The Hon. Donald A. Kessler (Ret.), Of Counsel in the firm's Family Law and Litigation Departments, will be a panelist for “When and How to Use Experts in Family Law Cases,” to be presented at the New Jersey State Bar Association’s 2019 Annual Meeting and Convention, which takes place May 15-17, 2019 at the Borgata Hotel in Atlantic City.  Judge Kessler's program is scheduled for Thursday, May 16 from 1:45pm – 3:15pm.

The program will explore the following issues:  When do you need an expert. When should you retain an expert in the case. When to use a joint expert vs. your own expert. What should be in the expert report. When and how can you use charts contained in an expert report. How much back up does the expert need to testify to at trial. How and when to amend your expert report. When is a rebuttal expert report appropriate. How to dissect and adversary’s expert report. How to direct your expert during trial. How to cross examine the expert at trial. The importance of summarizing the expert testimony in your opening statement.  The importance of narrowing expert issues before trial with or without the help of the judge.  

Judge Kessler recently retired from the New Jersey Judiciary following ten years in the New Jersey Superior Court, Essex County Vicinage. He focuses his practice on resolving commercial and family law disputes through mediation and arbitration as an alternative to traditional litigation.  His experience as a judge of the equity court enables him to deal with business disputes encompassing a broad range of matters, including those related to contracts, real property, construction, employment, unfair competition, intellectual property, corporate and LLC issues, and consumer fraud.