Standard of Care Consultants: 86

Paul M. Adler, DO, FACEP, MBA, Medical Director for the Ventura County, California, Department of Corrections, has worked in Correctional / Jail / Prison Medicine & COVID-19 Preparation & Response. He has overseen the care of inmates in Jails in California and New York, as well as Prison inmates who have been transferred to county facilities to serve their terms for years in county jails in California. He has also overseen Correctional health car in locked units in Hospitals . 

Dr. Adler is the President-Elect of The American Correctional Health Services Association of California / Nevada, which represents all clinicians and administrators in Jails/Prisons in California and Nevada. He previously oversaw a County Hospital, County Nursing Home and ran a County Health Department and oversaw Correctional healthcare for the Westchester, New York Jail.

Litigation Support - Dr. Adler has defended Jails and Prisons in Southern California, Idaho, Texas, North Carolina, New York, Pennsylvania, etc. He is currently the expert consultant to the California Prison System for Covid litigation and the medical consultant to the judicial consent decree overseeing care in the Philadelphia Department of Prisons. He also served as the expert consultant to the ACLU for Covid in the Illinois Department of Corrections

Dr. Adler still works as a full-time practicing physician and has helped attorneys and insurance companies in Emergency Medicine, Nursing Home Medicine, Public Health and Hospital Administration since 1985. He has been involved in Plaintiff litigation in many states including against Rikers Island, NY and Cook County Jail and is available to review and consult on clinical Correctional/Jail/Prison cases for attorneys for both Plaintiff and Defense.

Services:

• COVID-19 Preparation & Response
• Medical Oversight of Federal Consent Decrees
• Screen Cases for Merit
• Review, Analyze and interpret Medical Records
• Provide Basic or Comprehensive Written Reports
• Interpret Standards of Care, Deviation and Adherences as they Relate to Correctional Health Care
• Develop Chronological Time Lines
• Policy and Procedure Development

Advanced Insurance Management LLC lower Workers Compensation Insurance costs for employers by finding and correcting underwriting and auditing errors in Workers Compensation premium calculations and audits. They consult with employers about Workers Compensation insurance premium audits, classifications, and experience modifiers, double-checking technical issues that directly affect the premium charges made by insurers.

Advanced Insurance Management LLC Consulting Services

Principal, Edward J. Priz, CPCU, APA, has worked full-time in the Insurance Industry since 1976. In 1982, he also began consulting on Workers Compensation insurance issues, and in 1987 established his own consulting firm to specialize in this field, as Advanced Insurance Management. 

Mr. Priz holds the professional designation Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) from the American Institute of Property and Liability Underwriters, as well as the designation Associate in Premium Auditing, from the Insurance Institute of America. As a consultant, 

Mr. Priz has worked with clients both large and small throughout the United States regarding proper Workers Compensation audits, premiums, classifications, experience modification factors, and related technical matters. His consulting clients have included Caterpillar, Bridgestone Tire, Walsh Construction, and the San Francisco 49'ers professional football team, as well as numerous companies in manufacturing, construction, health services, non-profits, and the staffing industry. 

Consulting Expertise:

View Edward Priz's Expert Witness Profile.

Dennis Fivecoat has over 25 years of Use of Force and Firearm experience in the military and private sector including significant training in the area of Civilian Law Enforcement.

Mr. Fivecoat is a retired US Army physician assistant with a wide variety of functional background and experience. He has seen service in eight different countries encompassing desert, jungle, snow, and maritime missions. His past responsibilities range from combat in SW Asia to hospital duties as an ICU nurse in South Carolina. He has responded during national hurricane relief efforts and somewhat smaller Defense Support to Civil Authority (DSCA) missions.

Training Courses:

As a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division, Mr. Fivecoat participated in Operation Desert Shield / Desert Storm. Later, he also participated in the relief and stabilization efforts after Hurricane Andrew in August 1992. In March of 1994, Dennis participated in response to the Pope AFB plane crash incident. In 2003, Mr. Fivecoat became a “plank owner” in the newly created US Northern Command (NORTHCOM) where he represented FEMA regions VI & VII (encompassing 9 US states).

Mr. Fivecoat has participated in training with all branches of US military service, various special operations forces, the US Coast Guard, and numerous alphabet agencies. He is a frequently invited guest speaker and instructor for WMD/CBRNE, hazardous materials, and tactical/austere medicine. He is also a very active firearm and defensive tactics instructor with numerous nationally recognized instructor certifications.

Prior to retiring from the military, Mr. Fivecoat has been called to duty for such incidents as Hurricane Katrina, the Las Vegas ricin incident, the H1N1 pandemic, and the US Ebola exposure incident. He retired from the US Army in 2010 and began private consulting on terrorism, DSCA, and force protection issues.

