Professionals
Our professionals bring a unique skill set to our team. We have years of experience in our specialized fields of discipline, enabling us to customize our approach to each client’s unique needs.
Our professionals bring a unique skill set to our team. We have years of experience in our specialized fields of discipline, enabling us to customize our approach to each client’s unique needs.
- Ronald L. Durkin
Partner - Ryan A. Merryman
Manager
- Brian Y. Lopez
Director
Ronald L. Durkin is a Partner of Clifton Gunderson LLP. He founded Durkin Forensic in 2008 after retiring from KPMG LLP where he was the National Partner in charge of fraud and misconduct investigations and served as Western Region forensic practice leader. Ron’s career spans 35 years and includes more than 10 years as a special agent with the FBI. Ron is a Certified Public Accountant with a Certification in Financial Forensics, a Certified Fraud Examiner, and a Certified Insolvency and Restructuring Advisor. In 2007, he received the first-ever lifetime achievement award in Forensic Litigation Services from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Ron holds a B.S. in Accounting and an MBA (with emphasis in Accounting) from California State University, Sacramento.
Brian Lopez is a Director of Clifton Gunderson LLP, at its Los Angeles office. Previously, Brian was a forensic investigator for KPMG LLP, where he participated in fraud investigations involving clients in a broad range of industries. He has extensive experience with gathering and interrogating electronic data and has created a variety of complex databases to assist in the analysis of all types of investigations. Because of his integral role in the development of KPMG LLP’s global forensic data analysis tool, Brian was appointed a member of the firm’s National Forensic Data Analysis Working Group. He was also the West Region coordinator for KPMG LLP’s journal entry tool and an international instructor for its data-analysis software. A Certified Fraud Examiner, Brian holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Washington and is a current FEMBA student at the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
Ryan Merryman is Manager with Clifton Gunderson LLP, at its Los Angeles office. He has extensive experience performing investigations, including, complex earnings management schemes, asset misappropriation, backdating stock options, GAAP noncompliance, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) violations, and has assisted audit teams to mitigate risks from fraud. Ryan has applied analytical skills and accounting knowledge to design and perform complex data analytics. He has broad experience using forensic data analysis tools in both proactive and reactive situations and while at KPMG LLP was a national instructor for such methodology. He is a Certified Public Accountant and maintains the AICPA credentials of Certified in Financial Forensics and Certified Information Technology Professional; he is also a Certified Fraud Examiner. Ryan holds a B.A. in Business Economics with Accounting emphasis from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
