Litigation Support & Expert Witness Testimony

   Let's be clear right out of the gate: a professional appraiser can never be an advocate.  An appraiser must remain unbiased when appraising a property -- in fact, all licensed appraisers are required to sign an Appraiser's Certification stating in unambiguous terms that we have developed
"impartial and unbiased professional analyses, opinions and conclusions", and that our compensation for completing an assignment cannot be
"contingent upon the development or reporting of a predetermined direction in value that favors the cause of the client, the amount of the value opinion, the attainment of a stipulated result, or the occurrence of a subsequent event directly related to the intended use of the appraisal".  Some appraisers are casual about this ethical stipulation: I am not.  If you looking for an appraiser to be your advocate, then I'm not your man.

    That said, I am experienced in litigation support and expert witness services.  Clients who have used my litigation support/expert testimony services include attorneys, private parties, municipalities, and two State's Attorneys General.  In many cases, my independent, defensible analysis has allowed clients to settle cases without going to court.

    I can also consult with, and advise you about the relative strength of an appraisal performed by other parties. I can also perform additional research and analysis on the credibility of another appraiser's assumptions or conclusions.

    Here are some examples of issues I have experience with:

• Estate planning & settlement
• Valuation as of a date in the past (also called 'retroactive' or 'forensic' appraising): I have retroactively appraised property with an effective date 10+ years in the past.
• Valuation for divorce, partnership, taxation issues
• Valuation for eminent domain and condemnation cases
• Effect on the market value of properties subject to conservation easements
• Valuation challenges to ad valorem assessments