Business (General) Expert Witnesses: 43

Gary R. Coburn is an award-winning Restaurant Executive with 40 years of experience creating, opening, running, and advising hundreds of full service restaurants, limited service, quick-service, bars and nightclubs. Additional expertise in restaurant franchising and commercial kitchen design/build from remodels to ground up including conceptual development, viability and business interruption.

With over four decades in the industry, Mr. Coburn has held positions as VP of National Accounts and Design Build for the largest commercial kitchen and distribution company in the country to, Director of Operations, President, COO, Executive Director of Food Services and owner operator. His management experience has included supervising more than 2,000 employees, including 170 managers, along with overseeing consulting assignments for numerous companies.

Clients Include: Joe's Crab Shack, Cask ‘n Cleaver, Lord Charlie’s, El Gato Gordo, Pizza Pronto, Safari Bar Restaurant, Shark Club, Bull Dog Grill, Stronghouse, Pangea, The Ballroom, Juarez Grill, Dickerson’s Club 29, Yucatan Liquor Stand, Zepp’s Atomic Tex Mex, Cabo Grill, Angel Stadium, In Cahoots, The Ball Room, Slick Willie’s, Rodeo, Jake’s, Bobs on the Bay, Crabby Bob’s Seafood, PizzaRev, Honolulu Harry’s, Lahaina Mai Tai Lounge, Canyon Grill, Campagnia, Huey’s Grill & Brewery, Gladstone’s Long Beach, Pro’s Ranch Markets, Lily's Doughnuts & Pops

Litigation Support - Mr. Coburn has served as an expert witness in numerous restaurant-related cases. His services are available to attorneys for plaintiff and defense and include site inspection, thorough reporting, depositions, and trial testimony as needed.

Areas of Expertise:

Slip,Trip & Fall Burns Choking Food Safety Dram Shop Alcohol Employee Safety Commercial Kitchen Customer Injuries Operations Management

Franchise Ownership Permitting Training Investing Accounting Premises Liability / Negligent Security OSHA ADA Procedures Equipment Design

Recent cases retained by Plaintiff:

• Guest incident regarding standard of care including safety, protocols / procedures, adequate warnings, and related issues
• Safety and security practices for proprietors regarding foreseeability of harm, likelihood of injury, notice and reasonable intervention 
• Loss of income, conceptual and goodwill impact based on providing adequate parking

Recent cases retained by Defendant:

•     Loss of income and the feasibility of the concept and the viability of opening the restaurant
•     Slip and fall and the ensuring safety of its patrons and duty to use reasonable care in keeping premises reasonably safe
•     Maintenance, industry standards of furniture handling and procurement, foreseeability of harm, and   likelihood of injury from lack of procedures

View RCI's Consulting Profile.

As a highly professional & credible Expert, Consultant, & Speaker, Jean Seawright has provided trusted advice & HR Consultation to thousands of organizations nationwide. As president of Seawright & Associates, a Human Resource Management-Consulting Firm, Ms. Seawright is widely respected for her knowledge of state & federal employment regulations including, but not limited to FLSA, ADA, FMLA, Title VII, & others.

Since 1987, she has focused on engagements involving hiring, coaching, & terminating employees; regulatory compliance; charges of discrimination; performance management systems; internal investigations (including harassment); employee handbook development; compensation plan design; HR audits; hiring systems; job descriptions; & others. Ms. Seawright is a frequent speaker at state & national trade associations & is the author of numerous articles & publications in the field of human resources, including the popular book, The Employment Genie®, an exclusive hiring, coaching, & termination system for businesses. 

Areas of Expertise:

• Negligent Hiring and Retention
• Discrimination and EEO Compliance
• HR Policies and Programs
• FLSA and Wage and Hour Compliance
• Harassment
• Expert Witness Services for Employment Law Matters
• ADA
• FMLA
• Hiring Procedures
• Title VII
• Employee Handbooks

Ms. Seawright is available for case analysis, case theory evaluation, expert witness reports, depositions, analysis of other expert testimony, and trial testimony.

Dr. Stan V. Smith is a nationally renowned Economist and Financial Consultant providing analysis in simple terms that any trier-of-fact can understand. As an expert consultant to plaintiff and defense attorneys representing clients in Federal State courts, he provides testimony and litigation support services in evaluating damages. 

Dr. Smith provides Analysis, Testimony, and Litigation Support Services in Evaluating Damages for plaintiff and defense attorneys representing clients in federal and state courts nationwide. His concept of Hedonic Damages is acknowledged by judges, attorneys, and legal journalists as one of the most innovative tort concepts in the last 30 years. He has been interviewed and published in dozens of respected professional journals. Dr. Smith has assisted in the successful resolution of thousands of lawsuits on behalf of clients that include many dozens of the nation's largest law firms, the U.S. Department of Justice, as well as thousands of other prominent plaintiff and defense law firms in almost every state. 

