Days in Berlin from 29 September to 1 October 2026.
On 30 September, Heiko Ziehms will be speaking on the relationship between counsel and experts, hosted by the Swiss Arbitration Association at the Grand Hyatt Berlin Mitte (the same venue as the preceding DIS conference).
For more information and registration: It Takes Two to Tango – Counsel & Experts Convincing Together
We hope to see you in Berlin!
September 4, 2026:
Professor Aswath Damodaran will be joining the next episode of the Ziehms & Schwartz Podcast Series on 4 September. This follows previous conversations with Stephen Penman, Gary Born and Claudia Salomon.
Professor Damodaran is the Kerschner Family Chair in Finance Education and Professor of Finance at NYU Stern School of Business. Widely regarded as one of the world’s foremost authorities on valuation, his research and publications have become essential reference points for both non-contentious and contentious valuations. Although he does not act as an expert witness, his work is frequently cited by valuation experts in reports and oral testimony. Professor Damodaran’s contributions to the field of Finance have been recognised many times over. In addition to many publications in academic journals in his earlier career, Professor Damodaran has written extensively for practitioners, and is the author of several highly regarded and widely used academic texts on Valuation, Corporate Finance, and Investment Management.
Join us for a discussion about the past, the current state of the art, and the future of valuation.
September 1, 2026:
We welcome two new colleagues to the Ziehms & Schwartz team, Sally Zhong and Calum Silvester, effective 1 September 2026.
Sally Zhong
Sally joins as a senior director. She is a forensic accountant specialising in business valuation and the quantification of damages in international arbitration and litigation. Sally has worked on matters in international arbitration as well as before the High Court of England & Wales, the Royal Court of Jersey, and the Hong Kong High Court. She has more than 11 years of professional experience. Before joining Ziehms & Schwartz, Sally spent over six years in Grant Thornton UK’s forensic practice, where she led complex contentious valuation and damages engagements. Sally is a Chartered Accountant (ACA) and CFA Charterholder (having placed in the 90th percentile in two levels of the CFA programme). She holds a Master’s degree in Accounting and Finance from the University of Adelaide and a BBA (Hons) in Accounting and Finance from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Calum Silvester
Calum joins as a senior consultant. He focuses on forensic accounting matters and the quantification of damages in commercial disputes. Calum has experience supporting expert witness engagements in litigation and international arbitration, including disputes involving allegations of accounting irregularities, post-M&A claims and complex damages assessments.
Calum previously worked in the disputes practice at Berkley Research Group (BRG). Prior to BRG, Calum worked in the audit practice of BDO. He is a Chartered Accountant (ICAS) and Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE). He holds an MA in Mathematics and Philosophy from the University of Edinburgh.
Please join us in giving Sally and Calum a warm welcome!
June 6, 2026:
ZS Forensic has co-founded CATO Forensic Analytics, an advanced AI-driven analytics tool designed to detect financial statement fraud and misrepresentation risk in M&A transactions.
For more information: Cato Forensic Analytics
June 1, 2026:
The 7th edition of the GAR Guide to Damages has been published. Ziehms & Schwartz have contributed the chapter “Overview of Commercial Damages: Valuation Principles, the Relevance of Accounting, and Approaches to the Assessment of Damages.”
The chapter appears in The Guide to Damages in International Arbitration (7th edition), edited by John A. Trenor, Part III: Approaches and Methods for the Assessment and Quantification of Damages, published by Global Arbitration Review.
Find the publication here: GAR Guide to Damages: Overview of Commercial Damages
January 10, 2026:
Lexology Index (formerly Who’s Who Legal) recognised Heiko Ziehms in the 2026 edition of its experts guide. This is the 10th consecutive year Heiko has been recognised in the publication. For 2026, he was ranked as a Global Elite Thought Leader in two categories – “Arbitration Expert Witness” and “Financial Advisory and Valuation – Quantum of Damages”, alongside only one other expert in the German-speaking markets. He is also listed as a Thought Leader in “Commercial Litigation” and further ranked in “Forensic Accountant”, “Quantum and Delay” and several other categories. Thank you to all clients, colleagues, and former colleagues for the support and kind words over the years.
See the Lexology profile, including a Q&A with Lexology on M&A disputes trends and thoughts on building a boutique expert firm, here.
