Labor / Management Relations Expert Witnesses: 9

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.

Charles Taylor is a partner at Lang, Richert & Patch specializing in federal civil litigation. He has represented clients in areas such as Civil Rights, Government Contracts and Leases, Insurance Coverage, and Business Litigation in various federal district courts around the United States, in adversary proceedings in the bankruptcy court, and before governmental administrative boards.

Mr. Taylor specializes in all aspects of Employment Law, including sexual harassment, discrimination, and wrongful termination. He has represented local and national clients on various employment issues before the Labor Commission, Department of Fair Employment and Housing, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and Employment Development Department. In addition, he advises employers on preventing employment relations problems and on developing personnel policies and procedures.

Illustrative Case:

Engaged by bakery to defend against civil complaint filed by Department of Justice for alleged violations of Clean Air Act with over $3 million in potential penalties. Successfully negotiated dismissal of the case without penalty

Engaged by local concessionaire on government owned property after improper termination of lease. Actions litigated in both federal district court and before Contract Board of Appeals. Prevailed on entitlement issues after an 8 day hearing

Successful settlement on quantum before trial for in excess of $1.3 million

Successfully defended on summary judgment large grocery store chain by four female employees claiming sexual harassment and gender discrimination

Successfully defended regional employer for alleged wrongful termination in violation of public policy, fraud, tortious bad faith, and intentional infliction of emotional distress

Beth De Lima, MBA, SPHR-CA. consults with Plaintiff and Defense attorneys in regard to human resource management, the American with Disabilities Act (ADA), Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), discrimination and related topics.

Ms. De Lima is nationally certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources with a California specific certification (SPHR - CA) by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and was appointed to sit on the Employee Health, Safety, and Security Special Expertise Panel, 2006-2010. She is a certified mediator, U.C. Berkeley, Extension Program and had been appointed to the Amador, Calaveras, and Tuolumne County Superior Court Mediation Panels. Specifically, Ms. De Lima can assist you in preparing responses and compiling evidence for existing cases. Her litigation support services may be used to:

• Formulate questions for depositions
• Conduct investigations and interviews
• Evaluate the adequacy of personnel policies
• Analyze evidence and presentation materials
• Identify case weaknesses and alternative strategies
• Document employee physical suitability for work
• Determine "reasonable accommodation"

Please visit her website at www.hrmconsulting.com for more details. Ms. De Lima has offices in Murphys and San Jose California and are available at your convenience to discuss cases on a confidential and complimentary basis.

View Consulting Profile.

Ramona Powell, SPHR, founder of exPRt HR Consulting, LLC, has 30 years of C-Suite Human Resources and Expert Witness Experience. She prides herself on linking human capital with business strategy.

Litigation Support - A nationally certified Senior Professional in Human Resources, Ms. Powell has a proven track record as an expert witness. Having served as an expert on over 25 cases, legal professionals for plaintiff and defense retain her for her proven ability to provide clear and concise opinions in cases covering a wide variety of topics. As an experienced business partner, she delivers results across all strategic and operational Human Resource practice areas.

Areas of Expertise:

Discrimination

Gender Discrimination Pay Discrimination - Equal Pay Act Disparate Impact Disparate Treatment

Promotion and Opportunity Discrimination Race Discrimination Testing and Hiring Discrimination Disability Discrimination

Employment

Negligent Hiring and Retention Failure to Supervise Pre-employment Testing Job Descriptions

Job Analysis  Violation of Code of Ethics and Policies Wrongful Termination Constructive Discharge

Harassment Sexual Harassment Hostile Environment / Workplace Harassment Retaliation

ADA / Worker's Compensation ADA Accommodations Interactive Dialogue Essential Functions Analysis

Background Experience - Ms. Powell has proven experience developing peak performing HR organizations that support business strategy, productivity, and profitability. She is a strategic business partner to C-suite, with global experience in technology, healthcare, manufacturing and distribution operations in the U.S., Mexico, Europe, and Australia across diverse industries. Ms. Powell is responsible for the successful design and implementation of strategic HR initiatives, building and developing high performance HR teams, and aligning people strategy with corporate strategy.

