Real Estate: Agent / Broker - Standard of Care Expert Witnesses: 12

Jeffrey S. Rothbart, JD, LLM, founded Stack Real Estate, LLC (“Stack”) to focus on commercial real equity investments, development, capital markets advisory, and expert witness services. Since its inception, Stack has participated in over $1.5 billion in Commercial Real Estate Transactions.

Mr. Rothbart is experienced in real estate acquisitions, development asset, portfolio management, capital markets, leasing, dispositions, and sustainability. He has been involved in office, residential, retail, industrial, hotel, self-storage, medical, and senior-living operations as an investor, developer, adviser, or expert witness.

In addition to his responsibilities at Stack, Mr. Rothbart is also the Head of Investments for Peer Realty and a Principal at both Birchwood Health Care Properties, LLC and Insignia Homes. In his roles for Stack, Peer, and Birchwood, Mr. Rothbart is currently overseeing the syndication of over $65 million in real estate investments, including two residential subdivision developments, retail centers, and multiple senior living acquisitions and development opportunities. He is also LEED-AP for New Construction (v2.2) and an Adjunct Professor of Law at Chicago-Kent College of Law.

Litigation Support - Prior to forming and participating in several companies, Mr. Rothbart practiced real estate and tax law at a Chicago-based law firm and worked in the legal department of Related Midwest, one of Chicago’s largest multi-family developers. He has been an expert witness in real estate related litigation matters exceeding $300 million and has published over 40 articles on the commercial real estate markets. His services are available to attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant.

Areas of Expertise:

Commercial Real Estate Real Estate Valuation Real Estate Acquisitions Bankruptcy Eminent Domain Real Estate Development / Redevelopment

Landlord / Tenant Disputes Manufactured Homes Mortgages Property Management Real Estate Agency Standards Property Tax Appeal

View Jeffrey Rothbart's Consulting Profile.

Steven D. Epcar, CPM an Expert in Real Estate and Property Management Issues with 35+ years of experience;including residential, commercial, retail, hotel, condominium and mixed-use properties. Experienced in litigation support including standard of care, partnership conflicts, brokerage issues,landlord/tenant, valuation, personal injury, habitability, environmental, life safety cases. 

Steven is a member of the Forensic Expert Witness Association (FEWA).  He serves as a real estate consultant for institutional and private investors, providing an array of services: asset/property management related assignments, organizational assessments, financial feasibility, due diligence,and new development services. 

Previously, Mr. Epcar served as President, Residential Services for Carmel Partners a R/E investment/management firm in San Francisco, Principal/Founding Partner of Ventana Property Services, a West Coast third party management and consulting firm and President,Prometheus Management Group,a development/investment/management firm.

Areas of Expertise:

Standard of Care Issues Personal Injury Matters Partnership Conflicts Tenant-In-Common (TIC) 1031 Exchange Assessments Security/Life-Safety Issues Lease Compliance Issues Environmental Matters

Habitability Landlord / Tenant Disputes Fiduciary Duty Issues Property Inspections Contractor Defects and Disputes Premises Liability Real Estate Broker Duties Rent Control Compliance/Violations

Lezlee Liljenberg, CIC, CRIS, MLIS, PA, MA, entered the Insurance business in 2004 as she started her first agency from ground zero, growing the business to over $6 million in revenue in less than 12 years.

Ms. Liljenberg holds a BA in Journalism/Public Relations and a MA in Political Science/Public Administration from the University of Texas at Arlington. She is a Professional Financial Representative holding licenses as 6 & 63 Securities, a Property & Casualty Agent, Life & Health Agent, Risk Manager, Public Adjuster, and Texas Real Estate Broker.

She is well-known in the insurance and real estate industries for her responsiveness, knowledge, and professionalism in handling situations in both of these industries. Her 36 years of contractual knowledge is extensive and is strengthened by her years as a Commodity Electricity trader during Deregulation in 2001.

Litigation Support - Ms. Liljenberg provides Insurance Expert Witness services to attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant. She offers thorough reporting, depositions, and trial testimony as needed.

