25+ years in Circuit, Family & Federal courts. Phone forensics, eDiscovery, digital evidence authentication — and testimony that holds up under cross-examination. Free consultation. Based in Calvert City, available statewide.
"Clear testimony. Strong reports. No surprises at trial."
— K.W., Criminal Defense Attorney, Paducah, KYExpert witness and forensic consulting across all Kentucky circuits and federal courts. Each engagement starts with a free consultation.
Deleted texts, location data, app artifacts, and metadata from iPhone and Android devices. Court-admissible reports using industry-standard tools.
Laptops, desktops, external drives. Deleted file recovery, browser history analysis, USB device timelines, and full disk imaging for litigation.
KRE 901/902 compliant chain of custody, metadata analysis, and forensic hashing to authenticate texts, emails, photos, and video for court.
Collection, preservation, processing, and review of electronically stored information. ESI protocols, custodian strategy, and search refinement for Kentucky state and federal cases.
Qualified expert witness in Circuit Court, Family Court, and Federal Court across all Kentucky circuits. Clear, credible testimony that withstands cross-examination.
Attorneys across Kentucky are discovering that phones, cloud accounts, and metadata can make or break their cases. Here's how digital evidence shows up in yours.
Deleted texts, hidden financial accounts in cloud apps, GPS data proving or disproving custody claims, and prenuptial agreements buried in email archives. I've recovered the right version of a prenup from a laptop to win a contested divorce.
Cell phone forensics, Snapchat location data, body cam footage integrity, and social media timelines that challenge the prosecution's narrative. I cleared a juvenile of serious charges using recovered Snapchat location data.
Vehicle black box data, dashcam footage, fitness tracker records, GPS data, and surveillance system metadata that proves what actually happened — not just what someone says happened.
Deleted Slack messages, email metadata with timestamps that prove retaliation, employees stealing customer data to personal accounts, and unauthorized USB drives used to exfiltrate intellectual property.
Managing productions of 300,000+ documents, building defensible ESI protocols, refining search strategies, and reviewing opposing counsel's productions. I turn discovery chaos into focused, manageable evidence.
Cloud account access and recovery, authenticating electronic wills and amendments, cryptocurrency holdings, social media accounts, and digital asset inventories that executors don't know exist.
Whether you're drowning in ESI or need an expert who stays calm under cross-examination, I cover the full lifecycle of digital evidence.
I help you navigate the technical complexities of electronic discovery — identifying relevant sources, preserving data defensibly, crafting ESI protocols, and implementing search strategies that find the needle without burying you in hay. Whether you're well-versed in ESI or encountering it for the first time, I make the process clear and compliant.
Phones, computers, cloud platforms, email servers — I uncover critical digital evidence from any source. Deleted messages, hidden files, user activity timelines, metadata analysis, and location data recovery. Court-admissible forensic work using Cellebrite, FTK, Autopsy, Microsoft Purview, and OSINT tools.
Certified expert witness across Circuit Court, Family Court, and Federal Court. I explain complex technical findings in clear, credible terms — no jargon, no ego, just facts delivered with confidence. Calm under cross-examination, respected by judges, juries, and opposing counsel.
When hacking, ransomware, insider threats, or data breaches hit your client, I investigate the intrusion, trace the attackers, preserve the evidence, and coordinate with your legal strategy. From email breaches to foreign nation-state actors, I bring forensic precision and legal relevance to every investigation.
No commitment. No billable hours. Just a direct conversation about how digital evidence could affect your outcome.
I respond to every inquiry, typically within one business day. For urgent matters, call directly: (270) 205-4709
I'll be in touch within one business day. For urgent matters, call (270) 205-4709 directly.
Every case is different. But the pattern is the same: digital evidence exists, and the attorney who has it wins.
A defense attorney's client — a juvenile facing serious criminal allegations — had no way to prove their location at the time of the incident. I extracted and interpreted Snapchat location data from the device, building a forensic timeline that contradicted the prosecution's claims.
A civil rights lawsuit involving 35+ custodians over 7 years had overwhelmed the legal team. The initial search strategy returned hundreds of thousands of irrelevant messages. I refined custodians, dates, and keyword logic to focus the review — saving time, money, and the integrity of the case.
A contested divorce hinged on which version of a prenuptial agreement was actually signed. By examining laptops, cloud accounts, and email systems, I built a detailed timeline of when each version was created, modified, and sent — proving the correct version was drafted on a flight to Las Vegas.
What really sets Willie Kerns apart as a digital forensics expert — beyond his technical skill — is his unshakable demeanor under pressure. He explains complex technical findings in a way that's clear, concise, and legally solid. No jargon. No ego. Just facts, delivered with confidence and professionalism.
I've been working with Willie Kerns since he was 19 years old. Over the last 25 years, Willie has become far more than just my go-to for tech support. He combines deep technical knowledge with a calm, professional presence — and he's always two steps ahead. If you need someone who speaks both 'law' and 'tech,' look no further.
Willie brings a level of expertise and professionalism that's hard to find — especially from someone local who understands the unique needs of public agencies. He doesn't just respond to issues — he helps us prevent them. In a world where municipalities are increasingly targeted by cyber threats, having someone like Willie has made all the difference.
I'm J. Willie Kerns, founder of SmartPath Technologies in Calvert City, Kentucky. For over two decades, I've worked at the intersection of technology, law, and investigation — helping attorneys, businesses, and government agencies make sense of the digital world when the stakes are high.
My forensic work has helped defense attorneys clear the falsely accused, helped family law attorneys recover evidence that changed case outcomes, and helped corporations trace data breaches and insider theft to their source. At the federal level, I've managed complex eDiscovery involving municipal officials, massive email productions, and multi-year document reviews.
I maintain active partnerships with Galactic Advisors and CyberGuard 360 — giving Kentucky clients access to national-caliber threat detection and incident response while keeping the personal, hands-on service you expect from someone who lives and works right here in Western Kentucky.
I also serve my community as a state-certified firefighter, a member of the Jackson Purchase Firefighters Association Board, and the Calvert City Zoning Board of Adjustments. When I say I'm invested in Kentucky, I mean it.
Yes — and in many cases, that data can completely change the direction of a case. Deleted content and associated location data can often be recovered through forensic tools and analysis. Contact me before agreeing to any ESI protocol with opposing parties — proper preservation of the device is essential.
That's most of my clients, and there's no shame in it. I walk you through the entire process: identifying relevant data sources, building a defensible ESI protocol, collecting and preserving evidence, and making sure you're not agreeing to discovery terms that bury you. I speak attorney, not just tech.
When an account is breached, the attacker almost always leaves digital fingerprints. I analyze login logs, device IDs, IP addresses, email headers, and activity patterns to determine how the breach happened, what was accessed, and when. In many cases, I uncover actionable clues about who's behind it.
I combine advanced forensic tools with real-world legal insight. By refining custodians, date ranges, and keyword logic, I cut massive document pools down to focused, relevant sets. In one federal case, I reduced 300,000+ documents to fewer than 30,000 highly relevant items — saving the legal team months of review.
"Where there is a Willie, there is a way."
Whether you're facing a digital crisis, preparing for litigation, or just need expert advice, I'm here to help. Call me when: