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Significant Accounting Policies | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2024
Accounting Policies [Abstract] |
Significant Accounting Policies | SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES The accounting policies below relate to reported amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Foreign Currency —The consolidated financial statements are presented in U.S. Dollars. Many of the Company’s non-U.S. subsidiaries have a functional currency (i.e., the currency in which operational activities are primarily conducted) that is other than the U.S. Dollar, generally the currency of the country in which such subsidiaries are domiciled. Such subsidiaries’ assets and liabilities are translated into U.S. Dollars at year-end exchange rates, while revenue and expenses are translated at average exchange rates during the year based on the daily closing exchange rates. Adjustments that result from translating amounts from a subsidiary’s functional currency to U.S. Dollars are reported in “accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax” (“AOCI”). Foreign currency remeasurement gains and losses on transactions in non-functional currencies are included on the consolidated statements of operations. Foreign currency remeasurement gains (losses), net of gains and losses from forward foreign currency exchange rate contracts (see Note 8) amounted to $2,846, $(5,574) and $399 for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively, and are included in “revenue-other” on the respective consolidated statements of operations. Use of Estimates—The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires the use of management’s estimates. In preparing the consolidated financial statements, management makes estimates and assumptions regarding: •valuations of assets and liabilities requiring fair value estimates including, but not limited to, investments, derivatives and assumptions used to value pension and other post-retirement plans; •the assessment of probability with respect to recognizing revenue; •the discount rate used to measure operating lease right-of-use assets and operating lease liabilities; •the adequacy of the allowance for credit losses; •the realization of deferred tax assets and adequacy of tax reserves for uncertain tax positions; •the measurement of our tax receivable agreement obligation; •the outcome of litigation; •the carrying amount of goodwill and other intangible assets; •the vesting of share-based and other deferred compensation plan awards; and •other matters that affect the reported amounts and disclosure of contingencies in the consolidated financial statements. Estimates, by their nature, are based on judgment and available information. Therefore, actual results could differ from those estimates and could have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements. Cash and Cash Equivalents—The Company defines cash equivalents as short-term, highly liquid securities and cash deposits with original maturities of 90 days or less when purchased. Deposits with Banks and Short-Term Investments—Represents LFB’s short-term deposits, including with the Banque de France and amounts placed by LFB in short-term, highly liquid securities with original maturities of 90 days or less when purchased. The level of these deposits and investments may be driven by the level of LFB demand deposits (which can fluctuate significantly on a daily basis) and by changes in asset allocation. Restricted Cash—Primarily represents escrowed cash balances that the Company cannot access prior to meeting certain requirements and other restricted cash deposits made by the Company, including those to satisfy the requirements of clearing organizations. Receivables and Allowance for Credit Losses—The Company’s receivables represent fee receivables, amounts due from customers and other receivables. The fee receivables are generally due within 60 days from the date of invoice, except as related to certain restructuring services and certain capital raising activities where fees are due upon specified contractual payment terms. For customer loans within customers and other receivables, the Company has elected to apply the practical expedient, in accordance with the current expected credit losses (“CECL”) guidance for financial assets with collateral maintenance provisions, which generally results in no expected credit losses given that these loans are fully collateralized and monitored for counterparty creditworthiness, with such collateral having a fair value in excess of the carrying amount of the loans. Receivables are stated net of an estimated allowance for credit losses determined in accordance with the CECL model for general credit risk of the overall portfolio and for specific accounts deemed uncollectible, which may include situations where a fee is in dispute. For fee receivables, the allowance for credit losses is determined together for all Financial Advisory fees, except for Private Capital Advisory given the different nature of the business, client composition, and risk characteristics. An allowance for credit losses is determined separately for Private Capital Advisory fees. In addition, a separate allowance for credit losses is determined for all Asset Management fees. The allowances are measured by the application of an average charge-off rate, determined annually based on historical bad debt charge-off experience, to the fee receivable balance of the respective services, adjusted for the specific allowance recognized based on current conditions of individual clients. The current conditions are considered on a quarterly basis and include the aging of the receivables, the client’s ability to make payments, and the Company’s relationship with the client. In addition, the Company also performs a qualitative assessment on a quarterly basis to monitor economic factors and other uncertainties that may require additional adjustment to