Areas of Expertise:

Insurance & Real Estate Agents Errors & Omissions Insurance & Real Estate Bad Faith Life & Supplemental Health Benefit Claims Personal Auto Homeowners Insurance Product Liability Insurance Commercial Auto Insurance Commercial General Liability Commercial Umbrella Professional Liability Insurance

Directors & Officers Liability Product Liability Employment Practices liability Business Interruption Flood Insurance Inland Marine Insurance Boiler & Machinery/Equipment Breakdown Farm & Ranch Owners Watercraft/Boats Personal Umbrella

Jeffrey S. Lapin, CPM®, is an expert in maintenance and management procedures and reasonable standards of care for commercial properties and HOA's. He has been directly involved in Commercial Real Estate Management, Leasing and Construction for over 38 years. 

Mr. Lapin is a Certified Property Manager (CPM®), certified by the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM®) and a California licensed Real Estate Broker. Mr. Lapin is a certified instructor for IREM® and for the Building Owners and Managers Institute International (BOMI®), teaching courses for these prestigious international property associations, including courses required by IREM® and by BOMI® for the respective professional accreditations they offer, centered around construction and maintenance topics. He also served as President of the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM®) Chapter 22 in Sacramento, California in 2016. 

Mr. Lapin continues to present educational programs for IREM®. Mr. Lapin specializes in Property Maintenance and Inspection Procedures, Management Policies and Procedures, and Asset Value Protection. His background includes roles with institutional landlords including TIAA CREF, MetLife, The New England Life Insurance Company, and Principal Mutual Life, as well as a diverse group of private property owners. His experience is in managing and leasing all types of property including commercial and multi-family residential, industrial, office, and retail real estate assets. 

Litigation Support - Mr. Lapin provides expert witness services on Commercial Real Estate Standards of Practice. His cases involve injuries, personal and financial, that occur as a result of an alleged failure by a commercial landlord to follow reasonable standards of care, for either the landlord or a non-landlord plaintiff's counsel. 

Areas of Expertise:

Commercial Real Estate Personal Injury Commercial Real Estate Financial Injury Policies, Procedures for Maintenance Commercial Property Operations Commercial Property Management

Risk Mitigation Expense Management Slip and Fall Trip and Fall Gross Negligence

View Jeffery Lapin's Consulting Profile.

Lois Kadosh is a Real Estate Broker who has served attorneys as a Consulting Expert and Expert Witness since 1987. Her services include Pre-Litigation Case Evaluation and Litigation Support. Ms. Kadosh has testified to the standard of care and practices of California sales agents and supervising brokers with respect to Real Estate Transactions at more than 100+ depositions,9 trials and 4 arbitrations. 

A real estate educator since 1983, Ms. Kadosh has written and taught numerous courses, including Real Estate Practice at UC Berkeley Extension and Ethics courses. She is the revision author of the Real Estate Practice Instructor and Student Study Guides for the California Community College system. Ms. Kadosh authored the Ethics chapter for the McGraw Hill Real Estate Handbook. 

Areas of Expertise:

• Real Estate Ethics
• Agency Relationships
• Fiduciary Duty
• Due Diligence and Disclosure

Andrew Allocco, PE, is a leading Construction Consultant, Florida Licensed Public Insurance Adjuster and Real Estate Broker. With over 45 years of experience in his fields of expertise, Mr. Allocco's services are sought by individuals, corporations, developers, and law firms to oversee and advise on construction projects. He is the current owner of construction, real estate, and engineering consulting firms.

Background Experience - Mr. Allocco is the President of Indian River Construction Services, Inc. Prior to his current role, he served as the President of Better Homes Construction Services, Inc. of Miami, Florida, which performed in excess of 40,000 Building Inspections. A Forensic Consulting Engineer, he inspects Commercial, Residential, and Industrial Facilities before, during, and after construction. He assists property owners with complex insurance claims, some of which involve significant and lengthy litigation

Mr. Allocco is not only licensed in the State of Florida as a Professional Engineer and Licensed Public Insurance Adjuster, he holds more licenses both presently active and past than any other individual in the State

Litigation Support - Since the early 1970s, Andrew Allocco has been an Expert Witness in many court and arbitration cases involving disputes between owners, builders, contractors, and architects. He has extensive knowledge of the court litigation process and has assisted law firms in providing facts and questions to be used during depositions and discovery motions. Mr. Allocco's services include inspection reports on the status of the property, depositions, trial testimony, arbitration, and mediation hearings.