Areas of Expertise:

Antitrust Damages Patent Valuation Lost Wages Mergers & Acquisitions Business Valuations & Losses Hedonic Damages Pension Fund Evaluation and Withdrawal Liability Society and Relationship Damage Analysis Identity Theft and FCRA Credit Damages

Security Losses Commercial Damages Employment Discrimination Life Care Plan and other Medical Cost Evaluations Structured Settlement Analysis Personal Consumption and Fringe Benefits Product Liability Injury Losses Lost Earnings Capacity

Thomas W. Caldwell, PE, has over 40 years of experience in Materials Research and Development, Process and Product Development, and Manufacturing Operations in the Precision Cast and Machined Products industry.

Mr. Caldwell has designed and manufactured components for consumer and industrial products, including safety-critical applications such as aircraft landing gear brakes, seat belt lockup devices, windshield wiper, and window lift motor systems. He has experience creating and guiding technology development and manufacturing partnerships in Europe and Asia, licensing and selling intellectual property and creating supply chains in China.

Mr. Caldwell has lectured in the USA, Germany, Switzerland, and India on manufacturing premium quality metal products and manufacturing processes, and was a technical paper peer reviewer for 20 years for the Society of Automotive Engineers. A United States patent holder, he has published peer reviewed research in electrochemistry and materials processing, and has written and spoken numerous times on the subject of Materials Selection.

Litigation Support - Thomas W. Caldwell, PE, is a testifying and consulting expert for both plaintiff and defense counsel. His cases involve product failure for ferrous and non-ferrous alloy products such as hand tools, recreational and exercise equipment, fire fighting apparatus, rotating industrial machinery, construction hardware, piping, and lighting fixtures. Mr. Caldwell utilizes destructive and non-destructive methods for insuring product integrity.

Areas of Expertise:

Design Engineering Materials Failure Analysis Materials Engineering Mechanical Engineering Metallurgy Power Tools Products Liability Design Defects

Manufacturing Defects Fitness for Use Equipment Operation and Maintenance Accident Reconstruction Material Selection Manufacturing Process Design and Scale Up Safety Component Product Quality Control Safety Component Quality Systems Management

View Thomas A. Caldwell's Consulting Profile.

J. Armand Musey, CFA, JD/MBA, founder and president of Summit Ridge Group, LLC, provides expert witness testimony for the Telecom, Media, and Satellite Industries. Mr. Musey is a highly regarded financial analyst with expertise in Asset Valuation, Business Valuation, Financial Analysis of Economic Damages, and Financial Scenario Analysis.

Mr. Musey also has significant experience in corporate governance and investment research practices. He offers litigation support for clients with complex financial analysis or valuation projects. His background also includes Wall Street research methods and practices on behalf of defendants in insider trading cases.

Mr. Musey's industry knowledge, financial expertise, and extensive writing experience allow him to expediently craft well-argued independent written direct testimony documents that withstand scrutiny in depositions and during courtroom cross-examination. Prior expert witness experience and years of communicating with investors of all types have honed his skills at orally communicating his industry knowledge and financial expertise. Moreover, Mr. Musey's legal background facilitates his ability to communicate with legal professionals, understand the legal relevance of case facts, and efficiently read legal documents.

Areas of Expertise Include:

• Industry and Business
  • Broadband Communications
  • Broadcasting
  • FCC Spectrum Licenses (including orbital slot valuation and wireless spectrum valuation)
  • Satellite Communications Industry and Related Media and Telecommunications Topics
  • Wireless Communications
  • Wireless Spectrum
• Financial and Economic
  • Asset Valuation
  • Business Valuation
  • Financial Analysis of Economic Damages
  • Financial Scenario Analysis
• Other
  • Corporate Governance
  • Investment Research Practices - including accepted used of information sources and relationships with company management

View Consulting Profile.

David J. Brotman, FAIA, is an accomplished Senior Executive with proven career and solid experience in all aspects of Architectural and Engineering Firm Management, including project management, profit and loss, business development, mergers and acquisitions, sales and marketing, and strategic planning. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, with over fifty years of practical experience. 

Principal at Sunset Consultants, Mr. Brotman provides strategic planning and management consulting services for various entities, including those that need help with planning or architectural projects. He has served as Chairman of the City of Malibu Planning Commission where he advised on land use matters including the local coastal program, specific plans, zoning, conditional use permits, and subdivisions. Mr. Brotman spent 25 years with RTKL Associates Inc., one of the World’s largest Architect and Engineering Firms where he eventually served as its Vice-Chairman.

