Corporate Governance Expert Witnesses: 5

Areas of Expertise:

Panorama Consulting Group specializes in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems and has multiple testifying experts for failed software litigation. This high-profile firm is called upon to investigate the feasibility of litigation, provide software expert witness testimony, and build background reporting for some of the industry’s highest-profile software lawsuits. They have worked with organizations ranging from multi-national conglomerates to boutique and large law firms, as well as state offices of the Attorney General.

As independent enterprise software experts, Panorama Consulting Group has hands-on experience with hundreds of software vendors. Their firm is not tied to a single law firm or software vendor, allowing them to focus on all types of clients and industries. 

Bill Baumann on Expert Witness Testimony

Listen to Panorama Consulting Group's podcast episode: What Would Your Failed Enterprise Software Implementation Say if it Could Talk?

Litigation Support: The experts at Panorama Consulting Group work for both plaintiffs and defendants, software vendors and system integrators, and their customers. Their differentiator is using a team-based approach to provide expertise beyond just the testifying expert, which is cost-effective and efficient for their clients. They have multiple software expert witnesses available for provision of reports, depositions, and testimonies.

Allegations Addressed:

View Panorama Consulting Group's Consulting Profile.

Dr. BJ Hawkins, PhD, CLPF, is a Licensed Professional Fiduciary and a Business Expert who demonstrates a comprehensive understanding and knowledge of the duties and responsibilities of a Conservator and of a Trustee irrespective of the size or complexity of the Trust or the Conservatorship. 

Background Experience - Dr. Hawkins has more than 30 years of experience as a business executive with successful executive leadership in profit and loss, strategic planning and technology implementation. She has held C level and CEO positions involving crisis management, turnaround, and process re-engineering. Dr. Hawkins has headed multi-disciplinary teams that have implemented complex business solutions. She has manufacturing, supply chain, and professional service experience.

Dr. Hawkins' knowledge base includes analytical, academic, and functional expertise. She has had Court/Judicial appointments as a Trustee and a Conservator. The Court appointments have included highly contested matters and the need to rectify previous breaches of fiduciary duty and/or malfeasance.  She has been designated and testified in cases involving Trustee and Conservator Breach of Fiduciary Duty and malfeasance.  

In 2018, the State of California recognized Dr. Hawkins' expertise as a Fiduciary and knowledge of the tenets of the profession by an appointment to serve on the California Fiduciaries Bureau’s review committee on licensing. She is a former two-term President of the Greater Los Angeles Forensic Expert Witness Association (FEWA) and a multi-term past member of the FEWA National Board of Directors.  

Litigation Support - With 10 years of experience as a Professional Fiduciary and 14 years of experience as an expert witness, Dr. Hawkins has the expertise, skills, and experience to provide exceptional litigation support and expert testimony.  She has been designated and testified in Breach of Fiduciary Duty cases involving corporate officers and corporate governance. She has also been designated in cases involving breach of Spousal Fiduciary Duty and Financial Elder Abuse.   

Dr. Hawkins has been retained as an Expert Consultant and case advisor in a variety of business disputes including C-level corporate and partnership disputes and litigation involving closely held and family-owned businesses. An additional area of expertise is roles and responsibilities of a Trustee as dictated by the Uniform Prudent Investment Act (UPIA). Dr. Hawkins has testified in Mediations, Evidentiary Hearings, Depositions, and in Trials in Superior and Federal Court as well as before fact finding, legislative, and regulatory bodies.

Areas of Expertise:

David D. Gibbons has 45 years of experience in Banking, Risk Evaluation and Risk Management, and Bank Regulation. He is widely recognized as an accomplished financial services executive with unique perspectives as a Former Chief Risk Officer HSBC, former Senior Bank Regulator (both policy and supervision), Chief Risk Officer, Deputy Comptroller for Credit Risk and Troubled Banks at Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and Banking Consultant (shadow regulator).

Litigation Support - Mr. Gibbons provides expert consulting and expert testifying services to the financial services industry. He has participated in over 20 expert witness engagements in banking, bank regulation, credit and lending, and financial services. Mr. Gibbons is a trusted advisor to banks on regulatory, risk, and compliance matters, particularly troubled banks. He is effective both as an individual contributor or in team leadership role.

Areas of Expertise:

Honors / Awards - Mr. Gibbons has been honored with the following awards for his service in the field of Banking / Finance:

• Hugh McCulloch Award
• U.S. Department of the Treasury Special Act Awards
• U.S. Department of the Treasury Silver Eagle Awards
• U.S Department of the Treasury, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency

View David D. Gibbons and Company's Business Consulting Profile.

Daniel A. Strachman, CDDA, is a Financial Services Expert working on Wall Street for more than 25 years in various capacities. Mr. Strachman is Managing Director of A&C Advisors LLC, a firm that provides strategic advice and counsel along with fund governance services to the investment management industry. He serves as a director to both on-shore and off-shore investment vehicles and is a registered director under the Directors Registration and Licensing Law, 2014 of the Cayman Islands. 

Litigation Support - Mr. Strachman served as an expert witness in a number of investment management litigation cases focused on fund marketing, redemption policies and structuring. A FINRA Registered Neutral Arbitrator, his services are available to attorneys for plaintiff and defendant.

Area of Expertise:

Background Information - Mr. Strachman has worked at firms including Apex Funds Services, Morgan Stanley, Cantor Fitzgerald and Orbitex Financial Services Group. He is the Co-Founder of the Investment Management Due Diligence Association, an independent educational organization focused on setting best practices for both operational and investment management due diligence around the globe. 

Mr. Strachman, an accomplished writer specializing in finance, has written extensively about the investment management industry and is the author of nine books including: The Fundamentals of Hedge Fund Management, (Wiley 2007), “Second Edition” (Wiley 2012), Getting Started in Hedge Funds, First Edition (Wiley 2000), “Second Edition” (Wiley 2005) and “Third Edition” (Wiley 2010), The Long and Short of Hedge Funds, (Wiley 2008), and Essential Stock Picking Strategies (Wiley 2002), which was named by Barron’s as one of the ten best investment books of the year. He is also the author of Julian Robertson: A Tiger in the Land of Bulls and Bears (Wiley 2004). His articles have appeared in The New York Post, The Financial Times, The Boston Globe, as well as various trade publications around the world.

Mr. Strachman is formerly an adjunct professor at Rutgers University Business School where he taught graduate level courses on corporate finance and investment analysis. He has appeared on CNBC, Bloomberg, National Public Radio and the BBC. He is formerly an adjunct professor at New York University’s School of Continuing Education and has lectured at the New York Society of Security Analysts. He is a graduate of Clark University.