Areas of Expertise:

Roof Analysis Balcony Inspections Structural Condition of Buildings / Drone Inspections Highrise Buildings Smart Buildings / Energy Use / Conservation Sick Buildings HVAC  Water Intrusion

Sewer Charges Swimming Pool Spa Fire Piping Motors Machinery Roads Fencing

Insurance Litigation and Structural Consulting - Mr. Allocco is also called upon by insurance companies and attorneys representing property owners to help adjusters evaluate loss. He has been retained to investige the cause of a structural failures, determination the extent of the structural damage, develop subrogation information, prepare the scope of repair, develop a repair design, draft specifications, and more. Mr. Allocco aslo has experience with code upgrades and notice of dangerous conditions, including hurricanes such as Hurricane Andrew.

View Andrew Allocco's Consulting Profile.

Robert S. Griswold, CRE, CPM, CCIM, PCAM, CCAM, GRI, ARM, has over 30 years of specialized experience in the field of Real Estate Management. He is currently active as a day-to-day hands-on, licensed practitioner, consultant, and expert witness in all aspects of real estate (except valuation). A 3-time graduate of the distinguished Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California with a BS ('81), MBA ('86) and MSBA (2nd Masters) ('88) in real estate and related disciplines, Mr. Griswold is a recognized expert on management of all types of residential real estate. He has actively managed over 60,000 residential units and several million square feet of commercial, industrial, self-storage and retail properties nationally. He has extensive experience as a court-appointed receiver (over 160 times) for private lenders and major financial institutions. 

Litigation Support - In the last 25+ years, Mr. Griswold has consulted on over 2,000 litigation matters, has been deposed over 600 times, and provided sworn testimony in trial or arbitration on over 150 occasions in both state and federal litigation matters throughout the United States. Also serving as a court-appointed bankruptcy Custodian and Referee, his case work is very evenly divided between plaintiff and defense work. Mr. Griswold is uniquely qualified to opine on real estate related litigation matters having authored or co-authored the 9 best selling real estate books: Real Estate Investing For Dummies; Property Management Kit For Dummies; Mortgage Management for Dummies and Landlord's Legal Kit For Dummies. His 15+ years as an On-Air NBC-TV Real Estate Expert and a similar tenure as a major radio station weekly talk show host have prepared him to present opinions to juries. 

Areas of Expertise:

Property Manager or Broker Fiduciary Duty Transactions Lease / CAM Disputes Lease Mitigation Premises Liability - Trip & Fall Maintenance or Failure to Maintain "Slumlord" Allegations Health & Safety or Personal Injury Wrongful Death

Property Inspections Water Intrusion, Mold Bed Bugs Fair Housing, Discrimination HUD Management Issues, Criminal Acts Management / Receiver Fees Transfer Disclosures, Misrepresentation, Negligence Negligent Hiring, Supervision, Termination Association Board Duties and Negligence

View Robert Griswold's Consulting Profile.

Evidence Solutions, Inc. (ESI) is a premier Data and Information Forensics company established in 1982 to help clients obtain, understand, and utilize all the data and information available to them.  We can analyze cell phones, computers, hard drives, EDRs, reconstruct accidents, provide trucking standard of care consulting, recover digital data, and provide expert witness testimony in our many areas of expertise. Our experts can help you understand what needs to be done, what should have been done, and what to do next.  Call us today so we can help you!

Litigation Support - Evidence Solutions' team of expert witnesses provide litigation services in digital forensics, auto and truck accidents, accident reconstruction, EDR forensics, sports injury, police standards and policies, CMV standards, Greek fraternity issues, product failure analysis, and medical record recovery and analysis.  No matter how complex the case, they can help you discover what happened and present it in a way that everyone can understand.