Presentation by: David J. Brotman, FAIA

Litigation Support - David Brotman provides expert witness services to attorneys representing Plaintiff and Defense. His skills include all facets of Architectural practice. His worldwide, multi-million dollar project experience includes retail, office, hotel, institutional, and mixed-use. Mr. Brotman's services include affirmative and rebuttal report preparation, mediation, and trial testimony. 

Areas of Expertise:

Professional Standard of Care Construction Documents Analysis Architectural Design and Coordination Building Code Analysis Scope of Work Definition Errors and Omissions Analysis

Construction Defects & Negligence Change Order Analysis Communication Analysis Construction Administration Slip, Trip & Fall Architectural Detailing

View David Brotman's Consulting Profile.

Swenson Consulting offers Snow Removal Expert Witness Services to legal professionals needing assistance with snow and ice removal slip and fall cases. They are experts in black ice, sleet, freezing rain, slick conditions, freezing fog, and re-freezing. Swenson Consulting is very familiar with the snow and ice removal industry standard operations and practices across the country, and will help determine how this relates to the snow removal agreement or operations in a slip and fall incident or snow related accident.

Principal, Jeremy Swenson, CSP, has satisfied requirements by SIMA (largest nationally recognized snow and ice trade organization-Snow and Ice Management Association) to become a Certified Snow Professional. There are less than 300 CSP’s in the USA. Mr. Swenson owned and operated Snowmen, one of the largest snow and ice management companies in North America. He has been Security Clearanced and trained for onsite snow operations at the IRS Regional Headquarters, FBI Headquarters, Department Of Treasury Buildings, and many types of Airport, Railroad, Organ Transplant Centers, and Medical facilities. After overseeing thousands of commercial accounts over the years, he has worked through most every issue that is relevant to a snow removal operation in the industry.

Litigation Support - Mr. Swenson works with attorneys on defense and plaintiff sides with regards to snow removal, ice treatment, and snow removal best practices issues. He works nationwide and will travel. Swenson Consulting also offers detailed Weather Analysis services and reports for situations surrounding a slip and fall event or accident and will offer detailed weather expert witness consultation regarding the weather surrounding the slip and fall accident.

View Jeremy Swenson's Consultant Profile.

GRANT D. STIEFEL, ESQ. | www.grantstiefel.com | grant@litigationlimited.com

• Grant D. Stiefel, Esq. is a nationally-recognized, full time attorney fee consultant, testifying expert and the principal of Litigation Limited, a boutique legal fee consulting firm
• Mr. Stiefel has testified in nearly 100 lawsuits, including matters in federal district courts, California trial courts, JAMS/AAA arbitrations, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, State Bar courts, and attorney-client fee arbitrations
• He has qualified to testify and has testified live at trials and arbitrations as a designated attorney fee expert
• Mr. Stiefel’s methodology for reviewing, auditing and evaluating legal invoices has been cited, approved and adopted by California state and federal courts
• He has been retained as a testifying attorney fee expert by the world’s largest law firms, including Reed Smith; McDermott Will and Emery; Jones Day; Sheppard Mullin; Sidely Austin; Dykema Gossett; Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe; and Littler Mendelson, among many others
• Mr. Stiefel is a member of the California State Bar and is unique among fee experts in that he practiced law for many years at two of the world’s largest law firms (Akin Gump and K&L Gates)
• Mr. Stiefel has managed a multi-billion dollar litigation portfolio and has audited hundreds of millions of dollars in legal fees from law firms nationwide since 2008 
• He has developed and implemented outside counsel billing and case management guidelines for Fortune 500 corporations
• He is a California State Bar-approved continuing legal education instructor on attorneys’ fees who has trained hundreds of executives and in-house counsel from a host of Fortune 500 corporations
• Mr. Stiefel is qualified as an attorney-client fee dispute arbitrator with the California State Bar’s Mandatory Fee Arbitration program and as a judge pro tem with the California Superior Court for the County of Los Angeles