View exPRT HR, LLC's Consulting Profile.

Malcolm S. Cohen, PhD, President of Employment Research Corporation, has over 30 years of experience in the field of Economics and Employment specializing in Labor Markets and Statistical Analysis. 

Dr. Cohen founded the firm in 1997, after retiring as the Director of the Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations at the University of Michigan, which he directed for 13 years. With a PhD in Economics from the MIT in 1967, his research interests include labor market information, labor turnover, employment forecasting and labor shortages. He has directed several major studies to identify national shortage occupations and measure labor turnover using administrative records. 

Dr. Cohen's book, Labor Shortages as America Approaches the Twenty-first Century, was published by the University of Michigan Press. His most recent book, Global Skill Shortages, written with Professor Mahmood A. Zaidi, is published by Edward Elgar Publishing. He has had articles published in a large number of journals, including: Journal of Human Resources, Monthly Labor Review, Journal of Political Economy, Review of Economic Statistics, Journal of Economic Theory, and The American Economic Review. 

Litigation Support - Dr. Cohen has either testified or been a consultant in over 1,000 audits or cases and has testified over 150 times. He has also served as an expert to the EEOC and U.S. Department of Labor in discrimination cases, and has directed many research projects sponsored by government agencies. 

Areas of Expertise:

Employment Discrimination Economic Loss Personal Injury Statistical Analysis Wrongful Death Affirmative Action EEOC Compensation FELA FLSA

Labor Economics Mitigation of Damages Wage and Hour Issues Wrongful Termination Earnings Analysis Damage Analysis Reduction in Force RIF OFCCP Class Action

View Dr. Cohen's Consulting Profile.

Allison West, Esq., SHRM-SCP, AWI-CH

In 2000, after practicing law at a San Francisco Labor and Employment boutique, Allison started Employment Practices Specialists to fulfill her personal mission of helping companies build and maintain safe, respectful and productive workplaces.

Allison focuses her practice on conducting workplace investigations, delivering one-on-one sensitivity training for executives, managers and employees concerning sexual harassment, discrimination, and diversity awareness issues, coaching managers and employees with disciplinary and/or behavioral problems, providing expert witness and litigation assistance.

Litigation Support - Allison improves case effectiveness well before trial by suggesting strategies, investigating and uncovering facts, and performing research. She assesses the technical merits and the time/money/risk equation of a case, offering suggestions to counsel on the advisability of moving forward or settling. Allison's thorough knowledge of both Employment Law and Employment Practices can bring to your case the clear and comprehensive overview you need.

Areas of Expertise:

Sexual and Other Unlawful Harassment Retaliation and Discrimination Reasonable Accommodation – Disability and Religion Leave Laws Wrongful Discharge Adequacy of Investigation

Policies and Procedures Compliance Standards Adequacy of Training Employment Practices Performance Management Case Analysis

Allison specializes in developing and delivering interactive training programs in the US and internationally that address employment law and human resources issues.

Allison was brought into CBS News to deliver harassment training immediately after Charlie Rose was terminated and went on to deliver training at 60 Minutes, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and other CBS programs. She trains at organizations of all sizes and industries, nationally and internationally.

Allison is a frequent top-rated speaker at local and national events such as the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) Annual Conference & Exposition where she has been ranked as one of the top ten highest rated speakers.

Dennis E. Coleman, JD, MPH, has over 40 years of experience in Hospital and Healthcare Management. In 1990, he formed his own hospital administration / healthcare management services consulting firm provide healthcare management services to various healthcare provider clients in a variety of areas, including strategic planning, business development, operations management, sales and marketing, policy & procedure development, and human resources management.