Areas of Expertise:

Digital Forensics Auto & Truck Accidents Cell Phone Forensics Accident Reconstruction Black Box Forensics Sports Injury Police Standards and Policies CMV Standards Greek Fraternity Issues

Product Failure Analysis Medical Record Recovery and Analysis Data Recovery Real Estate Transactions Financial Services General Aviation Military Aviation Trucking Brokerage Triangulation / GPS

 Featured ESI Experts:

John Ross - Commercial Motor Vehicle - Heavy Vehicle - Truck Driving Standard of Care Expert Witness

John Ross has been driving commercial vehicles professionally since 1993 and boasts a blemish-free, no violations record. His experience includes owner/operator, safety director, and compliance director. He has significant experience in safely transporting hazardous materials (HAZMAT) including oil field operations and transportation. John also has significant experience in loading, unloading, and load securement. 

Expertise: Commercial Vehicles (18 Wheeler), Commercial Vehicle Safety Facilitator, Tractor-Trailer Inspection, CMV Operations, HAZMAT Handling, HAZMAT Driving, Tractor Maintenance, Trailer Maintenance, Professional Driving, Standard of Care Expert, Trailer Loading and Unloading Safety, Truck Driver Actions, Truck Driver Responsibilities, Driver Qualifications, Driver Training, Federal Trucking Regulations (FMCSRs), State Trucking Regulations, Driver Training Instructor, Double & Triple Trailer Driving, Trucking Industry Safety Standards, Loading and Unloading of Hazardous Liquid Safety, Oil Field Heavy Trucking Expertise, Electronic Logs / Electronic Logging

Joseph Renda  - General Aviation - Unmanned Aerial Systems - Aviation Maintenance Expert Witness

Joseph Renda is an experienced General Aviation pilot with over 6,800 flight hours. He is FAA certified for Unmanned Aerial Systems, Single Engine Land, Multi Engine Land, and Instrument. Mr. Renda also has decades of experience in Aircraft Acquisition, Repair, and Sales including international acquisition. He has maintained and audited maintenance records and understands compliance and regulatory issues surrounding them.

Expertise: General Aviation Repair, FAA UAS Pilot (Unmanned Aerial Systems), Commercial Single Engine/Instrument Rating, Commercial Multi-Engine / Instrument Rating, Land Instrument Training, International Aircraft Acquisition, Airplane Paint and Interior Refitting, Photo and Video Marketing of Aircraft, Aviation Maintenance and Services, Aircraft Sales, General Aviation Pilot Standard of Care, Ultralight Instructor, Maintenance Record Keeping Requirements, Person-Machine-Environment Interface

Daniel J. Brown - Law Enforcement Standard of Care Expert Witness

Daniel J. Brown served in the Law Enforcement profession for nearly 22 years, with close to 28 years of combined policing and military service. He is a seasoned professional with proven leadership skills. He helped establish a municipal police department from inception and used this knowledge to re-build two different fledgling police departments as a police chief. Mr. Brown is a decorated military veteran of two branches of service, holds a graduate-level education, and is currently pursuing his Ph.D. His experience in law enforcement ranges from municipal, county, tribal, and military. He is also a graduate of the 267th Session of the FBI National Academy.

Expertise: Community Policing, Preventing Violence through Community Policing, Major Crimes Investigation, Police Policy and Procedure, Increasing Department Productivity, Municipal, County, Tribal and Military Law Enforcement, Threat Assessment and Management, Enhancing Community Trust, Intelligence Led Policing, School Resource Officers Management, Arizona Peace Officers, Advanced Accident Investigations, Criminal Jurisdiction in Indian Country, Firearms Instruction

View Evidence Solutions, Inc,'s Consulting Profile.

Dick Bridy, PhD, is a Commercial Real Estate expert and entrepreneur with over 40 years of Commercial Real Estate Development, Brokerage, Investment, Leasing, Private Equity Sourcing, Operations, Construction, and Asset Management experience. He is the CEO of DBI Group (DBI) and Bedrock Investments Group (BIG), Bedrock 1st Mortgage, DBI Commercial Real Estate, and a principal of DBI Asset Management. 

Background Experience - Dr. Bridy and his team entitled and built two shopping centers and five single tenant properties. In addition, he has contracted for the redevelopment of over 3.5 million sq. ft. in 14 shopping centers in the Midwest and the Western US.

An accomplished scholar, Dr. Bridy is a graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania with a B.Sc. in Economics. His graduate studies garnered academic honors recognition from the San Diego State University Graduate School of Business, the Marshall School at the University of Southern California, and the University of Phoenix, from which he received an MBA, EMBA, and PhD respectively.