View Dennis Fivecoat's Expert Witness Profile.

Barrington Capital Management, Inc. provides customized financial solutions for unique financial challenges and objectives. Their expertise is in the development, implementation and ongoing management of a customized and diversified investment strategy. Barrington's mission is to assist in building, enhancing, and protecting personal wealth and maintaining financial security. 

President and Chief Executive Officer, Bob Lawson, has over 35 years of financial services experience as an Investment Advisory and Insurance Agency Executive, Securities Principal, and Options Principal. Bob proudly serves as an industry arbitrator for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and the National Futures Association (NFA), a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), ERISA (3)-21 Fiduciary, Master Registered Financial Consultant, and an Accredited Investment Fiduciary. In addition to teaching advanced investment strategies and Retirement Planning classes throughout the year. 

Bob Lawson has special expertise in stock options and has presented the following Options Industry Council (OIC) seminars to retail and industry professionals throughout the United States:

View Bob Lawson's Expert Witness Profile.

Gerald W. Smetana, MD, Board Certified in Internal Medicine, is a General Internist with over 34 years of experience in an academic primary care practice at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. He is also a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School where he teaches internal medicine to medical house staff and also extensively to practicing clinicians in continuing medical education settings. 

Practicing in an outpatient setting, Dr. Smetana cares for a panel of patients that is weighted towards those with multiple chronic illnesses and high disease complexity. In addition to all aspects of office based general internal medicine, his areas of interest include Preoperative Medical Evaluation, Hypertension, and Headache. 

Dr. Smetana has been repeatedly selected as a Best Doctor in a national survey and has received a national award for scholarship in medical education. He publishes in the peer reviewed medical literature and medical texts, has edited textbooks, and has helped to develop national guidelines on topics in internal medicine. He has been invited to deliver seminars and presentations on various topics within his area of expertise nationally and internationally. 

Litigation Support - Dr. Smetana reviews cases for both plaintiffs and defendants, and has testified at deposition and trial as an expert more than 45 times. He has reviewed several hundred medical malpractice cases over the past 10 years both for plaintiffs and doctors. Dr. Smetana also consults for risk management insurers. His primary care, record review, and medicolegal consultation services are available throughout the United States.

Hi, I’m Jess Birken.

I am the owner of Birken Law Office. I'm a lawyer and I help nonprofits solve problems so they can quit worrying and get back to what matters most – their mission. I’m not like most attorneys, I actually have an outgoing personality, and – like you – I like to think outside the box. Most of my clients are passionate and have an entrepreneurial spirit. I’m like that too. My goal is to help you crush it. Getting bogged down in the minutia sucks the joy out of the important work. My clients want to do The Work – not the paperwork.

My Credentials

• BA, Sociology, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (2001)
• JD, Mitchell Hamline School of Law, Magna Cum Laude (2007)
• MA, Nonprofit Management, Hamline University (2010)
• Certified Transformative Mediator
• Want more? Check out my LinkedIn profile.

My Biography

I am the former CEO & Managing Partner at Urban Birken PLLC, a boutique firm that focused on serving the nonprofit community. I have worked with nonprofit organizations for most of my career.

Before becoming a private practice attorney, I spent four years inside a national nonprofit organization, Pheasants Forever. In that role I managed about $50M in state and federal government grants and worked on hundreds of conservation real estate deals. I also gained a deep knowledge of just what it's like to work inside a nonprofit - not just tell people what to do. My strength in that role was working with staff, volunteers and government stakeholders to keep complex projects moving and maintain a zero defect environment for audit time.

Birken Law Video Introduction

Since that time, I have run my own firms. I’m now the owner of Birken Law Office a firm designed to help nonprofits. Ideal Client Engagements are nonprofits looking for a strategic partner who will give pragmatic advice and keep business operations on track so the mission work stays a priority. I love working with organizations that understand that 'nonprofit' is a tax status - not a business model.
My work experience entails largely business and compliance needs of nonprofit issues around:

My Contact Information

You can contact me via e-mail or follow me on Twitter or Facebook.

Click here to schedule a free call now.

Marguerita M. Cheng, CFP®, CRPC®, RICP®, Chief Executive Officer at Blue Ocean Global Wealth, is a Certified Financial Planning Expert with 18 years of experience. Prior to co-founding Blue Ocean Global Wealth, she was a Financial Advisor at Ameriprise Financial and an Analyst and Editor at Towa Securities in Tokyo, Japan. Ms. Cheng is a past spokesperson for the AARP Financial Freedom Campaign and a regular columnist for Investopedia & Kiplinger. She is a CFP® professional, a Chartered Retirement Planning CounselorSM, a Retirement Income Certified Professional® and a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst. As a Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards (CFP Board) Ambassador, Ms. Cheng helps educate the public, policymakers, and media about the benefits of competent, ethical financial planning. She served on the Financial Planning Association (FPA) National Board of Directors from 2013 – 2015 and is a past president of the Financial Planning Association of the National Capital Area (FPA NCA). 

