Published Friday 17 July 2026 · By the JustEng team
A momentous 48 hours for forensic engineering: verdicts in Genoa, a formal inquiry into a buckling Manhattan tower and two significant English court decisions. Here is what it all means for forensic engineer recruitment and expert-witness hiring worldwide.
Genoa delivers verdicts in Morandi bridge collapse trial
An Italian court has convicted 32 defendants over the 2018 Morandi bridge collapse that killed 43 people, with former Atlantia chief executive Giovanni Castellucci receiving the heaviest custodial sentence — reported at 12 years (RTE). Investigations found the collapse was triggered by corroded load-bearing cables in the ninth pillar’s stay, with prosecutors alleging years of missed or inadequate maintenance (Al Jazeera). Hiring angle: Landmark criminal accountability for infrastructure failure sharpens candidate demand for bridge assessment, corrosion and materials specialists — and asset owners across Europe are strengthening in-house inspection teams, lifting forensic engineering vacancies.
Manhattan high-rise inquiry puts conversion engineering under scrutiny
New York City’s Department of Investigation has opened an inquiry after two structural columns buckled on the 21st floor of a 37-storey former Pfizer headquarters undergoing one of the city’s largest office-to-residential conversions, forcing evacuations near Grand Central (CNN). Engineers are examining added loads from upper-floor extensions, construction sequencing and temporary works. Hiring angle: As office-to-residential conversion accelerates globally, structural forensic engineer jobs tied to load-path verification and remedial design are multiplying — a specialism where headhunting is often the only route to proven investigators.
TCC refuses to enforce £2m adjudication over “fabricated” JCT contract
In the first adjudication enforcement refusal of 2026, the Technology and Construction Court declined summary judgment on a £2m adjudicator’s decision after finding a real prospect that the JCT contract relied upon did not exist, leaving the true contractual position for trial (Irwin Mitchell). Hiring angle: Contract-formation disputes of this kind keep quantum and delay experts in short supply, and claims consultancies are actively hiring engineers who can combine site experience with expert witness construction dispute work.
Parent company held liable in first default building liability order
The English High Court has confirmed the broad reach of building liability orders under the Building Safety Act, holding German parent Sto SE jointly liable for its UK subsidiary’s defective cladding system and ordering it to pay 87.5% of contractor Mulalley’s losses — about £1.77m plus interest — over the Parkside Court recladding in Chelmsford (Osborne Clarke). Hiring angle: As Building Safety Act contribution claims reach judgment, façade and fire specialists with litigation-support experience are among the most sought-after profiles in engineering recruitment — fire engineer vacancies at expert consultancies continue to outpace supply.
Mackinac Bridge cleared on vessel-collision collapse risk
A new engineering assessment commissioned after the Baltimore Key Bridge disaster has found Michigan’s Mackinac Bridge sits below the threshold risk of collapse from a theoretical vessel strike, the state’s transport department reported (MDOT). Hiring angle: Post-Baltimore vulnerability studies are now routine for major crossings worldwide, sustaining recruitment of risk-assessment and ship-impact modelling engineers across bridge owners and their consultants.
JustEng is a specialist engineering recruitment agency headhunting hard-to-find forensic, fire and façade engineers for consultancies, insurers and expert-witness practices. Explore forensic engineering recruitment, benchmark pay with our forensic engineering salary guide, submit your CV or register your vacancy.