the expected credit losses allowance. Financial Advisory and Asset Management fee receivables are generally deemed past due when they are outstanding 60 days from the date of invoice, except for certain transactions that include specific contractual payment terms that may vary from approximately one month to four years following the invoice date (as is the case for certain Private Capital Advisory fees) or may be subject to court approval (as is the case with Restructuring activities that include bankruptcy proceedings). In such cases, receivables are deemed past due when payment is not received by the agreed-upon contractual date or the court approval date, respectively. Financial Advisory and Asset Management fee receivables past due in excess of 180 days and 10 months, respectively, are generally fully provided for unless there is evidence that the balance is collectible. Notwithstanding our policy for receivables past due, any specific receivables that are deemed uncollectible result in specific reserves against such exposures. See Note 5 for additional information regarding the Company’s receivables and allowance for credit losses. Investments—Investments in debt and marketable equity securities held either directly, or indirectly through asset management funds are accounted for at fair value, with any increase or decrease in fair value recorded in earnings. Such amounts are reflected in “revenue-other” in the consolidated statements of operations. The Company has elected the fair value option for certain investments held by asset management funds that would otherwise have been accounted for using the equity method of accounting. Accounting for these investments at fair value is consistent with how the Company accounts for other investments held by asset management funds. The fair value of such investments is generally based on quoted prices in an active market. Changes in fair value are recorded in earnings and reflected in “revenue-other” in the consolidated statements of operations. Investments also include interests in alternative investment funds and private equity funds, each accounted for at fair value, and investments accounted for under the equity method of accounting. Any increases or decreases in the carrying value of the investments accounted for at fair value and the Company’s share of net income or losses pertaining to its equity method investments are reflected in “revenue-other” in the consolidated statements of operations. Additionally, equity method investments are tested for impairment if circumstances indicate impairment may have occurred. Impairment charges are reflected in “revenue-other” in the consolidated statements of operations. Dividend income is reflected in “revenue-other” in the consolidated statements of operations. Securities transactions and the related revenue and expenses are recorded on a “trade date” basis. See Notes 6 and 7 for additional information regarding the Company’s investments. Property-net—Property is stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Buildings are depreciated on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives. Leasehold improvements are capitalized and are amortized over the lesser of the economic useful life of the improvement or the remaining term of the lease. Depreciation of furniture and equipment, including computer hardware and software, is determined on a straight-line basis using estimated useful lives. Depreciation and amortization expenses aggregating $36,281, $42,853 and $42,336 for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively, are included on the consolidated statements of operations in “occupancy and equipment” or “technology and information services”, depending on the nature of the underlying asset. Repairs and maintenance are expensed as incurred. Operating Lease Right-of-use Assets and Operating Lease Liabilities—The Company determines if an arrangement is, or contains, a lease at its inception and reevaluates the arrangement if the terms are modified. Operating lease right-of-use assets (“ROU assets”) represent the right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and operating lease liabilities reflect the obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. At any given time during the lease term, the operating lease liability represents the present value of the remaining lease payments and the operating lease ROU asset is measured at the amount of the lease liability, adjusted for rent prepayments, unamortized initial direct costs and the remaining balance of lease incentives received. Both the operating lease ROU asset and the operating lease liability are reduced to zero at the end of the lease. See Note 10 for additional information regarding the Company’s ROU assets and operating lease liabilities. Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets—Goodwill has an indefinite life and is tested for impairment annually or more frequently if circumstances indicate impairment may have occurred. In 2024, the Company changed its goodwill impairment testing date from November 1 to October 1 to align impairment testing procedures with its quarter-end financial reporting. The change was applied prospectively and was not material to the Company’s consolidated financial statements as it did not delay, accelerate or avoid an impairment charge. The Company performs a qualitative assessment about whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount in lieu of actually calculating the fair value of the reporting unit. If events indicate that it is more likely than not that a reporting unit’s fair value is less than its carrying value, the Company performs a quantitative assessment to determine the fair value of the reporting unit and compares it to its carrying value. If the carrying value of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, the Company would recognize an impairment loss equal to the excess. Intangible assets that are not deemed to have an indefinite life are