For decades, Dr. Bridy has served on the boards of many prominent real estate organizations, including the National Association of Realtors, California Association of Realtors, San Diego County Commercial Association of Realtors, and CCIM.

Litigation Support - Dr. Dick Bridy delivers real estate expert witness testimony for the commercial real estate and brokerage industry nationwide. He has been engaged by both plaintiff and defense attorneys. As a commercial real estate CEO, investor, developer, asset manager, broker, and syndicator, Dr. Bridy is an excellent communicator, honed by many years in leadership and advisory positions in the commercial real estate industry and as a Marine Corps officer.

Services include consultation, case review, technical investigation, IME’s, research, laboratory work (in-house or otherwise), report preparation, depositions, arbitration, mediation, court appearances, standby, cancellation of court deposition, and travel. 

Areas of Expertise: 

Asset Management Property Management Portfolio Management Commercial Litigation Premises Liabilty Disclosure Fraud

Development and Redevelopment Insurance Realtor Fiduciary Matters Constructive Eviction Lease Disputes Discrimination Entitlements

View Bedrock Consulting Group's Consulting Profile.

Jack G. Cohen has been involved in the Private Money Lending and  Real Estate Industry for over 30 years. He is currently the managing member and director of a private money real estate lending, real estate development, and investment property management company. He is also the San Fernando Realty Real Estate Investment director of the California Bureau of Real Estate. 

Mr. Cohen has experience with commercial, residential, and retail real estate, and construction lending.

Litigation Support: Mr. Cohen has been retained as an expert witness in Real Estate related cases over 50 times since 1990. He represents both Plaintiff and Defense and is experienced with complex cases. His services include thorough reporting, depositions, and trial testimony as needed.

Areas of Expertise:

Private Money Lending Credit File and Qualifications  Appraisals Evictions Foreclosures Industry Standards Title Reports Property Management

Tenant and Landlord Issues Brokers and Investor Relation Finance and Documentation Sales and Leasing Insurance Claims Loan Servicing Escrow

James H. Cantrell, CPM®CAM is a recognized Real Estate Property Management Expert with over 40 years experience. He has served as an expert witness for over 15 years in over 300 cases throughout the country. He is active in day to day management.   Mr. Cantrell has managed a variety of product types, apartments, high-rise office, condominium  association management, industrial/warehouse properties, retail, and large hotels. He is currently active in day to day asset and property management and has established management programs that have maximized the values of the various investments. He is experienced in Case analysis and Court testimony.

Background - Mr. Cantrell served as the President of Cantrell, Harris & Associates, a San Francisco-based real estate management and consulting firm that was formed 30 years ago. He has formed Cantrell Associates which provides property management, litigation support, and expert witness services.  He is a CA Real Estate Broker.  He was an Associate Professor at Golden Gate University for 9 years teaching a  Real Estate Asset/Property management course in the MBA program. He is a graduate of the University of Miami and holds the Certified Property Manager  (CPM) designation from the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) where he has been on the faculty for 30 years teaching many courses throughout the United States, Russia and Poland.   

He has an extensive career starting with Arlen Realty as a property supervisor, handling properties in the United States Investment Fund Portfolio, and has held the position of Equity Administrator with Clevetrust Realty Investors, responsible for managing numerous properties throughout the Country. He also served as Treasurer of Regency Equities, a Real Estate Investment Trust, traded on NASDQE, and was President of Plaza Equities Management, Inc., with a national portfolio of mixed assets under his direction. He has served as a Court appointed Receiver on all types of assets throughout California.

Litigation Support - Mr. Cantrell has served or consulted as an expert on behalf of both Plaintiffs and Defendants in over 300 cases. He is uniquely qualified with his experience and teaching background and is your best choice as an expert in litigation.

Areas of Expertise:

Standards of Care, Custom and Practice Property Damage Personal Injury Habitability Landlord / Tenant Maintenance or Failure to maintain Wrongful Death Brokerage disclosures, Negligence

Premises Liability- Trip & Fall Water intrusion, Mold Issues Receiverships Lease Interpretation Partnership Agreements Trust Properties Infestations, bed bugs, vermin Association Board Duties and Negligence

View James Cantrell's Consulting 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