About The Instructor
Steven Vogel is an experienced litigator whose practice focuses on complex professional liability and commercial litigation cases. This includes the representation of accountants, attorneys, corporate directors, officers and others in various types of lawsuits ranging from claims of professional malpractice, breach of contract to real estate litigation, state and federal securities law claims, business tort litigation and common law fraud actions. Steve is also experienced in handling SEC regulatory investigations, disciplinary proceedings and risk control matters. Steve is an AV-Rated Preeminent lawyer by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest rating possible for ethical and technical competence.Steve is regularly called on for complex issues involving securities laws and regulations, banking and tax, fraud investigations, employment disputes, purchases and sales of accounting and other practices, partnership disputes and risk management. Steve has worked on a number of high profile Ponzi scheme cases including Bernard Madoff, Tom Petters and others.
Steve is a past Chair and current member of the Florida Board of Accountancy. He was first appointed to this state-wide leadership (and public official) position by Florida Governor Rick Scott in 2011 and reappointed in 2015. Each Board of Accountancy appointment requires confirmation by the Florida Senate and each appointment is for a four-year term. This nine-member Board is responsible for the regulation and governance of the accounting profession in Florida. In addition to his service as Chair of the Board in 2015, Steve also served as Chair and member of the Board’s Probable Cause Panel.
Steve is also a former member of the American Institute of CPA’s Auditing Standards Board (“ASB”). The ASB is the senior technical committee of the AICPA, which has the authority to issue auditing, attestation and quality control standards applicable to the performance and issuance of audit and attestation reports for non-public companies. Of the ASB’s 19 members, Steve held the one seat customarily reserved for an attorney whose practice involves matters of interest to auditors in public practice. Steve served as a member of this Board for three years (2010-2012). During his service, the ASB was in the midst of the Clarity Project which was finalized and became effective in 2012.
Steve’s multi-disciplinary background of accounting and law as well as his role as Standard Setter and Regulator in the State of Florida provide him with an in-depth knowledge of the various laws and standards that impact businesses. This includes accounting and auditing standards that govern the accounting profession and that accountants are obligated to uphold.
Steve’s fluency in these special areas provides him with the ability to effectively communicate accounting and auditing principles to judges and juries as well as translating the law for his clients. Steve serves as Florida counsel for a number of the largest CPA firms in the country and has been involved in a number of high profile cases in the State of Florida and other jurisdictions.
Steve has written and lectured extensively on a variety of legal issues with a recent focus on professionals providing advice to the cannabis industry including liability risk management and ethics.
Prior to joining Becker, Steve was a Partner in the Miami office of a Chicago based AmLaw 100 law firm and prior to that he served as the head of the accountants professional liability practice in the Miami office of a New York based Am Law 100 international law firm. Steve’s past experience includes his service as a member of the Multi-National Corporate Tax Group at Price Waterhouse and the Audit Department for Ernst & Young in the New York City offices.