SAMPLE ENGAGEMENTS

• Grant Stiefel was the testifying fee expert on a series of fee applications by class counsel in Jones v. Wells Fargo, on behalf of aggrieved California consumers in the first consumer class action brought under the Unruh Act.  Relying upon Mr. Stiefel's testimony regarding the reasonableness of hourly rates and overall work performed, the trial court awarded more than $25 million in attorneys' fees to class counsel
• The district court for the Central District of California adopted and approved Mr. Stiefel's methodology for identifying and quantifying block-billed, vague and redacted billing entries in cutting Plaintiff's fee request by more than sixty percent in CNS v. Planet, from $4.8 million to $1.9 million
• In Vides v. ABM Janitorial Services, the trial court reduced Plaintiff's fee request in a FEHA action by over $1 million based upon Grant Stiefel's expert testimony.  Plaintiff moved for an award of $1,578,232.50 in attorneys' fees, which the trial court reduced to $544,183.12.  Mr. Stiefel's testimony showed that the hourly rates claimed by Plaintiff's counsel were unreasonable under the circumstances, that excessive time was spent on inter-office communications, and that the matter was overstaffed

LITIGATION LIMITED 3377 W. Clyde Place Denver, Co 80211 (424) 223-8252 www.grantstiefel.com grant@litigationlimited.com

"Grant Stiefel draws on his experience as a big firm trial lawyer to help companies save on outside legal fees." -- NALFA (National Association of Legal Fee Analysis) “Mr. Stiefel’s qualifications as a testifying fee expert cannot seriously be in dispute.” Hon. Michael Paul Lindfield, Los Angeles County Superior Court (Trial Proceedings, February 14, 2014).

View Grant Stiefel's Consulting Profile.

Leo Wrobel is an Inventor with over 35 years of experience in Telecommunications, Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity, and 911 Emergency Services. His talent for exploiting changes in Technology, Law, Risk Management, and Regulation has brought him broad national and international acclaim.

Litigation Support - Leo's expert witness practice includes over 100 Clients, including well-known companies and various law firms - not counting the hundreds of clients in their 35-year-old disaster recovery practice. However complex the issue, Leo translates techno-speak into plain English, allowing for a compelling presentation of your claim.

Areas of Expertise:

Enterprise User Claims and Disputes Buried Facility Damage Claims Telecom Company Dispute Resolution Asset Protection and Disaster Recovery

Patents and Intellectual Property Disputes Major Billing Disputes Professional Negligence Complex Technology Claims

Background Experience - In 1986 Mr. Wrobel built the first Computer Disaster Recovery Center inside a telephone office. In 1987, he was the first in Dallas to run telephone traffic over the cable television system. He brokered a Master Services Agreement in 1995 between the largest employer in North Texas (Texas Instruments) and the two largest incumbent telephone companies (Southwestern Bell and GTE). His effort included lobbying Texas Public Utility Commissioners and various congressmen to create what was at that time the largest capacity network to an end user in Texas. Later that same year, he leveraged a 1995 Texas law to secure “unbundled” telecommunications pricing for his $70 Billion diversified financial services client. This was the first time in the USA an end user received unbundled pricing, a full year before the Federal Telecommunications Act of 1996 was passed!

In 1997 Leo founded a Competitive Local Exchange Carrier that became the first to be certified in all 50 U.S. states. Leo signed up several marquis customers for the CLEC in the Airline, Finance, Services, Education, and Government Markets before returning to private practice and the Leo A. Wrobel Companies in 2004. 

Leo has been a guest speaker in most of the 50 states, Canada, Tel Aviv, Santiago Chile, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. He has appeared on television news programs. Today, the Leo A. Wrobel Companies include TelLAWCom Labs Inc., FailSafe Communications, Inc., and the Network and Systems Professionals Association.

View Failsafe Communication's Business Consulting Profile.

Eric Kimberling, MBA, is one of the most recognized and respected independent Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems expert in the world, giving 100% unbiased advice to clients for more than 20 years. Mr. Kimberling has been quoted in hundreds of articles, including the Wall Street Journal, CIO Magazine and Fortune. He provides keynote speeches at industry conferences and universities worldwide, and continually provides industry thought leadership through his YouTube channel, along with blogs, podcasts, webinars. He is the author of multiple acclaimed books, including, “Lessons from 1,000 ERP Implementations,” “Guide to Successful Digital Transformations,” and others.

Throughout his career, Mr. Kimberling has been called upon to investigate the feasibility of litigation, provide witness testimony and build background reporting for the industry’s highest-profile ERP lawsuits, Waste Management v. SAP, Lyons Magnus, Inc. v. Fujitsu America, Inc.; Partner Services, Inc v. Avanade; Kathy Pishghadamian v. Nicor Gas; Flotek Industries, Inc. v. CD Group, Inc.; Midwest Tape LLC v. ESR Associates, Inc.; and Whaley Food Service Repairs v. Epicor to name a few. Eric is actively involved in implementations and project recoveries, giving him a unique and up-to-date experience with modern enterprise technologies.