Mr. Coleman's academic background includes a Juris Doctor degree from Southwestern University in Los Angeles and a Masters in Public Health degree with a Hospital Administration major and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, both from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Litigation Support - As a hospital administration expert witness consultant, Mr. Coleman is an advocate for applying community standards which are relevant, based upon the time frame, subject matter and administrative practice(s) appropriate to each case. He has consulted and provided case review, expert witness services, and/or strategic litigation preparation services in more than 200 legal matters. He accepts cases on behalf of Plaintiffs or Defendants.

Mr. Coleman is willing to serve as either a work product consultant or a designated expert based upon the particular strategic litigation needs of each case.

Cases Include:

• Medical Staff Credentialing & Clinical Privileging / ELAM
• Negligent Credentialing, Negligent Supervision, Negligent Retention
• Hospital / Physician Relations-MEJIA Ostensible Agency Issues
• Administrative Community Standards
• Medical Staff Bylaws, Rules & Regulations
• Provider-Based Physician Contracting Negotiations & Contract Administration
• Administrative Policies & Procedures
• Hospital Joint Commission Accreditation, Licensing & Regulatory Compliance Issues
• Wrongful Termination / Constructive Discharge / Whistleblower Issues
• Patient rights; Informed Consent
• Patient Safety; Environment of Care
• Governance; Corporate Negligence

View Dennis Coleman's Consulting Profile.

Mr. Sremack is a computer scientist and forensic examiner with over 20 years of experience providing services in data, software, and systems analysis. He specializes in matters requiring data analysis, source code examination, and IT system assessment. He is the leader of CBIZ’s Forensic Data Analytics and Technology practice and has been engaged in over 500 consulting matters that have spanned numerous industries, financial and trade regulatory bodies, state and federal courts, and over fifty countries. He routinely develops new software and technology solutions to develop solutions and to identify and remediate issues for his clients. He is the author of the book “Learning Big Data Forensics” and a regular speaker and author on subjects related to forensic data analysis and software analysis. His publications and research have been cited in hundreds of academic papers on subjects related to digital forensics and forensic data analysis.

Areas of expertise include:
• Forensic data collection (enterprise systems, cloud systems, social media)
• Forensic data analysis and data science (use of algorithms, pattern detection, fraud analysis)
• Source code and software system analysis (theft of trade secrets, use of open source code/licenses)
• Artificial intelligence forensics (theft of IP, AI harm, model development)
• Data privacy assessments (online tracking, data anonymization, unauthorized disclosure of PII/PHI)
• Enterprise system investigations and failure analysis (authenticating timestamps, system controls validation, explaining system operations)

His analysis of data and software is applicable to issues found in:
• Class action certification
• Software intellectual property disputes
• Labor and employment litigation
• Consumer privacy litigation relating to online tracking and PII/PHI issues
• Artificial intelligence design and use
• Commercial litigation involving large sets of data for fact development
• Electronic discovery where large, complex data systems are potentially responsive
• Neutral expert roles where questions are present relating to system operations and/or data accessibility .

Areas of Expertise:

Data Analysis and Data Science Software Analysis Enterprise IT Systems Forensic Collection Source Code Analysis Trade Secrets

Digital Forensics Artificial Intelligence Software Engineering Geospatial and GPS Data Database Technology Systems Controls

Dr. Brian H. Kleiner was a former human resource manager for Ford Motor Company. He has had over 100 private and public consulting clients and has trained thousands of employees. 

Dr. Kleiner taught three 36-hour courses on KLCS-TV, has over 500 publications, and has given trial / arbitration testimony in over 70 cases, including one resulting in a $12.5 million plaintiffs verdict in 2014 concerning disability discrimination and wrongful termination. He has been profiled in Bender's California Labor and Employment Bulletin in 2007 as a result of his overall forensic expert successes and other achievements. 

Degrees Include:

• B.S. in Business Administration, Drexel
• MBA, UCLA
• Ph.D. Management, UCLA