Real Estate: Agent / Broker - Standard of Care Consultants: 7

Steven D. Epcar, CPM an Expert in Real Estate and Property Management Issues with 35+ years of experience;including residential, commercial, retail, hotel, condominium and mixed-use properties. Experienced in litigation support including standard of care, partnership conflicts, brokerage issues,landlord/tenant, valuation, personal injury, habitability, environmental, life safety cases. 

Steven is a member of the Forensic Expert Witness Association (FEWA).  He serves as a real estate consultant for institutional and private investors, providing an array of services: asset/property management related assignments, organizational assessments, financial feasibility, due diligence,and new development services. 

Previously, Mr. Epcar served as President, Residential Services for Carmel Partners a R/E investment/management firm in San Francisco, Principal/Founding Partner of Ventana Property Services, a West Coast third party management and consulting firm and President,Prometheus Management Group,a development/investment/management firm.

Areas of Expertise:

Jeffrey S. Lapin, CPM®, has been directly involved in Commercial Real Estate Management, Leasing and Construction for over 40 years. He is recently retired from his position as Vice President of Property Management for a privately held national real estate development firm. 

Consulting - Mr. Lapin provides commercial real estate operations and maintenance expertise to large and small landlords. His background includes roles with institutional landlords including TIAA CREF, MetLife, The New England Life Insurance Company, and Principal Mutual Life, as well as a diverse group of private property owners. His experience is focused on managing, building and leasing all types of property including commercial and multi-family residential, industrial, office, and retail real estate assets. 

Professional Training - Mr. Lapin is an experienced professional trainer specializing in Property Operations, Lease Administration, Cost Recovery, Customer Service, Maintenance Procedures and related topics. Mr. Lapin has conducted over 50 workshops and seminars on these topics. 

Certifications and Instruction - Mr. Lapin is a Certified Property Manager (CPM®), certified by the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM®) and a California licensed Real Estate Broker. Mr. Lapin is a certified instructor for IREM® and for the Building Owners and Managers Institute International (BOMI®), teaching courses for these prestigious international property associations, including courses required by IREM® and by BOMI® for the respective professional accreditations they offer, centered around construction and maintenance topics. 

Education - Mr. Lapin holds an undergraduate Business Administration degree from the University of Southern California as well as a Master’s Degree in Business from Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management. 

View Jeffrey Lapin's Expert Witness Profile.

James H. Cantrell, CPM® is the President of CANTRELL ASSOCIATES and was President of Cantrell, Harris & Associates, a San Francisco based Real Estate Management and Consulting firm that was formed 30 years ago. Consulting - With decades of Asset and Property Management experience. Mr. Cantrell specializes in the turnaround of properties with Deferred Maintenance and Mismanagement. He has managed a variety of product types. including rent-controlled, apartments, association management, high-rise office, industrial! warehouse properties, retail, and large hotels for both private and institutional investors. His experience has included establishing hands-on management programs that have maximized the values of the various investments. 

Background - James Cantrell began his career 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 approximately $275 million of mixed assets under his direction. He currently teaches a number of courses for the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) and has taught throughout the United States, in Russia and Poland. He was an Associated Professor at Golden Gate University for 9 years teaching a course in Asset/Property management in the MBA program.

Honors and Awards - Mr. Cantrell served as President of the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM), San Francisco and has been honored with receiving the IREM SF Instructor of the year in 2001 and 2007. He also received the IREM 2013 Lloyd Hanford, Jr. Distinguished Faculty Award.

Engagements - Mr. Cantrell was engaged as the Featured speaker for the National Facility Management and Technology Conference in Chicago in 2007 and Baltimore in 2008. He was also appointed to the San Francisco Mayors "Building Energy Efficiency Task Force" in 2009.

View James Cantrell's Expert Witness Profile.

Griswold Real Estate Management has been dedicated to providing superior Property Management, Receivership, and Expert Witness Services for over 30 years. With offices in Las Vegas, San Diego, and Los Angeles, they serve southern Nevada and all five southern California counties. Properties include single family homes, condominiums, apartment communities, homeowners associations, commercial and retail space, and self storage facilities. Griswold Real Estate Management has been awarded the Accredited Management Organization (AMO®) designation from the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM). Across the country, less than 5% of all management firms have earned this distinction, by fulfilling the most stringent requirements in expertise, education, integrity, and financial stability. 

Property Management Services:

Principal, Robert S. Griswold, CRE, CPM, CCIM, ACoM, RPA, PCAM, CCAM, GRI, ARM, is currently active as a day-to-day hands-on, licensed practitioner, consultant, and expert witness in all aspects of real estate (except valuation). A 3-time graduate of the distinguished Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California with a BS ('81), MBA ('86), and MSBA (2nd Masters) ('88) in real estate and related disciplines, Mr. Griswold is a recognized expert on management of all types of residential real estate. He has actively managed over 70,000 residential units and several million square feet of commercial, industrial, self-storage, and retail properties nationally in the last 40+ years. He has extensive experience as a court-appointed receiver (over 200 times) for private lenders and major financial institutions. 

