Peter Laws, CPA

Peter Laws, CPA – Consultant/Auditor (01/1990 – 07/2016)

Interpreted data to obtain approximately $6,000,000 in refunds for clients
Saved $300,000 yearly for a construction client using QuickBooks and Excel tools
Negotiate and prepare contracts and pricing based on customer needs
Teach auditors how to detect false statements and streamline work papers
Research tax issues to reduce sales and federal excise taxes, Canadian (GST/HST) tax
Audit paid invoices for overcharges using MACROS and IF statements for data selection
Performed A/P audits for cost savings for retail, construction and manufacturing
Review A/P invoices, make decisions on data to improve efficiency and costs and controls

Verizon Telecom Property Tax Accountant (Contract) 2013 & 2014 Tax Seasons

RWC Consultant for NRCS – Washington, DC (Contract) 05/2011 – 12/2011

Consultant Responsibilities

Update and be proactive in database maintenance of Natural Resources Conservation Services’ (NRCS) Leases
Review lease agreements for contractual compliance
Score potential leases for classification as Operating or Capital Lease using FAS 13
Examine documentation presented for Scoring by State Personnel; evaluate data to ensure Office of Management Budget (OMB) guidelines for lease classification are correctly interpreted for inclusion in financial statements
Describe complicated guidelines to agency personnel in any state or territory to persuade them to gather proper and adequate documentation to support a financial conclusion
Clarify technical and factual issues between NRCS Management, Outside Auditors and agency personnel

Regency Energy Partners – Dallas, TX (Contact/Employee) 06/2006 – 01/2010

After completion of telephone bill audit Regency I was hired as the Tax Accountant

Sales Tax Responsibilities

Created routines and internal controls for reporting and payment processing online for multiple states and interface with all auditors
Researched CCH to support and reduce taxes and support decisions
Designed and performed audit of open years under statute and research decisions
Prepared sales tax returns and paid tax of $20,000,000 on a $650,000,000 construction project with coding annotation to support decisions
Created review policies for invoice selection and classification for tax accrual and payment
Prepared Balance Sheet, Income Statement, Statement of Cash Flows and Statement of Owner’s Equity quarterly for government reporting
Reconciled general ledger accounts and maintained tax SOX governance using MS Great Plains accounting software
Liaise with A/P Supervisor to create Macro to reduce erroneous payments

Property Tax Responsibilities

Coordinated with property tax consultant to issue yearly renditions to 100 jurisdictions
Prepared payment of invoices for over $10,000,000 annually on property values of $1,500,000,000
Reported Quarterly adherence to SOX controls as Senior Tax Accountant
Collected general ledger and engineering information to support valuations and appeals of property tax
Prepare account reconciliations (Prepared by Client) as direct for outside auditors
Maintained current list of purchases and sales of property via Excel (VLOOKUP function and Pivot tables)
Verified tax bills to asset list and prepared check requests for payments, then reconcile general ledger
Coordinated updating database information on ACH payments and vendor bank records

RWC Consultant for USDA – Albuquerque, NM (03/2005 – 02/2006)

Assisted in development of key performance indicators to measure accounting functions for approximately 100 U.S. Forest Service offices
Compare and evaluate local operating procedures and select best practices for future unified operations
Resolved differences on government contracts and payment for process improvement and efficiency
Conducted several local and national training sessions utilizing web conferencing

AT&T and Western Electric – Dallas, TX (02/1977 – 12/1990)

Billing Supervisor (01/1985 – 12/1987)

Supervised billing systems and resolved problems and reconciled general ledger
Asset management of $80,000,000 piece parts storeroom
Prepared instructions and supervised annual inventory
Conducted weekly and monthly statistical samples to confirm balances on hand
Following 1984 divestiture, assumed product planner responsibilities forecasting product line sales for cell phone business
Resolve customer service issues regarding product shortages
Advised clients on cost reduction measures to improve long-term relationships with customers

Internal Auditor (09/1981 – 12/1983)

Lead on internal audits, and special studies for senior AT&T management to assess risks, identify weaknesses
Presented findings of audits and studies to a wide range of company officers to support conclusions to improve interdepartmental operations and reduce risk
Prepare statistical audit samples of accounts payable and inventories to select and evaluate samples of program from a national CPA firm
Flow chart control points and trace transactions to ensure internal controls are adequate and operational
Reconcile balance sheet accounts, validate classifications

Cost Accountant (02/1977 – 09/1981)