amortized over their estimated useful lives and are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets may not be recoverable. The pattern of amortization reflects the timing of the realization of the economic benefits of such intangible assets. For acquired customer contracts, the period of realization is deemed to be the period when the related revenue is recognized. The impairment analysis is performed by comparing the carrying value of the intangible asset being reviewed for impairment to the current and expected future cash flows expected to be generated from such asset on an undiscounted basis, including eventual disposition. An impairment loss would be measured for the amount by which the carrying amount of the intangible asset exceeds its fair value. See Note 11 with respect to goodwill and other intangible assets. Derivative Instruments—A derivative is typically defined as a financial instrument whose value is “derived” from underlying assets, indices or reference rates, such as a future, forward, swap, warrant or option contract, or other financial instrument with similar characteristics. Derivative contracts often involve future commitments to exchange interest payment streams or currencies based on a notional or contractual amount (e.g., interest rate swaps or currency forwards) or to purchase or sell other financial instruments at specified terms on a specified date (e.g., options to buy or sell securities or currencies). The Company enters into forward foreign currency exchange rate contracts, interest rate swaps, interest rate futures, total return swap contracts on various equity and debt indices and other derivative contracts to economically hedge exposures to fluctuations in currency exchange rates, interest rates and equity and debt prices. The Company reports its derivative instruments separately as assets and liabilities unless a legal right of set-off exists under a master netting agreement enforceable by law, in which case the Company would net the applicable assets and liabilities and related receivable and payable for net cash collateral under such contracts. The Company’s derivative instruments are recorded at their fair value, and are included in “other assets” and “other liabilities” on the consolidated statements of financial condition. Gains and losses on the Company’s derivative instruments are generally included in “interest income” and “interest expense” or “revenue-other”, depending on the nature of the underlying item, in the consolidated statements of operations. In addition to the derivative instruments described above, the Company records derivative liabilities relating to its obligations pertaining to Lazard Fund Interests (“LFI”) and other similar deferred compensation arrangements, the fair value of which is based on the value of the underlying investments, adjusted for estimated forfeitures, and is included in “accrued compensation and benefits” in the consolidated statements of financial condition. Changes in the fair value of the derivative liabilities are included in “compensation and benefits” in the consolidated statements of operations, the impact of which equally offsets the changes in the fair value of investments which are currently expected to be delivered upon settlement of LFI and other similar deferred compensation arrangements, which are reported in “revenue-other” in the consolidated statements of operations. For information regarding LFI and other similar deferred compensation arrangements, see Notes 6, 8 and 16. Deposits and Other Customer Payables—Principally consists of LFB customer-related demand deposits. Securities Sold, Not Yet Purchased—Securities sold, not yet purchased represents liabilities for securities sold for which payment has been received and the obligations to deliver such securities are included within “other liabilities” in the consolidated statements of financial condition. These securities are accounted for at fair value, with any increase or decrease in fair value recorded in earnings in accordance with standard securities industry practices. Such gains and losses are reflected in “revenue-other” in the consolidated statements of operations. Fair Value of Financial Assets and Liabilities—The majority of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities are recorded at fair value or at amounts that approximate fair value. Such assets and liabilities include cash and cash equivalents, deposits with banks and short-term investments, restricted cash, receivables, investments (excluding investments accounted for under the equity method of accounting), derivative instruments, deposits and other customer payables. Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests—See Notes 15 and 24 for information regarding consolidated VIE interests held by employees. Investment Banking and Other Advisory Fees —Fees for Financial Advisory services are recorded when: (i) a contract with a client has been identified, (ii) the performance obligations in the contract have been identified, (iii) the fee or other transaction price has been determined, (iv) the fee or other transaction price has been allocated to each performance obligation in the contract, and (v) the Company has satisfied the applicable performance obligation. The expenses that are directly related to such transactions are recorded as incurred and presented within operating expenses when the Company is primarily responsible for fulfilling the promise of the arrangement. Revenues associated with the reimbursement of such expenses are recorded when the Company is contractually entitled to reimbursement and presented within investment banking and other advisory fees. Revenues are recorded net of taxes assessed by a governmental authority that are both imposed on and concurrent with a specific revenue-producing transaction, and collected from clients. Asset Management Fees—Fees for Asset Management services are primarily comprised of management fees and incentive