Litigation Support - In the last 30+ years, Mr. Griswold has consulted on over 4,000 litigation matters, been deposed over 750 times, and provided sworn testimony in trial or arbitration on over 200 occasions in both state and federal litigation matters throughout the United States. Also serving as a court-appointed bankruptcy Custodian and Referee, his casework is very evenly divided between plaintiff and defense work. Mr. Griswold is uniquely qualified to opine on real estate-related litigation matters, having authored or co-authored the 9 best selling real estate books: Real Estate Investing For Dummies, Property Management Kit For Dummies; Mortgage Management for Dummies and Landlord's Legal Kit For Dummies. His 15+ years as an On-Air NBC-TV Real Estate Expert and a similar tenure as a major radio station weekly talk show host have prepared him to explain complicated matters at an 8th-grade level and persuasively present opinions to juries.

Author - Robert Griswold is the author of the nationally best-selling book on real estate management, Property Management Kit For Dummies, which has sold over 100,000 copies in less than 5 years. He also co-authored Real Estate Investing For Dummies, another bestseller in the category with nearly 100,000 copies sold, and Landlord's Legal Kit For Dummies. 

 View Robert Griswold's Expert Witness Profile.

Kevin M. Burke,,JD, originally licensed in Real Estate in 1979, is well known for his knowledge of Real Estate Law, Risk Management, and Brokerage Operations. He has helped establish many professional real estate careers, and is Chair of the Professional Standards Committee, Past Chair of Legal Affairs, and REALTOR Risk Management and Consumer Protection Forums for the California Association of REALTORS.  For over 20 years, he has taught Real Property Law (ABA MCLE credit) at UCSD,and has helmed management positions at three of the largest real estate franchises in California.

Business Consultant Services:

• Real Estate Law / Transaction Management, as well as advice to individual salespeople and brokerage firms
• Risk Management - retained by several brokerages in the San Diego area to assist them BEFORE issues become complicated
• Training programs for brokerages focusing on real estate agent safety and lawsuit avoidance

Kevin M. Burke, JD on CA Multiple Offers

Kevin's leadership has been recognized in various prestigious positions within the real estate community, including past President of both the Greater San Diego and the North San Diego County Associations of REALTORS®. He has been approved by the California Department of Real Estate as a real estate school, approved to teach the Buyer Representation Agreement, and has taught the Residential Purchase Agreement for the governing authorities there. He is also approved by the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation as a pre-license instructor. 

Kevin hosts a weekly Koffee with Kevin (bit.ly/KoffeewithKevin), free of charge, for those interested in getting a professional perspective on happenings within the real estate industry

View Kevin M. Burke's Expert Witness Profile.

Bedrock Investments Group (BIG) acquires undervalued, strategically located single-tenant net-leased properties that deliver predictable cash flow to our partners. Their streamlined Commercial Real Estate Acquisition Process and in-depth Due Diligence result in noteworthy investment opportunities. BIG's conservative, disciplined approach results in investment performance that provides for consistent cash flow and equity growth. BIG has an exceptional track record of delivering cash flow at above-market rates without burdening their properties with debt. 

The team at BIG identifies undervalued net leased properties throughout the U.S. that have solid fundamentals and creditworthy tenants. They acquire and hold these freestanding, single-tenant net leased (STNL) properties as long-term investments. Typical sellers include estates, partnerships in dissolution, lender REOs, and investors facing less than three-year lease terms 

Strategies:

• Complete due diligence and acquisition thoroughly and quickly, thereby ensuring the seller of a timely transaction
• Centralize the decision-making process by eliminating the need for many layers of approval
• Evaluate worst-case scenarios
• Provide hands-on, active property management at competitive rates

Dr. Dick Bridy, a Principal at BIG, brings over 40 years of broad experience in Commercial Real Estate Acquisitions and Development to the firm. He is the entrepreneurial founder and CEO of DBI Group, a boutique real estate firm specializing in commercial retail centers and single-tenant properties. 

Throughout his distinguished career, Dr. Bridy developed expertise in team brokerage, leasing, private equity funding, construction, and asset management. From the ground up, he and his team entitled and built two shopping centers and five single-tenant properties. In addition, he has supervised the redevelopment of over 3.5 million sq. ft. of gross leasable area in 14 shopping centers. Through extensive research, market valuation, physical inspection, and financial analysis, Dr. Bridy targets ideal properties with maximum economic potential for Bedrock’s portfolio.  

View Dr. Dick Bridy's Expert Witness Profile.

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