Brian E. Lawyer, CPA, is an assurance partner at MRM, the premier accounting firm headquartered in the fastest growing city in the US - Frisco, TX. MRM is a public accounting firm and a registered investment advisor, with a small firm mentality and a focus on culture. Our team includes former Big 4 and national firm CPAs with experience in public accounting and industry (e.g., Controller and CFO roles).

Brian Lawyer was the controller of Colony Capital's industrial real estate segment until its sale to Blackstone Real Estate Partners in December 2019. Colony Industrial was the industrial operating platform of Colony Capital, Inc., comprised of approximately 60 million square feet of industrial real estate. Colony Capital sold Colony Industrial to Blackstone for an aggregate price of $5.7 billion. Colony Capital, Inc. (NYSE: CLNY) is a global real estate and investment management firm with approximately $50 billion of assets under management.

Brian Lawyer came to EY in 2012 as a manager in the assurance practice and promoted to senior manager in October 2014. EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transactions and advisory services; committed to building a better working world — one with increased trust and confidence in business, sustainable growth, development of talent in all its forms, and greater collaboration. Mr. Lawyer's responsibilities include:• Actively staying abreast of technical developments and sharing insights with engagement teams, management of companies he audits, and audit committees of companies he audits• Proactively building impactful relationships with management’s key influencers within the companies he audits to effectively execute high-quality audits• Participating in pursuit/sales process; provides support for engagement proposals• Actively sponsoring the development and advancement of counselees and team members• Building teams with the intent of promoting diversity (perspectives, physical diversity, etc.); capitalizes on differences within the team

After graduating from the University of North Texas in 2005, Brian Lawyer began his career in public accounting as an audit associate at Weaver, the largest independent accounting firm headquartered in the Southwest. He was eventually promoted to senior associate (January 2007), senior associate II (January 2009), and manager (June 2010). His responsibilities included:• Planned multiple concurrent client engagements including: scheduling, deployment of resources, and project management.• Monitored and supervised progress of staff in all engagement phases and providing performance feedback as necessary.• Performed a review of the work prepared by others for coverage, completeness, accuracy, and technical proficiency.• Researched complex issues and providing management with coherent information on non-routine accounting issues.• Developed an advanced understanding of technical accounting literature within the GAAP and GASB hierarchies; including financial statement understanding and preparation.• Obtained ACL Certified Data Analyst (ACDA) certification and provided technical assistance for various software programs within the firm.