fees. Management fees are derived from fees for investment management and other services provided to clients. Revenue is recorded in accordance with the same five criteria as Financial Advisory fees, which generally results in management fees being recorded on a daily, monthly or quarterly basis, primarily based on a percentage of client assets managed. Fees vary with the type of assets managed, with higher fees earned on equity assets, alternative investment (such as hedge fund) and private equity funds, and lower fees earned on fixed income and money market products. Expenses that are directly related to the sale or distribution of fund interests are recorded as incurred and presented within operating expenses when the Company is primarily responsible for fulfilling the promise of the arrangement. Revenues associated with the reimbursement of such expenses are recorded when the Company is contractually entitled to reimbursement and presented within asset management fees. Revenues are recorded net of taxes assessed by a governmental authority that are both imposed on and concurrent with a specific revenue-producing transaction, and collected from clients. In addition, the Company earns performance-based incentive fees on various investment products, including traditional products and alternative investment funds such as hedge funds and private equity funds. For hedge funds, incentive fees are calculated based on a specific percentage of a fund’s net appreciation, in some cases in excess of established benchmarks or thresholds. The Company records incentive fees on traditional products and hedge funds when a significant reversal in the amount of the cumulative revenue to be recognized is not probable, which is typically at the end of the relevant performance measurement period. The incentive fee measurement period is generally an annual period (unless an account is terminated during the year). The incentive fees received at the end of the measurement period are not subject to reversal or clawback. Incentive fees on hedge funds generally are subject to loss carryforward provisions in which losses incurred by the hedge funds in any year are applied against certain gains realized by the hedge funds in future periods before any incentive fees can be earned. For private equity funds, incentive fees may be earned in the form of a “carried interest” if profits arising from realized investments exceed a specified threshold. Typically, such carried interest is ultimately calculated on a whole-fund or investment by investment basis and, therefore, clawback of carried interest toward the end of the life of the fund can occur. As a result, the Company recognizes incentive fees earned on our private equity funds only when it is probable that a clawback will not occur. Receivables relating to asset management and incentive fees are reported in “fees receivable” on the consolidated statements of financial condition. Equity-Based Incentive Compensation Awards—Equity-based incentive compensation awards that do not require future service are expensed immediately. Equity-based compensation awards that require future service are expensed over the applicable requisite service period, based on the grant date fair value of the award. Compensation expense recognized for equity-based incentive compensation is determined based on the number of awards that in the Company’s estimate are considered probable of vesting (including as a result of any applicable performance conditions). Equity-based incentive compensation is primarily recognized in “compensation and benefits” expense. Income Taxes—Deferred income taxes reflect the net tax effects of temporary differences between the financial reporting and tax basis of assets and liabilities and are measured using the enacted tax rates and laws that will be in effect when such differences are expected to reverse. Such temporary differences are reflected as “deferred tax assets” and “deferred tax liabilities” on the consolidated statements of financial condition. A deferred tax asset is recognized if it is more likely than not (defined as a likelihood of greater than 50%) that a tax benefit will be accepted by the relevant taxing authority. In assessing the realizability of deferred tax assets, management considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized and, when necessary, a valuation allowance is established. The ultimate realization of the deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which temporary differences become deductible. Management considers the following possible sources of taxable income when assessing the realization of deferred tax assets: •future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences; •future taxable income exclusive of reversing temporary differences and carryforwards; •taxable income in prior carryback years; and •tax-planning strategies. The assessment regarding whether a valuation allowance is required or should be adjusted also considers all available information, including the following: •nature, frequency, magnitude and duration of any past losses and current operating results; •duration of statutory carryforward periods; •historical experience with tax attributes expiring unused; and •near-term and medium-term financial outlook. The Company records tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return based upon the Company’s estimates regarding the amount that is more likely than not to be realized or paid, including in connection with the resolution of any related appeals or other legal processes. Accordingly, the Company recognizes liabilities for certain unrecognized tax benefits based on the amounts that are more likely than not to be settled with the relevant taxing authority. The Company recognizes interest and/or penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in “provision for income taxes”. See Note 19 for additional information relating to income taxes.

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