Expert Witness & Litigation Support
Governance matters. Experience matters.
Independent youth sports governance reviews, nonprofit board operations analysis, and litigation support for attorneys, grounded in years of actually running the organizations in question.
From the boardroom to the courtroom
Chris Carey
Youth Sports Governance · Nonprofit Board Operations · Organizational Management
A youth sports executive, nonprofit governance advisor, and published author with six years of leadership in organized youth baseball, including four years as President of Boerne Little League and two years as Commissioner of New Richmond Baseball League.
Throughout that tenure, Carey was directly responsible for financial oversight, budgeting, board governance, bylaws, disciplinary matters, internal disputes, and day-to-day league administration. Through Dugout Advisory, he applies that firsthand experience to help attorneys and organizations evaluate governance practices, leadership responsibilities, operational procedures, and alleged organizational failures.
The work is objective and evidence-based: how youth sports organizations actually operate, how leadership decisions get made, and how an organization's actions measure up against its own documented policies and accepted governance practice.
Areas of expertise
What I can speak to
Youth Sports Governance & League Administration
- Little League and youth sports operational practices
- League president, commissioner, and board responsibilities
- Tournament and league administrative procedures
- Organizational structure and decision-making authority
- Volunteer leadership and organizational accountability
- Disciplinary processes and internal dispute resolution
Nonprofit Board Governance
- Board responsibilities and oversight practices
- Bylaw interpretation and procedural compliance
- Board meetings, voting practices, and decision-making
- Leadership authority and governance disputes
- Conflicts of interest and organizational accountability
- Governance policies and operational procedures
Financial Oversight & Organizational Management
- Budget development and financial accountability
- Board-level financial oversight
- Internal controls and authorization procedures
- Operational management and administrative practices
- Organizational recordkeeping and transparency
- Governance-related review of alleged financial mismanagement
Forensic accounting, fraud quantification, legal conclusions, and specialized tax opinions fall outside the scope of these services. Where a matter needs them, I work alongside the appropriate specialists.
Services
Litigation support for plaintiffs or defendants
Available to counsel on either side of a matter, subject to case-specific qualifications and a conflict check.
Case Evaluation & Consultation
Independent review of governance disputes, organizational procedures, bylaws, board decisions, and documented management practices.
Document & Policy Analysis
Review of organizational records, meeting minutes, financial oversight procedures, disciplinary documents, and applicable governance policies.
Investigative Reviews & Written Reports
Structured assessments identifying relevant facts, applicable operational standards, procedural departures, and the basis for each professional opinion.
Deposition & Trial Support
Availability for expert testimony in appropriate cases, subject to retention, qualification, and applicable court requirements.
Attorney Collaboration
Working alongside litigation counsel, forensic accountants, CPAs, and other specialists when a matter spans multiple disciplines.
Not sure it's a fit?
A quick conflict check and a short call will tell us both.
Start a conflict checkHow an engagement works
- Conflict checkSend the parties and organizations involved. No case details or documents yet.
- Initial consultationA short call to scope the question and confirm it falls within my expertise.
- Written engagement agreementScope, rates, and retainer are set in writing before any work begins.
- Review & analysisDocuments, records, and policies reviewed against the organization's own standards and accepted practice.
- Report and testimony, if neededWritten findings, plus deposition or trial support where the matter calls for it.
Leadership & professional qualifications
Where the experience comes from
President, Boerne Little League
Executive leadership with direct responsibility for:
- Organizational budgets and financial oversight
- Board governance and meeting administration
- Bylaws, policies, and organizational procedures
- League operations and volunteer leadership
- Disciplinary matters and conflict resolution
- Internal organizational disputes and accountability
Commissioner, New Richmond Baseball League
League administration and leadership, contributing to the management and oversight of organized youth baseball operations.
Founder & Advisor, Dugout Advisory
Advisory services focused on youth sports organizational leadership, governance, and operational effectiveness.
Publication
Wait, You Want Me to Be President?
Lessons from the volunteers who actually run youth sports
A book on the operational challenges, leadership responsibilities, and realities of managing nonprofit youth sports organizations: governance, volunteer management, and executive leadership, drawn from firsthand experience.
View on AmazonSelected investigative experience
2026 Youth Baseball Tournament Governance Review
Author of an approximately 22-page investigative report examining reported allegations of procedural and organizational impropriety connected to a 2026 Little League regional tournament.
Role: Investigative report author and organizational governance reviewer.
Professional fee schedule
Straightforward hourly rates
| Service | Hourly rate |
|---|---|
| Initial case consultation | $175 |
| Document and governance review | $175 |
| Written report preparation | $175 |
| Deposition testimony | $275 |
| Trial testimony | $350 |
All fees and expenses are set out in a written engagement agreement before work begins.
Engagement inquiries
Have a matter that turns on how a league is run?
Available for youth sports governance consulting, organizational assessments, attorney consultation, litigation support, and expert witness engagements.
For matters currently in litigation, please email me the latest amended petition and certificate of service. For any pre-litigation matters, a copy of any formal complaint/allegations and a list of all parties (and their counsel) involved is sufficient. I will perform a thorough conflict check and advise you on any prior/current consulting with any of the involved parties.
Dugout Advisory is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice or legal opinions. Services are consulting and, where retained, expert witness services based on practical organizational and governance experience. Engagement is subject to conflict checks, qualification for the specific matter, and a written engagement agreement. Nothing on this page creates a consulting or expert relationship. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Little League Baseball or any national governing body. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.