December 2, 2025:
The Art of the Next Move: What M&A and dispute resolution can learn from chess strategy with Jan Gustafsson, two-time German Blitz Chess Champion.
Howden M&A and Ziehms & Schwartz are co-hosting a chess-themed M&A and disputes event in Frankfurt. The evening will feature brief updates on key developments in M&A, W&I insurance and M&A-related disputes, drawing on strategic insights from chess, followed by a chess simul with GM Jan Gustafsson who will take on a group of participants randomly selected from those who express an interest in playing.
For more information and registration: Registration
September 8 to 11, 2025:
Sönke Schwartz and Heiko Ziehms will be attending the Dispute Resolution Days in Berlin from 8 to 11 September 2025.
On September 8th, Heiko Ziehms will be speaking on a panel at the Austrian Embassy, hosted by VIAC, on the topic “Challenges in M&A Disputes: W&I Insurance and Expert Determination.”
For more information and registration: Challenges in M&A-disputes: W&I insurance and expert determination | VIAC CAN
We hope to see you in Berlin!
News
June 6, 2026:
ZS Forensic has co-founded CATO Forensic Analytics, an advanced AI-driven analytics tool designed to detect financial statement fraud and misrepresentation risk in M&A transactions.
For more information: Cato Forensic Analytics
June 1, 2026:
The 7th edition of the GAR Guide to Damages has been published. Ziehms & Schwartz have contributed the chapter “Overview of Commercial Damages: Valuation Principles, the Relevance of Accounting, and Approaches to the Assessment of Damages.”
The chapter appears in The Guide to Damages in International Arbitration (7th edition), edited by John A. Trenor, Part III: Approaches and Methods for the Assessment and Quantification of Damages, published by Global Arbitration Review.
Find the publication here: GAR Guide to Damages: Overview of Commercial Damages
January 10, 2026:
Lexology Index (formerly Who’s Who Legal) recognised Heiko Ziehms in the 2026 edition of its experts guide. This is the 10th consecutive year Heiko has been recognised in the publication. For 2026, he was ranked as a Global Elite Thought Leader in two categories – “Arbitration Expert Witness” and “Financial Advisory and Valuation – Quantum of Damages”, alongside only one other expert in the German-speaking markets. He is also listed as a Thought Leader in “Commercial Litigation” and further ranked in “Forensic Accountant”, “Quantum and Delay” and several other categories. Thank you to all clients, colleagues, and former colleagues for the support and kind words over the years.
See the Lexology profile, including a Q&A with Lexology on M&A disputes trends and thoughts on building a boutique expert firm, here.
December 2nd, 2025:
The Art of the Next Move: What M&A and dispute resolution can learn from chess strategy with Jan Gustafsson, two-time German Blitz Chess Champion
Howden M&A and Ziehms & Schwartz are co-hosting a chess-themed M&A and disputes event in Frankfurt. The evening will feature brief updates on key developments in M&A, W&I insurance and M&A-related disputes, drawing on strategic insights from chess, followed by a chess simul with GM Jan Gustafsson who will take on a group of participants randomly selected from those who express an interest in playing.
For more information and registration: Registration
September 8th to 11th, 2025:
Sönke Schwartz and Heiko Ziehms will be attending the Dispute Resolution Days in Berlin from 8 to 11 September 2025.
On September 8th, Heiko Ziehms will be speaking on a panel at the Austrian Embassy, hosted by VIAC, on the topic “Challenges in M&A Disputes: W&I Insurance and Expert Determination.”
For more information and registration: Challenges in M&A-disputes: W&I insurance and expert determination | VIAC CAN
We hope to see you in Berlin!
June 27th, 2025:
Ziehms & Schwartz welcomes John Darlison to our team as an Affiliate Director, effective 1 July 2025.
John is a highly skilled forensic accountant, specialising in the quantification of damages in both commercial and investor-state disputes. His experience spans ICSID, ICC, LCIA, ad hoc arbitrations, and litigation in national courts.
Before joining us, John spent over four years in the disputes practice at FTI Consulting, working across a broad range of sectors including real estate, oil & gas, mining, construction, wealth management, and advertising. Earlier in his career, he trained and qualified as a Chartered Accountant (ACA) in Ernst & Young’s external audit practice.
John holds an MA in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).
Please join us in giving John a warm welcome!