Areas of Expertise:

Organizational Change Management Implementation Methodologies Sales Cycle Fraud and Misrepresentation Contract Compliance Consultant Errors

Budget Overages Project Governance Software Customization Project Team Staffing Software Schedule Delays

Eric holds an MBA with an emphasis in operational strategy and a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver. He is also Six Sigma certified and a certified practitioner of multiple ERP solutions, including SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, Epicor and Infor, among others. He has won numerous industry awards for his experience and contributions, including Supply Chain Pro to Know and Best Independent ERP Blog from ERP Focus.

 View Eric Kimberling's Consulting Profile.

Brent Coker, PhD, is an Online Consumer Psychologist. With a PhD in Electronic Commerce (“Predicting Internet Purchase Intention”), Dr. Coker's research focusses on consumer behavior within the realm of psychology, digital business models, and marketing. He currently teaches Digital Marketing and Digital Business Models at the University of Melbourne.

Dr Coker prepares scientific reports pertaining to consumer behavior, branding, and Digital Marketing and technology related topics, based on scientific findings published in academic peer reviewed journals, and other third party relevant research. Any opinions expressed by Dr Coker are supported by peer reviewed academic research, established academic theory, industry standards, and other relevant logical evidence. 

Dr. Coker’s award winning research into digital marketing and consumer behavior has been published in top peer reviewed academic journals, beginning in 2004 when his research into the integration of the internet into business models won Best Paper Award at the 15th Australasian Conference on Information Systems (ACIS). In the late 1990s, Dr. Coker had a dot-com (fernland.com), and he is currently director of Deloosh Pty Ltd.., inventor of the web analytics tool Webreep., and author of the book Going Viral, and advisor to Wear Cape, Influencer Marketing Agency

 Dr. Coker is available for expert witness work, consultation, and advisement in Australia and internationally.

Areas of Expertise:

Brand Management Consumer Behavior Consumer Psychology Digital marketing Influencer Marketing

Internet Retail Internet marketing strategy Measuring the online consumer experience Social Media Viral Marketing

View Dr. Brent Coker's Consulting Profile.

Dr. Jules Kamin received his Ph.D. in business economics, finance and management science from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, rated #1. He is an expert on Economic Damages impacting businesses and individuals.

Dr. Kamin brings to the practice of forensic economics a unique combination of educational background, practical business and teaching experience, and a proven record of expert retention and testimony in over 800 cases. He has testified, at trial, in more than 100 cases (federal and state court).

Services Include:

Lost Profits Lost Business Goodwill Diminution of Business Value Business Valuation Securities Course of Conduct Business Torts Fraud Interference with Prospective Economic Advantage Medical Malpractice

Breach of Contract Unfair Competition Condemnation Infringement of Intellectual Property Antitrust Lost Earnings and Benefits Personal Injury Wrongful Termination Wrongful Death

Curtis R. Kimball, CFA, ASA, is an experienced Financial Valuation Analyst and the national director for WMA’s Wealth Management Valuation Practice. Mr. Kimball works with the firm’s regional, national, and international clients out of WMA’s Atlanta regional office, which he opened in 1995. He has been valuing private company interests and restricted interests in public companies, intellectual properties, and other intangible assets, rights, claims, and investments for a variety of purposes for over 40 years.

Litigation Support - Mr. Kimball has presented Business Appraisal and Valuation expert witness testimony in federal (U.S. Tax Court, U.S. District Court, U.S. Court of Federal Claims, and U.S. Bankruptcy Court) and various state courts and in alternate dispute resolution venues, including mediation and binding arbitration, and has extensive experience with appearances in IRS appellate conferences. He has appeared over 70 times as an expert witness on valuation issues.

Areas of Expertise:

Estate and Gift Tax Analysis of Investments Asset Protection Buy-Sell Agreement Trust Fiduciary Liability Family Dispute Pre-Nuptial / Marital Expatriation Equity and Reasonable Compensation Shareholder Oppression Sales of Family-Owned Businesses Intellectual Property - Patents, Copyrights, Royalties Rights and Contract Disputes

Non-compete Clauses Charitable Valuation Issues Income Tax Transaction Feasibility and Appraisals Merger and Acquisition Valuations Fairness Opinions Solvency Analysis ESOP Feasibility / Annual Update Valuations Insurance Appraisals Review and Rebut Expert Work Damages and Lost Profits Analyses Bankruptcy and Restructuring Analysis and Valuation Business Entity Appraisal Full List of Forensic Analysis and Expert Testimony Services

Degrees / Certifications:

• CFA - Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA Institute)
• ASA - Business Valuation (American Society of Appraisers)
• ASA - Appraisal Review & Management (American Society of Appraisers)

View Willamette Wealth Management's Business Consulting Profile.