Published Friday 24 July 2026 · By the JustEng team
Structural failures and landmark liability rulings dominate today’s forensic round-up — and each carries a clear signal for forensic engineering recruitment and expert-witness hiring. Here are the investigations and disputes worth watching, with what they mean for firms competing for scarce investigative talent.
Manhattan high-rise collapse triggers exhaustive structural investigation
Officials in Midtown Manhattan evacuated a former Pfizer headquarters being converted to apartments after two columns failed on upper floors that were being widened during renovation. City engineers, contractors and firefighters launched what authorities called an exhaustive investigation into the load path and column failure. Read the coverage.
Hiring angle: High-profile renovation failures drive candidate demand for forensic structural engineers able to reconstruct load paths and sequencing, reinforcing the need for specialist forensic engineering recruitment on both sides of a dispute.
Albany facade collapse under investigation
A partial collapse at a vacant building on Ontario Street in Albany sent bricks into the roadway on 22 July, prompting an owner-led demolition and an ongoing investigation into the cause of the facade failure. Masonry and facade failures of this kind routinely require detailed materials and connection analysis. See the report.
Hiring angle: Facade and masonry failures sustain forensic engineer recruitment for specialists in cladding, brickwork and building envelope investigation — a niche where experienced candidates are consistently in short supply.
Building liability order reaches a German parent in landmark cladding ruling
In Mulalley & Co Ltd v Sto Ltd, the Technology and Construction Court granted a building liability order against a German parent company by default, holding it jointly and severally liable for its UK subsidiary’s defective cladding system and assessing the supplier’s contribution at 87.5%. The decision confirms the long reach of the building liability order regime over international manufacturers. Read the analysis.
Hiring angle: Expanding liability keeps expert-witness and defect-investigation workloads high, driving forensic engineering vacancies for engineers who can pair technical analysis with disputes experience. Benchmark pay with our forensic engineering salary guide.
Mitsubishi-Daewoo consortium wins US$200m-plus ICC arbitration
A Mitsubishi-Daewoo construction consortium prevailed in an ICC dispute over sums due under a settlement agreement with the Omani-Algerian owner of a fertiliser plant, recovering more than US$200 million. The award underscores how high-value process-plant disputes turn on detailed delay and quantum evidence. More via Global Arbitration Review.
Hiring angle: Large international arbitrations fuel demand for delay analysts, quantum experts and forensic engineers, and specialist headhunting is often the only route to candidates who combine engineering depth with arbitration credentials.
Grenfell: up to 20 firms and 57 individuals could face charges
Police and prosecutors confirmed that up to 20 companies and 57 individuals could face criminal charges over the Grenfell Tower fire, with evidence files due to the Crown Prosecution Service by the end of September and charging decisions expected in 2027. Potential charges span corporate manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter and health and safety offences. Read more.
Hiring angle: Fire-safety litigation on this scale sustains long-run demand for fire and forensic engineers to support investigations and expert testimony, keeping forensic engineer recruitment a priority for law firms and consultancies alike.
JustEng is a specialist engineering recruitment agency headhunting hard-to-find forensic and disputes engineers for consultancies, expert-witness practices and law firms. Candidates can submit your CV, and employers can register your vacancy to begin a confidential search.