Organization and Basis of Presentation

12 Months Ended

Nov. 30, 2011

Organization and Basis of Presentation/Variable Interest Entities [Abstract]

Organization and Basis of Presentation

Note 1. Organization and Basis of Presentation

Organization

The accompanying audited Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of Jefferies Group, Inc. and all our subsidiaries (together, “we” or “us”), including Jefferies & Company, Inc. (“Jefferies”), Jefferies Execution Services, Inc., (“Jefferies Execution”), Jefferies Bache, LLC, Jefferies International Limited, Jefferies Bache, Limited, Jefferies Hong Kong Limited, Jefferies Asset Management, LLC, Jefferies Bache Financial Services, Inc. and all other entities in which we have a controlling financial interest or are the primary beneficiary, including Jefferies High Yield Holdings, LLC (“JHYH”), Jefferies Special Opportunities Partners, LLC (“JSOP”) and Jefferies Employees Special Opportunities Partners, LLC (“JESOP”).

We operate in two business segments, Capital Markets and Asset Management. Capital Markets includes our securities, commodities, futures and foreign exchange trading (including the results of our indirectly partially owned subsidiary, Jefferies High Yield Trading, LLC) and investment banking activities, which provides the research, sales, trading and origination effort for various equity, fixed income and advisory products and services. Asset Management provides investment management services to various private investment funds, separate accounts and mutual funds.

On July 1, 2011, we acquired Prudential Bache’s Global Commodities Group (“Global Commodities Group” or “Jefferies Bache”) from Prudential Financial Inc. (“Prudential”). Total cash payments made as consideration for the acquisition were $422.0 million. The Global Commodities Group provides execution and clearing services (including sales and trading activities) covering a wide variety of commodity, financial and foreign exchange futures, swaps and forward contracts to an institutional client base. See Note 3, Acquisition of the Global Commodities Group.

Change in Year End

On April 19, 2010, our Board of Directors approved a change to our fiscal year end from a calendar year basis to a fiscal year ending November 30. As such, the current period represents the twelve months ended November 30, 2011 and has been reported on the basis of the new fiscal year beginning as of December 1, 2010. Our prior period consisted of the eleven month transition period beginning January 1, 2010 through November 30, 2010. Financial statements for 2009 continue to be presented on the basis of our previous calendar year end.

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) for financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-K. We have made a number of estimates and assumptions relating to the reporting of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities to prepare these financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP. The most important of these estimates and assumptions relate to fair value measurements, compensation and benefits, legal reserves, goodwill and the realizability of deferred tax assets. Although these and other estimates and assumptions are based on the best available information, actual results could be materially different from these estimates.

Consolidation

Our policy is to consolidate all entities in which we own more than 50% of the outstanding voting stock and have control. In addition, we consolidate entities which lack characteristics of an operating entity or business for which we are the primary beneficiary. The primary beneficiary is the party who has the power to direct the activities of a variable interest entity that most significantly impact the entity’s economic performance and who has an obligation to absorb losses of the entity or a right to receive benefits from the entity that could potentially be significant to the entity. In situations where we have significant influence but not control of an entity that does not qualify as a variable interest entity, we apply the equity method of accounting or fair value accounting. We also have formed nonconsolidated investment vehicles with third-party investors that are typically organized as partnerships or limited liability companies. We act as general partner or managing member for these investment vehicles and have generally provided the third-party investors with termination or “kick-out” rights.

Intercompany accounts and transactions are eliminated in consolidation.