Business Development Growth & Strategy Expert Witnesses

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.

 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.

Avinash Vashistha has dedicated his career to the unique requirements of the Global Outsourcing Market. His background and understanding of the practices surrounding Offshore Markets provides clients with a custom offshoring strategy, supplier / build mapping, favorable pricing, reduced risk, successful transition and sustainable performance contracts that address issues unique to offshore delivery.

Mr. Vashistha has evaluated and conducted due diligence on over 200 supplier firms, including companies in India, Russia, China, Philippines, Malaysia, C&E Europe, US, Canada, UK, Ireland and Vietnam. He has directed sourcing assessments, IT and BPO / KPO sourcing transactions and executed program governance models realizing $6 Billion in savings for clients. Avinash also developed significant expertise in the areas of R&D, Technology, Human Resources, Finance and Accounting, Analytics, Investment Research, claims processing and other domain specific voice and back office business processes. Mr. Vashistha has been a strong proponent of well-qualified, but lesser known tier-two suppliers in the competitive sourcing process.

Thought Leader: His opinions are sought and recognized by worldwide organizations and conference organizers such as IDC, NASSCOM, CITEM, C-Level, Private Equity Conference, the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce, CII, SBPOA and IAOP. Leading media conglomerates such as the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Time, The Straits Times, The Business Times, USA TODAY, CNN, CNBC, Forbes, Business Week, Bangkok Post, NDTV, Times Group, Business Standard and Cyber Media have featured Avinash extensively. He has been recognized by HRO Today as ‘HRO Superstar’ for 2006 and 2007 in the category of thought leaders and advisors on outsourcing. He has also been recognized as ‘FAO Superstar’ for 2007.

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 thousands 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 blogs, podcasts, webinars and articles. He is the author of the acclaimed book, “An Expert’s Guide to ERP Success.”

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, including 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,; Waste Management v. SAP; and Whaley Food Service Repairs v. Epicor to name a few. Eric is actively involved in implementations and project recoveries, giving him 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.

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 over 45 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

California Office: 357 Avenida Castilla Unit C Laguna Woods, CA 92637 (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.

Rod Tasker specializes in Payment Services, Transaction Banking, and e-Commerce. He has over 20 years of experience working for major banks in strategic and business planning and cradle to grave product management, including business cases, feasibility, piloting, commercialization, and retirement. Mr. Tasker consults in strategic management and innovative solution delivery in the banking and finance industry. His achievements in Australia and internationally include:
     - Leading a team of 25 people in developing an internet payment service
     - Developing an enterprise Sales and Service architecture for a major bank
     - Developing an international payments business architecture & operations strategy for a major bank
     - Obtaining consensus amongst a consortium of 15 global banks for the strategic vision and plan for implementing B2B international ePayments
     - Developing a variety of e-Banking and e-Payment products and services
     - Building a payments business from start-up as CEO

Areas of Expertise:

Payments e-Commerce Transaction Banking Identity Services

Product Development / Product Management Piloting Commercializing Business and Strategy Formulation

Consulting Services - Mr. Tasker is engaged by companies that offer payment services as products or services, or for whom payments are "strategic" or "core," for example, insurance companies, exchanges, retailers, and investors wanting to evaluate payment business acquisitions, mergers, or funding opportunities. His services include:

Strategy Formulation Business Planning Profitability Improvement Change Management

Program and Portfolio Management Regulatory Compliance Risk Analysis Ventures / Mergers & Acquisitions

Swenson Consulting offers Snow Removal Expert Witness Services to legal professionals needing assistance with snow and ice removal slip and fall cases. He is a Snow Expert in black ice, sleet, freezing rain, and slick conditions. He 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 250 CSP’s in the United States Of America. He 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.

Mr. Swenson currently owns and operates Snowmen, one of the largest snow and ice management companies in North America. He is 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.

View Jeremy Swenson's Expert Witness 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 forty-five 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 also serves as Chairman of the City of Malibu Planning Commission where he advises 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.

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.

SEDA Experts is a boutique consulting firm specializing in Financial Services. They provide superior independent advice, data analytics, valuation, and expert testimony services to financial institutions and law firms in both litigation and business contexts.

Their experts have unmatched industry experience in a vast array of financial services practices. With over 30 years as global managing directors at leading financial institutions and consulting firms, each of their experts is dedicated to applying exceptional real-world economic, financial, and quantitative principles to complex business and legal challenges.  

