Hedge Funds Expert Witnesses: 4

Craig A. Wolson acts as a Structured Finance and Derivatives Expert Witness and Consultant. He specializes in cases involving credit default swaps (CDS), collateralized debt obligations (CDOs), mortgage-backed securities (MBS) and other types of derivatives and securities.

Background Experience Includes: Acting on behalf of 40,000 investors in $1.6 billion class action suit against bankrupt sponsor of special purpose issuer of notes secured by notes issued by CDO and credit default swaps with sponsor; acting on behalf of class led by two major pension funds against a major bank and numerous large underwriters involving mortgage-backed securities issued by several vehices established by the bank, and securities issued by the bank; acting on behalf of large investment bank defendant in arbitration proceeding brought by another large investment bank involving nine CDOS established by defendant; acting on behalf of large bank that had invested in now-worthless notes issued by SIV established by defendant banks; acting on behalf of large bank against another large bank that had sold the former CDOs and CDS.

Areas of Expertise:

• Securitizations
• Derivatives
• Securities Law and Corporate Finance
• Loans and Credit Facilities
• Due Diligence

Frank Carr has extensive background and experience as an Investment Industry Employment and Compensation Expert Witness, especially Investment Management Firms, Mutual Funds, Hedge Funds, Wealth Managers, and Broker-Dealers. Mr. Carr is a former corporate banker, investment firm Chief Financial Officer and a 20 year veteran of executive search for the Investment Management industry. He has written articles for and has been frequently quoted by publications such as Bloomberg News, CNN Money, Fund Fire, Ignites, Absolute Return, Hedge Fund Alert, and Hedge Fund Manager Week. Prior to entering the executive search field, he was the Chief Financial Officer of a Connecticut-based hedge fund and Commodity Trading Advisor (CTA). Mr. Carr started his career in commercial bank lending, initially with Citigroup in their Wall Street Commodities division and later specialized in financing independent feature film producers, TV producers, and television station owners on behalf of European American Bank in New York. 

Litigation Support - Frank Carr is an Investment Industry Employment and Compensation Expert Witness who has been retained by both plaintiffs and defendants for American Arbitration Association, JAMS and FINRA arbitration, mediation, and federal court litigation. Mr. Carr has over 30 years of experience in Financial Services, Investment Management, and Banking and his areas of coverage include Traditional and Alternative Investments – Equities, Fixed Income, Mutual Funds, Hedge Funds, Private Equity, and Managed Futures. Specialist in Wall Street Divorce. 

Areas of Expertise:

Prior Expert Witness Assignments:

• Represented a hedge fund portfolio manager as an expert rebuttal witness in a high profile hedge fund employment/compensation lawsuit. Prepared a rebuttal opinion letter submitted to the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
• Represented a $12 billion Texas-based SEC Registered Investment Adviser and leading global alternative credit manager in a JAMS arbitration regarding a terminated employee. Prepared a rebuttal expert witness report and provided live testimony at the JAMS arbitration hearing.
• Represented a financial advisor in a FINRA arbitration against one of the top 5 U.S. wealth management firms. The scope of the opinion included projected career advancement, compensation analysis and calculation of lost earnings.
• Represented a portfolio manager/ investment analyst in a wrongful termination action against one of the largest U.S. Broker-Dealers with over $600 billion in assets. The scope of the opinion included projected career advancement and compensation analysis. Prepared an expert witness report and provided live testimony at the FINRA arbitration hearing.

Education - Mr. Carr is a graduate of Williams College where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Economy. He completed the Management Training Program at Citigroup in New York, including courses in accounting, finance, and capital markets. He has previously held FINRA licenses, Series 3, 6, and 63 and has completed Level I of the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) program.

View Frank Carr's Consultant Profile.

John T. Foster is the President and CEO of Bedford and Main Financial Consulting, which provides specialized consulting services primarily for broker-dealers and RIAs. Bedford and Main is listed in the FINRA Compliance Vendor Directory. 

Mr. Foster calls upon his in-depth knowledge of broker-dealer management, operations and compliance to offer expert opinions and testimony. He has testified for both sides of the legal table in civil cases and FINRA arbitrations, promoting high standards of fairness for broker-dealers. 

Mr. Foster specializes in clearing services and industry infrastructure litigation, along with Anti-Money Laundering (AML) issues for broker-dealers. Prior to founding Bedford and Main in 2011, he worked for 13 years in level positions for a large, multi-national clearing firm, allowing him to develop expertise with foreign accounts and anti-money laundering issues. He later served as the President/CEO of an independent broker-dealer, where he was responsible for a retail-based business and online brokerage services. The experience provided John with a uniquely relevant understanding of core SEC and FINRA compliance issues, such as suitability, supervision, senior issues, churning, and written supervisory procedures. He is proficient in matters related to client and firm interactions with both Financial Advisors and Online firms.

Advantages of our litigation services:

• Senior Level Experience - Decades of diverse high-ranking management experience in the broker-dealer industry.
• Previously held Series, 3,7,24, 27, 63.
• Still Actively Engaged – John's expert witness business is a natural extension of his core consulting services. He is a CAMS Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist who annually conducts many independent AML reviews. John is also certified as a FINRA Dispute Resolution Arbitrator

- It would not be possible to hold to our standards of supporting the industry if we were not selective as to specific issues and our ability to ethically provide an expert opinion.

Areas of Expertise:

View John T. Foster's 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.