James McGurn, CFA, is a Managing Director in DLA’s Accounting Advisory practice, where he advises clients on complex financial reporting valuation matters across a wide range of industries. James brings more than 15 years of experience in business valuation and transaction advisory, with deep expertise in ASC 805 purchase price allocations, ASC 350/360 impairment testing, ASC 718 stock-based compensation, ASC 820 fair value measurement, and contingent consideration analyses.

Before joining DLA, James served as a Senior Director at Embark LLC, where he led the execution of valuation engagements and oversaw a team of eight professionals. In this role, he helped build and scale the firm’s business valuation practice, supported business development initiatives, and established internal processes and quality controls. His work spanned the technology, healthcare, energy, retail, industrial, and consumer products sectors. He was promoted rapidly within the organization, advancing from Senior Manager to Director and ultimately Senior Director.

James previously spent seven years in Grant Thornton’s Transaction Services group, where he managed valuations for business combinations, corporate restructures, asset impairments, and PE quarterly reporting. His experience included extensive work in the energy sector, collaborating with management teams to develop financial forecasts and modeling assumptions for both public and private clients. Earlier in his career, he served as a Valuation Associate with Empire Valuation Consultants, performing financial analyses for a wide range of financial reporting and gift and estate engagements.

James holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Rochester. He is a CFA Charterholder and is an active member of the CFA Society of Houston. His technical toolkit includes Bloomberg, S&P Capital IQ, Oracle CrystalBall, iLevel, and advanced financial modeling techniques.

Prior Work Experience

• • Embark LLC
  • Grant Thornton, LLP
  • Empire Valuation Consultants
  • First American Equipment Finance

Education, Certifications & Affiliations

• • B.A., University of Rochester

  • CFA Society of Houston

Office Contact Information

Address: 1920 McKinney Avenue, Dallas, TX, 75201

Office: (973) 575-1565

Fax: (973) 575-1615