James M. Godbout

About James

James M. Godbout is a partner in the Advisory Services practice in the Firm’s Chicago office. He specializes in business valuation, dispute advisory, and financial consulting. James has provided valuation, dispute advisory, financial consulting, and forensic accounting services for numerous purposes, including marital dissolutions, shareholder disputes, estate and gift taxation, business succession planning, commercial litigation, economic damage analysis, breach of contract, property tax appeals, Employee Stock Ownership Plans, class action suits, reasonable compensation, financing, purchase and sale advisement, executive stock options, and other tax, corporate, and litigation related matters. He has testified in federal court, state court and at American Arbitration Association proceedings. Additionally, he has been trained in mediation and collaborative law.

James’ experience encompasses a wide range of industries, including but not limited to, automotive, banking, physician practices, dental practices, insurance, manufacturing, law firms, healthcare, financial services, private equity funds, hotels, assisted living, retailing, wholesale distribution, consulting, trucking, brokerage, construction, restaurants, software, and consumer products. He has lectured, published articles, and presented continuing education seminars for organizations such as the American Bar Association (ABA), American Association of MatrimonialLawyers (AAML), American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA), Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education (IICLE), Northwestern University School of Law, John Marshall Law School, Illinois CPA Society (ICPAS), and several local bar associations.

James previously served as the Business Valuation Chairperson for the Chicago Chapter of the American Society of Appraisers (ASA). He is a current member of the ASA, National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts (NACVA), Institute of Divorce Financial Analysts (IDFA), Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), Financial Planning Association, and Chicago Estate Planning Council and a Charter Member of the AAML Foundation – Forensic and Business Valuation Division.