Daniel Hill first encountered LLME from the other side of the table.

Early in his energy-sector career, his company — a San Diego-based data management provider for energy service providers — partnered with LLME. From the onset, he was impressed by the LLME team and their technical expertise, but it was their approachable, clear way of navigating him through the audit process that stayed with him.

After eight years with privately held companies across the energy, software and furniture rental industries, Daniel made the leap into public accounting. When it came time to make the move, he knew LLME was where he wanted to be. He joined the firm in 2019 and was promoted to Audit Manager three years later.

Having sat on both sides of the table, Daniel now brings a client’s perspective to every engagement.

Combined with his background in economics and operations, he connects with clients in ways that are both practical and personal. A proud San Diegan and University of California, San Diego alum, Daniel’s roots in University City — home to LLME — run deep. This local connection, paired with his career spanning industries LLME serves, gives him a unique lens on the firm and its clients.

We recently sat down with Daniel to talk about his path into accounting, the misconceptions about the field and the advice he shares with the next generation of accountants. Here’s what he had to say: 

Let’s start at the beginning. Can you tell us about your decision to go into accounting?

Well, many don’t realize that UCSD doesn’t have an accounting major for undergraduates. I, like many college students, didn’t know what I wanted to do at first. I ended up declaring a political science major and later added a second major in economics where I was introduced to accounting.

After graduation, I joined a company providing data management and billing services for the energy sector. That role gave me a chance to use my economics background to understand the California energy market, but I also got hands-on experience with accounting as I took on more responsibilities. Over time, I worked my way up to Assistant Controller, handling the company’s day-to-day accounting.

That’s when I realized I was really drawn to the field and chose to pursue my CPA license.

You were a client before joining LLME. Tell us what drew you to working here — and why you stay?

I really enjoyed working with LLME from the client side. The team was great at explaining what they needed and helping us understand the process, which made a strong impression on me.

What keeps me here is that LLME has the best of both worlds. Like a smaller firm, we deliver very personal service to our clients. But we also have the resources and expertise you’d expect from a much larger firm — and we’re actually one of the largest independent firms in San Diego. That balance gives me the chance to work with a wide variety of clients, about 35 to 40 over the year, rather than being limited to just a few large accounts. This keeps my work always interesting and rewarding.

Tell me about some of the clients or industries you work with in your auditing role.

I work with a wide variety of clients across the real estate, construction and nonprofit industries as well as investment funds, distributors and professional service providers like law firms.

You also oversee employee benefit plan audits. Talk us through these and why they’re important.

The Department of Labor requires benefit plans over a certain size to go through an audit before filing their annual return. These are different from a typical financial audit as they’re more compliance focused.

So, instead of digging into performance or profitability, our team makes sure our client’s benefit plans follow all the rules laid out by the federal government, which is critical when you think about what’s at stake. These plans hold people’s retirement savings and futures. You’d never want to hear someone running your 401(k) plan committed fraud or misused funds. That’s why this work matters so much.

Are there any misconceptions about accountants that you regularly run into?

Oh, all the time! A big one is that people think accountants only do taxes, which isn’t true.

Another is the assumption that accountants are all numbers people, when in reality, communication is at the core of what we do. There’s also this growing idea that accounting is a field ripe for automation. There are definitely areas that are becoming more automated, such as bookkeeping and data entry. However, when it comes to auditing, our role is to provide assurance about a company’s financial statements or benefit plans as an independent, third party. At the end of the day, this work requires judgment and accountability. Sure, a computer program can crunch data, but it can’t take responsibility for an audit.

What advice would you give to someone starting out in accounting?

 The two most important skills accountants need are critical thinking and communication. These and curiosity are what set great accountants apart, and they aren’t something that can be easily replaced by technology.

When you’re first starting out, try to understand the why of what you’re doing. Don’t just follow what was done last year. Just because that’s how it was done doesn’t make it right or the best approach when the facts change. Adaptability is huge, too. Our profession constantly changes, and those who stay flexible and open to leveraging technology are the ones who will succeed.

One last question before you go: What’s your favorite University City lunch spot.

I’m a huge fan of Regents Pizza, which is right across the street from our office. I’ve been going there since college and haven’t found a better Chicago-style deep dish pizza in San Diego.

Want to learn more about working with LLME — or working at LLME? Reach out to Daniel at hilld@llme.com or explore our services and career opportunities.