SEDA Experts provides independent advice, financial consulting, data analytics, valuation, and expert testimony services to financial institutions and law firms in both litigation and business contexts.

Services:

Expert Witnesses Testimony and Report Litigation Process Support Mediation Class Certification Consulting

Complex Data Analysis  Damages Calculations Engaging World Class Expert Advisory Services

Richard A. Marin, Managing Director, a former finance senior executive with over 40 years of industry experience, and a former clinical professor at Cornell University, is a world-class testifying expert. Mr. Marin is a Finance, Real Estate, and Venture Capital industry executive who is currently the CEO of Low Emissions Resources Corporation.  He also is involved in managing private equity investments, consulting on major commercial real estate and attractions projects, and an expert in the retirement field.

Mr. Marin was previously a senior executive at three major financial institutions; Bankers Trust Company, Deutsche Bank and Bear Stearns.  His initial career spanned corporate finance, sales and trading, structured products, emerging markets, processing, and several other disciplines. Later in his career, he focused on building and running large asset management businesses in both the traditional and alternative spaces and in the institutional and high net worth markets. He also served as Chairman and CEO of AFI (USA), a major distressed commercial and residential property developer, for whom he restructured over $2B of liabilities. 

Mr. Marin has been a successful financial entrepreneur, involved in founding several venture capital firms (Beehive Ventures and Green Visor Capital) and a hedge fund (Ironwood Global).  He served as CEO of the New York Wheel, a $650 million development project, from 2012 to 2017.  He is currently the CEO of Low Emission Resource Corporation, a start-up scientific research & development company working in the areas of hydrogen and ammonia production. 

He is a published author of Global Pension Crisis: Unfunded Liabilities and How We Can Fill the Gap (Wiley & Sons, 2013), Mater Gladiatrix (Lulu Press, 2017) and Gulag 401k: Tales of a Modern Prisoner (Lulu Press, 2017). View full Vitae.

 Areas of Expertise: 

Asset Management Alternative Investments Private Equity Investments

Securities Lending Retirement and Pensions Real Estate / Project Financing

Kenneth Simmons, Managing Director, has over 30 years of industry experience as Executive Vice President at leading financial institutions, and at regulatory agencies such as OCC and FDIC. He is a Review Board Member and Faculty member at the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists, and the North & South Metro Atlanta Compliance Roundtable Founder and Chairperson at the Community Bankers Association. 

He served as Executive Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer at Origin Bank, and in a similar position at Hamilton State Bank. During his career he was responsible for all aspects of Regulatory Compliance, he devised comprehensive BSA/AML Programs including complex layers of investigations and an enhanced monitoring system to exceed Supervisory Expectations, and developed comprehensive risk assessments, audit schedule and compliance testing programs addressing regulatory inventory of risks.

Mr. Simmons served the Office of the Comptroller Currency (OCC) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as Compliance/ BSA Specialist Bank Examiner. During his tenure with the OCC he was the functional Examiner-in-Charge (FEIC) on complex BSA & Compliance examinations, and the Supervisory Review Examiner for BSA/AML, fair lending, and CRA examinations. 

He evaluated effectiveness of AML systems (such as FCRM, Bankers Toolbox, and FIS (Prime) and formulated opinions on the use of such systems. He also worked directly with Supervisory office and legal staff regarding BSA/AML violations, MRAs, and consent order issuances, providing guidance and direction to financial institutions regarding resolution of these matters.

In addition, he served as the General Audit Manager for a multi-billion dollar financial institution, and he served as a Compliance Officer for several financial institutions.  View full Vitae.

Areas of Expertise:

Finance Anti-Money Laundering Bank Secrecy Act Compliance

Financial Crimes Risk Management Regulatory Compliance AML / BSA Risk Management

Kevin D. Oden, Managing Director, has unrivaled Financial Risk Management expertise and over 30 years of financial markets experience with leading financial institutions firms Wells Fargo and Goldman Sachs, holding executive positions. 

Mr. is an innovative risk manager and entrepreneur with a strong track record of leading risk teams to the forefront of industry practice. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Risk Management Association (RMA) and on the RMA Journal Editorial Advisory Board and the financial technology firm Scienaptic Systems.

