JAMES M. DEGNAN, CPA
Jim Degnan is a partner in the firm of DEGNAN & SHLAFER, CPAs, and oversees the professional services involving accounting, computer systems consulting, data base design, custom report writing, software training, and business advisory services. Jim’s firm represents several leading software companies as a certified consultant with an emphasis on the legal industry.
He gained extensive law office experience as the Executive Director of a major law firm in Jacksonville, Florida where he was responsible for implementing new computer systems for word and data processing. He developed financial reporting systems around a profit center philosophy and assisted in the development of a partner compensation system tied to measurable profits. He has been providing consulting services to law firms since 1986 and his clients number in excess of 350 law firms located throughout the Southeast.
His background includes an extended career with Price Waterhouse (now PricewaterhouseCoopers) as a Senior Audit Manager as well as key financial management positions in private industry. He began his career with Price Waterhouse in Rochester, New York and later transferred to its Jacksonville, Florida office. His responsibilities provided exposure to hundreds of businesses engaged in diverse industries, including Fortune 500 clients as well as small businesses.
Jim also served as Vice President of Finance and Administration for an oil distributor and convenience store operator involving a chain of 25 stores. He implemented a state-of-the-art computer system which provided valuable performance reporting for each operating unit and re-structured the store reporting systems.
He is a CPA in Florida and is a past president of the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Jacksonville Chapter. He has authored articles published in Legal Administrator, the American Bar Association Journal, Legal Economics, Law Office Technology and the Jacksonville Business Journal.
Rich Shlafer is a partner in the firm of DEGNAN & SHLAFER, CPAs, and in charge of the firm's tax practice. Prior to the formation of the firm, Rich was Partner-in-Charge of Tax Services of the Jacksonville Florida Office of Coopers & Lybrand (now PricewaterhouseCoopers).
Rich has over 38 years of experience in Federal and State income tax consulting, research, planning, and compliance, having advised many individuals, corporations, family-owned businesses and partnerships on various income, trust and estate tax matters.
He was an editorial consultant to Matthew Bender's previous publication, Florida Tax Service, a treatise on Florida Taxation that covered such areas as corporate income tax, sales tax and property taxes.
He has served for several years on the State Taxation Section of the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Rich has testified before State of Florida legislative committees as to the effect of the Florida Sales Tax on Services. He is a member of the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ Services Tax Task Force reviewing proposed Florida tax legislation. He has served as an expert witness on various tax matters, including tax aspects of divorce, and has spoken before numerous groups on different Federal and Florida income and estate tax matters.
He is a CPA in Florida; Past President and former member of the Board of Governors of the Jacksonville Chapter of the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants; Past President of the Estate Planning Council of Northeast Florida; former advisory member to the Board of Directors of Family Counseling Service, Inc. and Bridge-The-Gap, Inc.; and former member of the Board of Directors of the Jewish Community Alliance.
