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From taxes to
litigation, Wolcott does it all
by
Holly Rodriguez
Lauren
V. Wolcott didn’t start out with her mind set on
a career in accounting. “I thought I would be a
pharmacist, physical therapist or go into the medical
field,” she says. But her brother, also an accountant,
persuaded her to try the career.
Lauren Wolcott |
Fast-forward
24 years. Nine- to 10-hour work days are typical for
Wolcott, who now specializes in audit, accounting and
tax services. Her work in litigation services, also
a career focus for Wolcott, has earned her recognition
from colleagues. Tricia Neale, a CPA with Thompson Greenspon
& Co. in Fairfax, said she depended on Wolcott’s
expertise to untangle a complex legal issue involving
an audit for a major private company in Virginia. “She
knew what we needed and responded quickly,” Neale
says.
Wolcott
recently left Frederick B. Hill & Co. in Norfolk,
the firm where she began her career, to join Wall, Einhorn
& Chernitzer in Norfolk as a partner. Becoming partner
of the firm, which was founded 12 years ago by several
of her colleagues, is a career high point, she says.
So is the ability to survive and excel in a male-dominated
field. “I have a tremendous sense of pride in having
developed my public accounting practice as a woman,”
she says. “When I began practicing in the Tidewater
area in the late 1970s, there were few women, but that
was never an obstacle to me.” She credits her old
firm with helping her develop a base of clients.
The
toughest and most memorable case of her career was an
appointment by the federal bankruptcy court to investigate
a case involving a company that mismanaged trust funds
of a Norfolk cemetery. It was the only time she was
ever appointed to a federal court case for consultation,
and Wolcott said the appointment was a boost for her
career. “I had been doing litigation services consulting
prior to the case, but the appointment helped my credibility.”
But this CPA isn’t just sitting behind her desk
crunching numbers all day. She has been a member of
the Junior League of Norfolk for 20 years and volunteers
with the Children’s Hospital of the King’s
Daughters and the Board of Trustees of Norfolk Collegiate
School.
Wolcott
says that despite her experience in the field, the learning
process never ends. “My greatest challenge is juggling
my audit, accounting and tax services responsibilities
and keeping up with all of the changing laws,”
she says. “But I still love my profession, even
after 24 years, and I’m blessed to be able to say
that.”
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to Virginia Business - November 2002
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