🔒Largest accounting firm in Central Mass. acquires Shrewsbury forensic accountant

AAFCPAs in Westborough, the largest accounting firm in Central Massachusetts, has acquired McLaren & Associates CPAs in Shrewsbury, which specializes in forensic accounting. McLaren & Associates is expected to bring 17 of its professionals to AAFCPAS, including Founder and Managing Partner David McLaren, who will become a partner in AAFCPAs risk advisory business, according to a Monday press release from AAFCPAs. "He is going to lead the growth of our forensics practice, on a national level," AAFCPAs Managing Partner Carla McCall said. The acquisition comes as the accounting profession struggles with workforce shortages, particularly among certified professional accountants, or CPAs. "This is a great complementary partnership," David McLaren said. "We really add to and complement each other." The move will help AAFCPAs expand its forensic accounting, litigation support, business valuation, and tax advisory services, according to the press release. McLaren & Associates has a 97% success rate in its forensic accounting cases. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.  AAFCPAs and McLaren & Associates are both certified B Corps, meaning they are committed to doing societal good with their businesses, beyond profits. In 2019, McLaren was the first accounting firm in New England to achieve the certification, and AAFCPAs followed suit in 2025. The seeds of the acquisition began when AAFCPAs started doing the research to obtain B Corp status and reached out to McLaren for guidance, said McCall. The relationship between the two firms grew when McLaren agreed to help an AAFCPAs accountant obtain the necessary hours to be certified in forensic accounting. Through that, the two firms got to know each other's cultures, McCall said. "He treats his people very well," she said. "When you like people, the conversations around things like M&A become much easier." AAFCPAs has not typically looked to grow through mergers and acquisitions, as the firm preferred to grow organically through hiring new people, McCall said. However, since the workforce pipeline has become a bigger issue in the accounting profession, the firm has been looking at more M&A activity. The Westborough firm is in the midst of an update to its strategic planning and has formed a task force on M&A, so it can be more proactive in looking for possible future deals, she said. "The main driver of this acquisition is McLaren's forensic accounting expertise," McCall said. "Acquisitions are more about people." For McLaren, the main driver of the deal was its struggles in keeping up with demand for its forensic accounting services, David McLaren said. The firm was having a hard time finding accountants with the expertise necessary as the company wanted to grow. Fraud is a $5-trillion-per-year business, David McLaren said. Clients need forensic accounts to help identifying where money went missing and possibly testifying in court. "This is where a lot of people make their living, by stealing from others," David McLaren said. AAFCPAs wide-ranging expertise and depth will help McLaren offer more enhanced services to its clients, he said. AAFCPAs is the largest accounting firm in Central Massachusetts, with 193 local staff and 97 total CPAs, according to information provided to the WBJ Research Department. McLaren & Associates is the seventh largest, with 26 local staff and three total CPAs. McLaren & Associates has won WBJ's Best of Business award as the Best Forensic Accounting firm every year since 2019, and this year the firm won the new category of Best Business Valuator. In addition to bringing David McLaren on as a partner in the risk advisory business, AAFCPAs highlighted Tax Partner Jennifer Chase-Williams joining as part of the acquisition. She helps business owners with transactions, compensation structures, and succession planning. For now, the McLaren & Associates people will stay at their Shrewsbury offices, at least for this year, McCall said. They will likely integrate into the AAFCPAs offices, but that will happen over time. "We don't rush any of that," she said. "Any transition will be more organic." EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated with comments from AAFCPAs Managing Partner Carla McCall and McLaren & Associates Founder David McLaren. Brad Kane is editor of the Worcester Business Journal.