During his career, he managed small and large teams (as many as 4000) across a number of risk disciplines including market risk, counterparty risk, model validation, risk model development, operational risk, cyber security, financial crimes and compliance. Developed an industry leading practice in model risk management with patents pending on several innovations in system design. Highly successful at building working relationships with business leaders as well as U.S. and foreign regulators. 

Mr. Oden has over 30 years of industry experience, including risk management, trading, sales, portfolio management. Superior quantitative background and communication skills provide a unique ability to deliver risk insight to all stakeholders and influence decision making throughout the firm. He was a member of Wells Fargo’s management committee and Asset Liability Committee (ALCO). 

Dr. Oden was an Executive Vice President and Head of Operational Risk and Compliance within Corporate Risk at Wells Fargo & Co., managing second-line risk activities across information security, financial crimes risk, model risk, operational risk, regulatory compliance risk, and technology risk. Prior to this he was the Chief Market & Institutional Risk officer for Wells Fargo & Co.  View full Vitae.

Areas of Expertise:

Market, Credit and Counterparty Risk Operational Risk Risk Model Development and Validation

Risk Management and Compliance Portfolio Management Asset and Liability Management

Rose Porterfield Group (RPG) has over 30 years of experience providing Business Performance and Human Resource services. As experts in human behavior, we provide litigation support strategy and testimony for attorneys and corporations. Offering unbiased, detailed, and objective expert opinion on all aspects of human behavior in the workplace, we can help determine the facts, motivations, and human factors involved in the case.

Forensic and Expert Testimony Cases Include:

• Sexual Harassment
• Workplace Injury
• Discrimination
• Retaliation
• Wrongful Termination

Robyn W. Porterfield, PhD - Managing Principal at RPG, spent over ten years in sales and marketing prior to completing her PhD in Industrial Psychology. While completing her PhD, Dr. Porterfield served as Director of Client Services for a Texas-based on-line psychological testing firm, consulting to management on such issues as individual and team fit, conflict resolution, hiring, coaching, and management succession planning.

As a consultant, Dr. Porterfield has assessed executives in such diverse industries as financial management, food service, telecommunications and retail. For five years Robyn and Bob co-wrote a column for the Dallas Business Journal titled, C-Level Coach. Robyn is also a professional mediator and currently mediates for Dispute Resolution Services of Tarrant County, Texas.

Robert G. Rose, PhD, Principal at RPG, received his PhD from Florida State University. Since 1976 he has served as consultant to organizations in virtually every industry including health care, retail, IT services, manufacturing, construction, aviation, and many others. In his over 30 years as a consultant, Dr. Rose has encountered virtually every problem that an organization can experience, and has seen that good teamwork - from hiring to development - always benefits both the individual and the company.

Bob is the author of numerous articles on communication, crisis handling, and conceptualizing purpose and culture within organizations, and his books on consulting are required reading by major corporations..

View RPG's Consulting Profile.

Catherine Adams Hutt, PhD, RD, CFS, has senior public and private experience as a Chief Science & Regulatory Officer in the Food Safety Industry. She is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Food Scientist.

With experience in the public and private sectors, Dr. Adams Hutt provides advice and guidance on a wide range of topics, including regulatory compliance, food safety, quality systems management, supply chain, health and wellness, business strategy, product development, and software solutions for management of quality and product development processes.

Dr. Adams Hutt was formerly Chief Quality, Food Safety, and Nutrition Officer for McDonald’s Corporation and led Supplier and Restaurant Food Safety teams for YUM! Brands. She was Chief Quality Officer for Coors Brewing Company, led the North America Quality team at H.J. Heinz, and developed next generation Quality programs for the Campbell Soup Company. Dr. Adams Hutt was Assistant Administrator for the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) where she led the development of HACCP as a regulatory tool. She has been an active participant in international programs, and led the U.S Delegation for the Codex Food Hygiene Committee.

Litigation Support - Catherine Adams Hutt has high-level training and senior experience in a variety of food related fields, including food manufacturing, food service, food regulations, and nutrition. Her diverse background makes her ideally suited for challenging cases where it is important or helpful to be able to integrate information from a number of different disciplines. Her professional experience is truly unique and her credentials make her unimpeachable. Most of Dr. Adams Hutt's cases are settled before going to trial on the strength of her expert opinion. She has experience with both deposition and trial, understanding the art of the exercise, and works to deliver the optimal results for her clients - plaintiff or defendant.