Marguerita Cheng CNBC Interview on Social Security

Awards and Honors - Ms. Cheng is a recipient of the Ameriprise Financial Presidential Award for Quality of Advice and the prestigious Japanese Monbukagakusho Scholarship. In 2017, she was named the #3 Most Influential Financial Advisor in the Investopedia Top 100, a Woman to Watch by InvestmentNews, and a Top 100 Minority Business Enterprise (MBE®) by the Capital Region Minority Supplier Development Council (CRMSDC).

Litigation Support - Ms. Cheng serves as a Women’s Initiative (WIN) Advocate and subject matter expert for CFP Board, contributing to the development of examination questions for the CFP® Certification Examination. She also volunteers for CFP Board Disciplinary and Ethics Commission (DEC) hearings. Services to attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant include financial due diligence, thorough reporting, depositions, and trial testimony as needed.

Areas of Litigation Expertise:

Bryan L. Parker, CPA, LLC provides help to small to medium sized business with their Accounting, Payroll, and Tax needs. They have built a firm that provides quality accounting services coupled with a high level of client support. Their expertise ranges from basic tax management and accounting services to more in-depth services such as financial statements. The largest accounting firm in the city of Pelham, Alabama, their dedicated staff combine their years of experience to assure that every client receives the close analysis and attention they deserve. Accounting Services:

Bryan L. Parker CPA | Accounting, Payroll & Tax Needs for Small/Medium Businesses in Birmingham, AL

Bryan L. Parker, CPA/PFS, CFP, CLU, ChFC, CASL, FCPA, is a Certified Forensic Accountant with over 30 years of experience in his field. Background - Prior to founding Bryan L. Parker, CPA, LLC, Mr. Parker held the position of CFO at McPherson Oil Company ($300 million + annual revenues) where he was responsible for advising and negotiating banking relationships, acquisition review, acquisition integration, financial reporting, and interaction with external auditors. His experience also includes serving as VP of Mergers & Acquisitions for Citation Corporation (Public Co.) and CFO of TIC United Corp., Dallas, TX ($300 million + revenues).

Mr. Parker has performed business valuations for more than 100 businesses in a variety of industries including manufacturing, trucking, printing, fuel oil distribution, motor/lubricating oil distribution, professional services, restaurants, fast food franchises, metal foundry, metal forge, machining, and plastic injection molding. 

View Bryan Parker's Expert Witness Profile.

Duane M. Bryant MD, MS, is a seasoned Ophthalmologist certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology. Dr. Bryant has over 30 years of clinical and surgical experience with Cataracts, Glaucoma, Laser Surgery For Glaucoma, Laser Surgery for Diabetic Retinopathy, Laser Surgery for Central Vein Occlusion and Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion, and Intravitreal Avastin Injections.

Regularly participating in Continuing Medical Education courses, Dr. Bryant's expertise is cutting edge. In 2014 alone, he attended the Retinal Physician Symposium, the Kiawah Eye Meeting, the Diabetic Retinopathy and Vein Occlusion, and Current Concepts in Ophthalmology. 

Litigation Support - Dr. Bryant has been involved in expert witness, peer chart review, and IME work for over 10 years. His services are available to counsel representing both Plaintiff and Defense.

Consultative / Forensic Experience:

Bukata & Associates is a multifaceted corporation designed to conduct Security Consultation and Assessments and Police Consultation. They offer a range of advanced security risk assessments for violence on school campuses, workplace violence, and active killer events. Their security assessments also include target hardening, security personnel, evaluation, and instructional courses for personnel.

Police Security Consultation Services:

Commercial Property Owners, Developer, Educational institution Services:

John S. Bukata is a seasoned, goal-oriented, and performance-driven Police Executive with over 42 years of demonstrated success in a broad range of settings, including law enforcement, city government, strategic planning, child dependency, and safety and security in university campus environment.  

Mr. Bukata has been a State of Florida sworn law enforcement officer since 1981 in a supervision or leadership/management role since 1992; retiring as a Chief of Police. He has conducted and managed complex investigations in a Federal, State and local environments during his tenure as the Deputy Director of the Broward Sheriff's Office Strategic Investigations Division, formally known as the Organized Crime Division.

Mr. Bukata has authored, managed, and evaluated police policies and procedures for over 3 decades. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Organizational Management, is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, and the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Course 

View John S. Bukata's Expert Witness Profile.