Mutual Funds Expert Witnesses: 6

Max Holmes has over 40 years of experience in Finance as a portfolio manager, research analyst, board member, lawyer, NYU Professor and expert witness.

Mr. Homes has been an Adjunct Professor of Finance at the Stern Graduate School of Business at New York University, teaching “Bankruptcy and Reorganization” since 1993.  He has been the Chief Investment Officer / Lead Portfolio Manager for two large hedge funds ($2.7 billion and $5.4 billion of peak AUM) as well as an insurance company portfolio and a mutual fund portfolio.

 The funds invested in credit, capital structure arbitrage, distressed debt, rescue finance, direct lending, specialty finance, event stocks and special situations securities, including long and short positions. The funds invested across the capital structure: bank debt, DIP loans, second lien debt, secured and unsecured bonds, floating rate and fixed rate notes, trade claims, preferred stock, common stock, put and call options and credit default swaps (CDS). Investments were in a variety of businesses, public and private, including startups, venture capital, infrastructure, leveraged buyouts, private equity, turnarounds, restructurings, bankruptcies and liquidations. Direct lending was conducted through a Business Development Company (BDC) ($1 billion assets under management). Mr. Holmes has analyzing thousands of companies and investment opportunities over his career.

Areas of Expertise:

Mr. Holmes has been the Chair and CEO of a life, health and annuity insurer and reinsurer and has been an independent director of a large bitcoin mining company. He worked in investment banking, research, trading and capital markets at Drexel Burnham Lambert, Salomon Brothers, NatWest Markets and Royal Bank of Canada. Since 2015, Max Holmes has been a Senior Advisor to American Industrial Partners LLC, a private equity firm with $16 billion of AUM.

David Tilkin is a Litigation Support and Expert Witness specialist with over 40 years of experience in the Securities Industry and over ten years of experience in the Compliance Software Industry. Mr. Tilkin has been providing litigation and expert witness services at varying degrees since 2000 when he left First Union Securities to start Protegent.

The Tilkin Group has been singly involved with litigation support and providing expert witness services since 2008. The efforts of the Tilkin Group have supported both private practice attorneys litigating against the securities industry and supported the efforts of financial service firms in their defense of claims.

Mr. Tilkin currently maintains a Series 65 license and has previously maintained a Series 63, 7, 8, 4 and insurance licenses. He has extensive training in the securities industry as a broker, manager and regional director. He has leveraged his intensive background in all aspects of broker-dealer operations, has been retained in over 200 cases, and testified in 85 cases around issues of suitability, supervision, and raiding and sales practices.

David Tilkin has published numerous articles on the issues of suitability, supervision and financial services software. He offers substantive, compelling opinions to support effective legal strategy in the following areas:

View The Tilkin Group's Consulting Profile.

Thomas M. Selman, CFA, has served at the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, most recently as Executive Vice President for Regulatory Policy and Legal Compliance Officer, for over 20 years. Mr. Selman oversaw more than a dozen regulatory programs and developed FINRA's formal Compliance Program. He is devoted to investor protection and market integrity.

Mr. Selman holds a JD degree., a CFA charter, and a CBDA from the Digital Assets Council of Financial Professionals. He is a member of three state bar associations.

Litigation Support - As President and CEO of Scopus Financial Group, Mr. Selman provides expert testimony in litigation for any consumer, industry, or associate person who is litigating a matter in which SEC or FINRA rules is an issue, including civil actions brought by customers, industry disputes, and commercial litigation. He has successfully testified in four FINRA arbitrations, one Delaware Chancery Court trial, one AAA arbitration, one United States District Court case, one California court case, and one SEC enforcement matter. Mr. Selman's senior regulatory experience allows him insight into the best approaches to expert testimony and the concerns of a regulator.

Areas of Expertise:

• Rules governing supervision of associated persons of broker-dealers and investment advisers
• Required written supervisory procedures of firms
• Sales practice rules of the SEC (such as the fiduciary duty of investment advisers and Reg BI)
• The 1940 Acts

View Scopus Financial Group's Business Consultant Profile.

Braden M. Perry specializes in complex Financial Regulation, Enforcement, and Compliance Matters involving Commodities, Futures, Derivatives, and Securities. He is skilled in distilling highly technical and complex subject matter into clear, logical, and accessible analysis for fact finders, regulators, and courts. He excels at explaining financial and regulatory frameworks, tracing monetary flows, and articulating institutional practices in ways that are both understandable and persuasive.

Litigation Support - Mr. Perry works with attorneys, law firms, and regulatory professionals seeking a knowledgeable and credible expert in financial regulation, enforcement, and compliance. Ideal clients are those involved in complex litigation, arbitration, or investigations requiring clear, fact-based analysis of commodities, futures, derivatives, securities, or emerging technology issues. He particularly enjoys collaborating with counsel who value strategic insight, responsiveness, and the ability to translate highly technical matters into persuasive, understandable evidence for fact finders.

Mr. Perry brings a unique perspective as a former CFTC trial attorney and Chief Compliance Officer of a global financial institution, bridging regulatory enforcement, institutional compliance, and litigation strategy.

Areas of Expertise:

• CFTC, SEC, FINRA, NFA, CFPB, FTC Investigations
• Standards of Care for Broker - Dealers
• CTAs
• FCMs
• Internal and Regulatory Compliance Programs
• Nationally recognized for work in Cryptocurrency, Blockchain, AI, and Cybersecurity

View Braden M. Perry's Consulting Profile.

Frank Carr has extensive background and experience as an Investment Industry Employment and Compensation Expert Witness, especially in 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.

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