Professional Malpractice (General) Consultants: 106

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

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

Francis T. "Jay" Jarvis has over 35 years of experience as a Forensic Scientist, specializing in Forensic Ballistics and Firearms Analysis. Mr. Jarvis has extensive experience in crime laboratory accreditation, having served as an accreditation assessor and as a member of the Board of Directors of the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB), including one year as the Board Chair. 

Consulting Services - Mr. Jarvis offers Crime Lab Assistance services, providing short term backlog reduction on a contractual basis. Due to his extensive experience with laboratory accreditation, he can also provide interim assessments and independent re-analysis of past casework as part of a corrective action following non-conforming testing or when proficiency test results do not meet the expected result. Testing can be performed at his own facility or on-site utilizing client laboratory protocols. 

Mr. Jarvis has been invited to speak at seminars and training sessions around the country on topics related to forensic science. Mr. Jarvis has an avid interest in the history of forensic science. After conducting exhaustive research into the history and development of forensic science in the state of Georgia, Mr. Jarvis published his first book titled Georgia's Crime Doctor - The Story of Herman Jones and the First 20 Years of the Georgia Crime Laboratory. The book details the life of Dr. Herman Jones and his quest to establish a delivery system for forensic services and improve death investigation in Georgia. 

View Jay Jarvis' 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.

Steven A. Bernstein, DPM, FACFAS, FASPS, is a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine who specializes in Foot and Ankle Surgery. Dr. Bernstein is Chief of Foot and Ankle Services and Podiatric Surgery at Hudson Regional Hospital, Secaucus NJ.  Dr. Bernstein's main office is in Fort Lee, NJ however sees patients in NY as well,  at Citimed, Complete Medical Care Injury Doctors serving Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, and New York, New York. He reviews cases from all over the country. Dr. Bernstein is well versed in all types of Forensic Medical Legal cases. He also served as an Expert Medical Advisor (EMA) in the Division of Workman Compensation for the State of Florida for a period of seven years.

Litigation Support - Dr. Bernstein has over 35 years of experience performing Independent Medical Examinations (IMEs) and 2nd Opinions for cases involving Trauma and Reconstructive Foot and Ankle Surgery. He has provided over 500 plus IMEs and been deposed and/or testified approximately 500 plus times for attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant. Dr. Bernstein offers litigation support services in New Jersey, New York, and Florida and the rest of the country.

Areas of Expertise:

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.

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:

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.