Areas of Expertise:

Food Safety Food Manufacturing Nutrition Foodborne Illness Food Fraud Food Forensics

Food Poisoning Food Adulteration Dietary Supplements Food Labeling Quality Management Health Claims

Texas Office 4568 Elm Bottom Circle Aubrey, TX 76227

Virginia Office 124 South Fairfax Alexandria, VA 22314

View Dr. Adams Hutt's Consulting Profile.

Nevium’s experts are trial-tested IP custom & practice damages experts who take a hands-on approach with all their IP litigation assignments. Whether you are in need of an expert to calculate economic damages as lost profits / unjust enrichment, give an opinion on specific business clauses in a license agreement or to leverage Internet and Social Media analytics to prove or disapprove infringement, Nevium has the experience and expertise. 

Litigation Support:Nevium works closely with C-Level executives, in-house and outside counsel to implement the best possible business strategy that intertwines with the legal strategy. Nevium is part of the team early on in the litigation process assisting with discovery requests and deposition questions. Nevium’s experience and expertise allows the managing attorney to focus on the legal issues knowing that Nevium is proactively taking care of the business side of the case. As experienced Intellectual Property Consultants, they have real-word, hands on IP management, monetization and valuation experience that plays out well in front of a judge and jury. Nevium professionals provide IP expert witness testimony related to economic damages in a range of lost profits, unjust enrichment, relief from royalty, reasonable royalty, relief from pay per click, corrective advertising and IP valuation. They author reports and provide testimony for federal and state court claims, arbitration, and mediation related to false endorsement, defamation, infringement and unfair competition. 

Litigation Expertise

Trademark Damages Copyright Damages Patent Damages

Publicity Rights Damages Defamation Damages Internet and Social Media Damages

Areas of Analyses Expertise

Lost Profits Relief from Royalty Reasonable Royalty

Unjust Enrichment Relief from Pay Per Click Corrective Advertising

Past Law Firm Clients

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld Gordon & Rees Higgs Fletcher & Mack Latham & Watkins Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman

Dorsey & Whitney Greenberg Traurig Husch Blackwell McGuireWoods Winston & Strawn

Doug Bania, CLP, Founding Principal, has over a twelve years of expertise in managing, valuing and monetizing intellectual property and intangible assets. Mr. Bania has been a named expert in over thirty (30) cases, has been deposed seven (7) times and has testified at trial four (4) times. Mr. Bania was recently called upon to testify in the Pharrell Williams, et al. v. Bridgeport Music, Inc., et al., case as the Plaintiffs’ and Counter-Defendants’ Copyright Apportionment Expert testifying in the area of Damages and Apportionment. Mr. Bania’s industry experience ranges from apparel to automotive and publishing to music. Prior to founding Nevium, Doug Bania managed 100s of projects related to brands, intellectual property and the related intangible assets. He has assisted clients in intellectual property matters related to acquisitions, litigation, bankruptcy, tax, estate, family and marital disputes, and licensing.

 Brian Buss, CFA, Founding Principal, is a Chartered Financial Analyst with over two decades of experience providing intellectual property and business valuation, expert testimony and transaction advisory. Mr. Buss provide solutions for IP owners, attorneys and licensees both in the United States and overseas. He has a bachelor’s degree in Biology and Economics from Claremont McKenna College and completed the Executive MBA program at San Diego State University. An expert in valuation and economic damages calculations, Mr. Buss has valued copyrights, brands, patents and business interests across a wide range of industries from apparel companies to airports and from technology start-ups to global consumer products companies. Often engaged to analyze unique and proprietary assets and their economic impact and contribution to financial results, he works closely with clients and counsel to develop thorough yet clear and understandable analyses.

San Diego Office 415 Laurel Street, Suite 341 San Diego, CA 92101 Telephone: 858-255-4361 Email: info@nevium.com

Los Angeles Office 9107 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 450 Beverly Hills, CA 90210 Telephone: 310-975-3145 Email: info@nevium.com

View Nevium's Consulting Profile.

Richard Singer is the leading expert in Golf Facility Operations, Transactions and Valuation Consulting. He has been qualified as an expert witness in cases involving golf course transactions, valuations, liability, economic potential, usual and customary practices and business plan preparation.

