Building Code Expert Witnesses

What is a building code expert witness?

Building code expert witness candidates have years of experience and expertise in the construction industry and the rules and regulations that govern construction and occupancy of facilities. Building code expert witness candidates are familiar with all phases of building code compliance, construction management, LEED certification, building inspections, fire protection, and/or HVAC/electrical/plumbing experience. Building code expert witness candidates will have advanced degrees (PhD, PE) in construction management, architecture, civil engineering, structural engineering, or forensic engineering. Building code expert witnesses may be members of professional organizations such as the International Code Council (ICC), the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), or the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

What types of cases require a building code expert witness?

A building code expert witness might also provide testimony in construction defects, ADA compliance, personal injury, premises liability, property damage, insurance claims, cause investigations, or building system failure analysis.

Building code expert witness case examples

When the need for a building code expert arises, top legal professionals call on Cahn Litigation Services. The firm has placed professionals for many matters, including:

• New York fire code consulting,
• apartment fire cause,
• Utah building codes,
• New York apartment complex construction defects
• electrical safety and electrical accident investigations,
• personal injury accident investigation,
• ​emergency management,
• fire sprinkler systems failure causation in a New Jersey factory,
• forensic analysis at a Texas manufacturing facility,
• energy management at a New York facility,
• product liability investigation for California insurance companies,
• a Pennsylvania health care facility’s water heaters installation,
• failure analysis of a ventilating unit in Colorado,
• root cause analysis of industrial HVAC system failures in Florida,
• commercial building fire investigation,
• an explosion investigation in Florida, and
• fire code compliance in Michigan.

Cases may be civil or criminal and require not only building code expertise, but the ability to communicate findings to juries for ease of understanding.

What litigation support work might a building code expert witness be expected to perform?

Litigation support by a building code expert witness could include research and authoring expert reports, providing expert opinions, arbitrations, building code consulting, accessibility analyses, forensic engineering analyses, deposition testimony, and expert testimony at a trial. In a high-profile case, or litigation involving a significant financial stake, a law firm may request an expert with prior expert witness experience. In addition, clients may seek a building code expert for pre-litigation consulting work.

Cahn Litigation Services has the experience required to turn a search for a building code expert witness around quickly, providing the right balance of expertise and testimony experience.

Related Disciplines

Building Code Expert Witness - Representative Bios

Please Note: All Cahn Litigation expert witness searches are customized to attorneys' precise specifications and preferences. Attorneys are encouraged to discuss search parameters with a Cahn search specialist.

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The below expert witness bios represent a small fraction of those Building Code experts known by Cahn Litigation Services. These bios are provided to give lawyers a sense of the Building Code landscape.

• Expert Witness #260531

  This expert is an AIA certified Architect with many years of architectural design and construction administration experience with all building types, including educational, medical, R&D, corporate, commercial, custom residential, multi-family housing, military and industrial projects. Emphasizing use of durable, low maintenance materials including stainless, copper, bronze, zinc, cement-fiber, plastics, composites, specialty sealants & industrial paints. This expert heads a building reconstruction and forensic investigation consultancy that provides visual inspection, intrusive testing, defect analysis, repair recommendations and forensic expert services for both plaintiff and defense parties. This expert brings to the table specialized knowledge of construction materials, industry standards, code compliance, waterproofing, vapor transmission, exterior finishes, corrosion, condensation, ventilation, mold, wood rot, suspended ceilings, interior partitions, and structural issues. This expert's experience includes thousands of visual inspections and hundreds of intrusive tests for construction defect cases, including institutional, commercial and retail structures, housing developments and private homes. This expert also provides reconstruction design, details and specifications focused on solving complex construction problems and developing effective repairs for commercial and institutional buildings.

  This expert has served as a third-party neutral construction expert for mediators, arbitrators and courts, and retained jointly by both plaintiff and defense parties. Specializing in complex construction disputes where resolution can be facilitated through clarification of technical issues and extensive case documents. Experience includes complex, multi-party commercial and institutional cases.

  
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• Expert Witness #265019

  This expert’s architectural degree and experience makes a uniquely qualified expert in the area of slip and fall accidents occurring from areas other than walkways. This expert’s architectural experience spans the spectrum from residential properties to office buildings to hotels and manufacturing plants, and experience with roofs run the same gamut. This expert has published articles and given lectures. This expert has participated as an expert witness and has been deposed approximately 100 times, with 14 court appearances in areas such as premises liability, standard of care, coefficient of friction on walking surfaces and building code compliance.

  
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