Ernst & Young’s Numbers Add Up To Local Crown

By Joel Russell
The Los Angeles Business Journal
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With a gain of 76 accounting professionals, Ernst & Young LLP became the largest accounting firm in Los Angeles County this year.
That’s according to the Business Journal’s annual ranking of accounting firms by their number of accounting professionals in Los Angeles County.
This marks the first time since 2004 that Ernst & Young tops the list, pushing aside longtime No. 1, Deloitte. That company was knocked down to No. 2.
Ernst & Young has 1,137 accounting professionals at three offices in the county – downtown Los Angeles, Century City and Westlake Village. Deloitte tallied 1,109 professionals at its downtown office.
Bill Browning, managing partner at Ernst & Young, said most of the new hires work in the firm’s traditional audit and accounting practice, but the fastest growing branch of the business is the advisory service, which helps companies improve operations.
Small and medium-size private companies account for 90 percent of E&Y’s clients, a reflection of the county’s economy.
“Private businesses are our main focus in the marketplace,” he said.
Advisory service consists of consulting on issues related to but not directly connected to company balance sheets. In the L.A. market, advisory service includes supply chain management, business process improvement, security for information technology systems, and accounting for importing and exporting, Browning explained.