Mr. Singer has been the Director of Consulting Services for the National Golf Foundation (NGF) since 1997, and now has a total of 26 years of golf facility consulting experience. He first joined the NGF consulting staff in 1989 as a project analyst after completing his Finance MBA at the University of Florida. Mr. Singer has successfully managed the NGF’s well-known golf consulting practice with an industry-respected track record of success and a reputation for delivering projects on time and on budget.

Mr. Singer’s consulting services for alternative golf facilities have included both new development and operational reviews for driving ranges, putting courses, miniature golf courses, golf learning centers, executive / par-3 courses, and various combinations with other facilities. He co-authored the NGF publication How to Plan, Build and Operate a Successful Golf Range.

Experience Includes:

Golf Facility Feasibility Analysis Golf Operations Consulting Account Management Real Estate Master Planning Expert Witness Financial Analysis Business Plan Preparation

Budgeting / Planning Public Presentations Golf Business Valuation Golf Market Analysis Staffing / HR Proposal Writing Credit Evaluation

Golf Facility Operations Consulting Services Include:

Golf Course Inspections Operational / Accounting Audits Management / Operations Contract Preparation Clubhouse Design / Needs Assessments	RFP Preparation Assistance Golf Marketing Strategies Green Fee / Member Pricing Business Plan Preparation Litigation Assistance

James B. (Jay) Hibert has been an active lender in the Commercial Banking Industry for over 30 years. Prior to forming Market Street Financial Solutions, Mr. Hibert joined the founding team of a San Diego Business bank as a Senior Vice President, and one of the owners of the privately held banking company. During this time he formed and managed the Bank’s Real Estate Loan Department. He also managed the bank’s largest real estate portfolio and was instrumental in developing secondary market relationships for the bank. Still an ACTIVE lender in the industry, Jay has transacted hundreds of real estate and non-real estate loan negotiations in times of economic growth as well as downturns in the economy. His extensive credit background arms him with the understanding of how banks and other lenders operate internally.  

Litigation Experience - Mr. Hibert has been providing expert witness and consulting services since 2010. He has been designated over 65 times as an expert in 7 different states concerning matters relating to commercial lending, real estate, construction finance, SBA lending, brokerage, hard money lending and investment issues. His experience includes both Federal and State court cases where he has provided deposition testimony, trial testimony and arbitration testimony. 

Jay is a licensed Real Estate Broker (BRE) and his company is a California Finance Lender and Broker through the California Department of Business Oversight. He is experienced in trial and deposition testimony and his services are available to counsel representing both Plaintiff and Defense. 

Key areas of expertise in litigation work include:

• Specialty Niche in SBA Real Estate Lending
• Lending Policies, Custom and Practice/Lender Liability
• Broker Standards of Care and Fiduciary Responsibility
• Loan Underwriting and Credit Administration
• Loan Process and Bank Loan Restructure/Workout Process
• Note Valuations/Collateral Review
• Litigation and Discovery Consulting
• Banking Operations/Administration
• Expert reports adherent to Federal Rule 26
• Loan Syndication/Secondary Market Loan Sales
• Title Insurance Cases

*****Experienced in trial and deposition testimony*****

View Jay Hibert's Consulting Profile.

Leonard J. Backer has over 28 years of extensive and successful Seating, Tables and Furniture Industry experience in all key areas. Mr. Backer has been directly involved in the design and development of 250+ seating and table collections. He specializes in Private Label Manufacturing, Sourcing, and Product Development expertise.

Mr. Backer provides aggressive Expert Witness and Litigation Support services to attorneys, insurers and businesses for Plaintiff or Defense. He performs site inspections, detailed product reviews and incident analyses. He has worked with law firms and insurance companies to develop and coordinate strategies for various types of legal actions and lawsuits. Very strong hospitality background.

Mr. Backer has extensive experience with hotel, restaurant, cruise ship, retail store and senior living incidents. Personal Injury and Product Liability Cases. He provides detailed analyses, written opinions, and expert witness reports for clients throughout the U.S. Strong proven deposition and court testimony.

Areas of Expertise:

Furniture Based Disputes, Claims, or Legal Actions Chair Failures Seating Product Liability Personal Injury Purchasing Disputes Seating Product Design / Performance Issues Design Knockoffs

Sales Rep. Commission Disputes Designer Royalties Exclusive Distribution Agreements Product Evaluation Warranty Issues Product Launch Failures Private Label Development Agreements Evaluation of Management Performance

View Leonard Backer's Consulting Profile.