Real Estate: Escrow Expert Witnesses: 5

MCS Associates is a nationally recognized consulting group that has provided financial, operations and regulatory/compliance consulting services nationwide to financial institutions, insurance companies and regulatory agencies as well as real estate and financial services organizations for over 40 years. Expert Witness and Litigation Consulting are a primary focus of our services. We undertake expert witness assignments throughout the United States and our clients include several hundred leading law firms around the country, working on behalf of both plaintiff and defendant financial institutions, borrowers, depositors, investors, developers, insurance companies and their insured, securities/insurance/real estate brokers/agents, regulators and government agencies, and individuals. 

Together with MCS Associates’ specialized resources in banking, financial services and real estate, we also draw on key strategic alliances in insurance, economics, academia and the securities industry to meet a wide range of expert witness needs. Our litigation experts include experienced bankers, lenders, consultants, regulators, managers, brokers & agents in insurance, real estate, and securities; insurance claims and underwriting managers; economists, accountants, appraisers, real estate analysts, and academics. 

Areas of Expertise Include:

• Banking Operations/Administration
• Check Fraud
• Lending Policies, Custom and Practice
• Loan Underwriting & Credit Administration
• Loan Securitizations & Servicing
• Bankruptcy, Foreclosures and Workouts
• Trust & Fiduciary Issues / Operations
• Securities Brokerage & Investments
• Valuations & Damages Analysis
• Forensic Accounting
• Employment / Compensation
• Real Estate Brokerage & Management
• Title Insurance & Escrow
• Real Estate Appraisal & Transactions
• Insurance Industry Custom & Practice
• Insurance Coverages / Claims Handling
• Insurance Bad Faith

James H. Cantrell, CPM®CAM is a recognized Real Estate Property Management Expert with over 40 years experience. He has served as an expert witness for over 15 years in over 300 cases throughout the country. He is active in day to day management.   Mr. Cantrell has managed a variety of product types, apartments, high-rise office, condominium  association management, industrial/warehouse properties, retail, and large hotels. He is currently active in day to day asset and property management and has established management programs that have maximized the values of the various investments. He is experienced in Case analysis and Court testimony.

Background - Mr. Cantrell served as the President of Cantrell, Harris & Associates, a San Francisco-based real estate management and consulting firm that was formed 30 years ago. He has formed Cantrell Associates which provides property management, litigation support, and expert witness services.  He is a CA Real Estate Broker.  He was an Associate Professor at Golden Gate University for 9 years teaching a  Real Estate Asset/Property management course in the MBA program. He is a graduate of the University of Miami and holds the Certified Property Manager  (CPM) designation from the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) where he has been on the faculty for 30 years teaching many courses throughout the United States, Russia and Poland.   

He has an extensive career starting with Arlen Realty as a property supervisor, handling properties in the United States Investment Fund Portfolio, and has held the position of Equity Administrator with Clevetrust Realty Investors, responsible for managing numerous properties throughout the Country. He also served as Treasurer of Regency Equities, a Real Estate Investment Trust, traded on NASDQE, and was President of Plaza Equities Management, Inc., with a national portfolio of mixed assets under his direction. He has served as a Court appointed Receiver on all types of assets throughout California.

Litigation Support - Mr. Cantrell has served or consulted as an expert on behalf of both Plaintiffs and Defendants in over 300 cases. He is uniquely qualified with his experience and teaching background and is your best choice as an expert in litigation.

Areas of Expertise:

View James Cantrell's Consulting Profile.

Rick Rivera is a Commercial Real Estate Professional and Shopping Center Property, Asset Management, and Brokerage Expert in Southern California. In the real estate business for 30 plus years. 

Mr. Rivera is currently Principal of CBM1, Inc. transacting hundreds of leasing and sales deals per year with a team of 12 agents. 

Former President of Centers Business Management (CBM), overseeing 11 million square feet of shopping centers, thousands of tenants, several hundred landlord clients and dozens of property managers and leasing agents. Clients included private and institutional investors.

Areas of Expertise:

Litigation Support - Mr. Rivera offers expert witness services in cases involving commercial real estate. His services are available to attorneys for plaintiff and defendant and include thorough reporting, deposition, and trial testimony as needed. He has also served as a court appointed receiver.

Lawsuit Experience:

View CBM1's Consulting Profile.

Jack G. Cohen has been involved in the Private Money Lending and  Real Estate Industry for over 30 years. He is currently the managing member and director of a private money real estate lending, real estate development, and investment property management company. He is also the San Fernando Realty Real Estate Investment director of the California Bureau of Real Estate. 

Mr. Cohen has experience with commercial, residential, and retail real estate, and construction lending.

Litigation Support: Mr. Cohen has been retained as an expert witness in Real Estate related cases over 50 times since 1990. He represents both Plaintiff and Defense and is experienced with complex cases. His services include thorough reporting, depositions, and trial testimony as needed.

Areas of Expertise:

Christopher Hanson, JD, CCIM, has over 44 years of experience in the Real Estate Industry. A retired trial lawyer of over 25 years who's dealt exclusively with real estate cases, Mr. Hanson currently provides subject matter expertise in all areas of real estate litigation.
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Background Experience - As a California real estate trial attorney, Mr. Hanson has participated in over 880 Trials, Arbitrations, and Mediations (only 3 UDs). Cases have included negligence, fraud, non-disclosure, breaches of fiduciary duty, and contract. He's defended and sued brokers and their insurance companies. He has represented bidders, borrowers, and banks in regard to foreclosures; and both sides in loan workouts, and worked with national chains doing state-wide store rollouts, and lease renegotiations.  

Prior to his time as an attorney, Mr. Hanson worked for 12+/- years as a Real Estate Broker, actively selling and leasing property (commercial and residential). He holds a CCIM designation, earned by doing deals.  Before his role as a broker, he spent 7+/- years as a title insurance company Advisory Title Officer, where he researched and wrote Preliminary Reports.

Litigation Support - Mr. Hanson offers a balanced and unbiased opinion. His services are available to attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant and include document review, depositions, and discovery, along with arbitration and mediation. His opinion takes into account all the technicalities and nuances of real estate along with his 4 decades of experience, and is delivered in a way a jury can easily understand. 

Areas of Expertise: