Law Related Specialties Expert Witnesses: 22

As a highly professional & credible Expert, Consultant, & Speaker, Jean Seawright has provided trusted advice & HR Consultation to thousands of organizations nationwide. As president of Seawright & Associates, a Human Resource Management Consulting Firm, Ms. Seawright is widely respected for her knowledge of state & federal employment regulations, including, among others, the FLSA, ADA, FMLA, PWFA, & Title VII.

Since 1987, she has focused on HR-related engagements such as executive advisory, regulatory compliance, management training and development, workplace investigations (including harassment), performance management, background checks, hiring & terminating employees, charges of discrimination, employee handbook & policy development, compensation plans, HR audits,  & others. Ms. Seawright is a frequent speaker at state & national trade associations & is the author of numerous articles & publications in the field of human resources, including The Employment Genie®, an exclusive hiring, coaching, & termination system for businesses. 

Areas of Expertise:

• Negligent Hiring, Supervision, and Retention
• Discrimination and EEO Compliance
• HR Policies and Programs
• FLSA and Wage and Hour Compliance
• Harassment
• Workplace Investigations
• Expert Witness Services for Employment Law Matters
• ADA
• FMLA
• Background Checks and Hiring Procedures
• Title VII
• Employee Handbooks and Policies

Ms. Seawright is available for case analysis, case theory evaluation, expert witness reports, depositions, analysis of other expert testimony, and trial testimony.

Andrew Shedlin, BA, JD, CRX, CLS, CSM, is an acknowledged industry leader in the field of Real Estate Leasing. He specializes in consulting on the Development, Management and Leasing of Shopping Centers & Airports for both developers and retailers. Mr. Shedlin serves as a developer and consultant for dozens of shopping center landlords and tenants. He also has extensive experience in Airport Retail and Restaurants as both landlord and tenant.

Mr. Shedlin has developed or redeveloped more than 35,000,000 square feet of shopping centers as principal or consultant and at all of the top 50 airports in the US, and negotiated more than 15,000 leases as principal, consultant, landlord or tenant (as a business person and attorney), his clients have included dozens of international, national, regional, and local retailers and restaurants. Mr. Shedlin is a longtime member of ICSC’s faculty of the John T. Riordan School for Professional Development and a founding member of ICSC’s CLS Admissions and Governing Committee. He has received the ICSC Trustee’s Distinguished Award, serves on the ICSC Illinois State Committee and was previously NY/NJ state director for ICSC. Mr. Shedlin has taught at both Columbia University Graduate School of Business and Georgetown University Law School and holds a JD from Boston University. He frequently lectures at business schools, law schools, and for industry groups on Shopping Center Leasing, Understanding Leases, and Business Ethics.

Litigation Support - Considered the definitive industry expert in negotiating and interpreting shopping center and airport leases, Andrew Shedlin has worked as an expert on dozens of landlord / tenant disputes involving Interpretation and Enforcement of Leases and Shopping Center Management. He has worked with major law firms in numerous cities throughout the US. His services are available to counsel representing plaintiff and defendant and include written reports, depositions, and trial testimony as needed.

Areas of Expertise:

Background Experience:

• Arlen Shopping Centers - Executive Vice President & Counsel
• Equity Properties and Development Company - Executive Vice President (responsible for leasing and development)
• Previously owned and operated 2 retail businesses
• Facilitated entry of several international retailers into the US market
• Authored several chapters in real estate publications on subjects of leasing and understanding the lease

Thomas “Tommy” Davenport, Jr., Esq., is a Martial Arts Practitioner with decades of practical experience and ongoing study in both the applied and theoretical dimensions of Self Defense and Physical Conflict. He holds a black belt in Taekwondo and a black sash in 7 Star Praying Mantis Kung Fu, and he is a former world champion in martial arts combat.

In addition to his martial arts background, Tommy is a practicing attorney and professor of law. This combination of experience uniquely positions him to evaluate self-defense and hand-to-hand combat matters through both a practical combative lens and the applicable legal doctrines that often shape such cases.

Areas of Expertise:

Litigation Support - As an expert in martial arts and self-defense, Tommy provides consulting and testimonial services in matters involving self-defense and physical confrontation. As a consultant, he assists attorneys and litigants in understanding the actions at issue, evaluating the conduct involved, and preparing to clearly and effectively present the relevant facts in deposition or court. 

Tommy assists attorneys, litigants, and triers of fact in understanding issues such as threat assessment, the mechanics of confrontation and physical altercations, justification of force, and the neutralization of threats. His analysis may include a thorough review of reports, records, medical documentation, interviews, and qualitative video evidence in order to provide a detailed and reliable assessment.

Real Estate Brokerage Expert, Manager, Educator

Jane Trust Ryan has over 29 years of experience as a licensed Real Estate professional. She has served as a Real Estate Brokerage Leader, Compliance Officer, and Transaction Manager. She has over 20 years of experience training 1,000+ agents in agency, law, contracts, negotiation, disclosure, compliance, and other real estate-related topics across various brokerage models.   I have provided court room and deposition testimony.

Ms. Trust Ryan is currently licensed as a Broker in NY, NJ, and PA, with past licenses in MD, DC, and VA. She has managed offices with 100+ agents and currently serves as Broker of Record within a network of over 400 agents.

Litigation Support - As an expert witness, Ms. Trust Ryan helps clients navigate the complexities of real estate lawsuits. She specializes in providing clear, actionable insights through thorough research and expert analysis. Her goal is to equip clients with the knowledge and information they need to make informed decisions and achieve the best possible outcomes in their legal matters.

Areas of Expertise

William (Ned) McLeod, Esq., has been a party to many Licensing Arrangements as an attorney specializing in Intellectual Property in the Entertainment Industry (“IP”), both on the licensor and the licensee side of the table, from hard media historical archives to blockchain, and, as a non-attorney producer, both as owner / licensor and, alternately, as user / licensee.

For more than 30 years, Mr. McLeod has personally negotiated hundreds of licenses, and reviewed and evaluated hundreds more. He has studied or taught over 400 hours of Continuing Legal education courses, from historical copyright status analysis to blockchain mechanisms, dissecting project content as different as movie scripts and royalty contracts. Mr. McLeod has designed a college course curriculum for international university students entering the resort and theme park entertainment fields. His handling of licenses have covered a broad scope of venues and clientele, including:

The Rockefeller Center (NYC), the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry and The Navy Pier (IL), the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History (with 8 associated museums), Graceland (TN), Niagara Falls (NY), The Smithsonian, the Kennedy Space Center (FL), Port of Los Angeles (CA), National Harbor (DC), Leadership Conference of Women Religious (“Catholic Sisters,” MD), the Tupperware Center (FL), Gatorland (FL), the Orlando Ballet (FL), Bob Ross (painter), Cousteau family ventures, Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade (live and televised-7yrs), Gilbert Gottlieb, the "Top Gun" Resort and Casino ventures (worldwide), and others.

Areas of Expertise:

Litigation Support - In Ned McLeod's 40 year capacity as producer, consultant, or attorney, he has negotiated, constructed, analyzed, attacked, or defended hundreds of business entertainment contracts, licenses, and litigation claims; and served as either consultant or expert witness on such matters.

As counsel (or, on occasion for a personal project, as producer), Mr. McLeod has obtained and operated licenses (regarding Content, Properties, Brands, Venues, Likeness, Life Story, etc.) from Universal Music, Walt Disney Company, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, SONY, the Getty Images, Warner Bros. Music, TED Talks, Discovery Channel, ABC News, The Cousteau Society, Ford Motor Company, the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Collection, National Geographic, Jerry Lewis Films, The Beach Boys, Irving Berlin Music, Estate of Marvin Hamlisch, Richard Petty, Random House Books, Simon and Schuster, HarperCollins, the United States Air Force, NASA, Estate of Yuri Gagarin, Paramount Pictures, and others.

Mr. McLeod has been the expert consultant and reviewer for licensing documents litigated against major industry icons SONY Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures, National Enquirer, Mad Magazine, and others involving the review of thousands of pages of licenses from domestic and international records. In songs alone, Mr. McLeod has licensed hundreds regarding films, musicals, and film clips.  

View Ned McLeod's Consulting Profile.

George Zeitler, MSc, has over 30 years of experience in the Marine Industry in various regulatory, management, and consulting roles. He is an Accredited Marine Surveyor (Y&SC) by the Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors and a Member of the International Institute of Marine Surveying.

Background Experience - Mr. Zeitler served 18 years as a USCG Marine Inspector / Casualty Investigator, and 7 years as a Class Society principal surveyor (DNV).  He then spent 1 year as VP of Operations for a niche cruise line. Mr. Zeitler went on to serve 5 years as a technical consultant for various segments of the marine industry, including 2 years as third party environmental auditor for criminal pollution cases. He has been an Accredited Yacht and Small Craft Surveyor for over 15 years. 

In 2002, Mr. Zeitler formed Zeitler Marine Services (ZMS), using his experience and knowledge to offer condition and valuation (pre-purchase and insurance) and damage survey services to the yachting and recreational boating communities in south Florida. He is currently the Director of the Chapman School of Seamanship Yacht and Small Craft survey course.

Litigation Support - Mr. Zeitler uses his vast experience verifying Compliance with Applicable Maritime Laws / Regulations through on site surveys and audits of client's vessels. His years of operational and regulatory enforcement help provide clients with a unique perspective that is key in identifying vulnerabilities onboard vessels as well as gaps in policies and procedures. He functions as a Court Appointed Monitor in situations where vessel operators are negotiating a plea agreement for a DOJ-approved Environmental Compliance Programs.

Areas of Expertise:

• Vessel Design and Construction
• Vessel Compliance with International and US Laws and Regulations
• Compliance with Federal and Voluntary (ABYC) Standards for Yachts and Small Craft
• Casualty Investigation
• Vessel Operations
• Cruise Ship Management, Operation, and Safety
• Environmental Compliance and Auditing

Professor Mat Schmalz is an internationally recognized expert on the Catholic Church and New Religious Movements (Jehovah's Witnesses; Scientology). He has served as an expert witness in Religious Liberty cases involving New Religious Movements and has argued that using the word "cult" in a legal context is inflammatory.

He has over 500 media citations--and over one hundred appearances on television. He is able to adapt to multiple audiences and rhetorical contexts.