Published Friday 10 July 2026 · By the JustEng team
Forensic and disputes news has been unusually loud this week: a live structural emergency in Midtown Manhattan, a landmark cladding contribution ruling in the Technology and Construction Court, an appeal on the biggest Building Safety Act order to date, and criminal charges in the Baltimore bridge case. Here is what is happening and what it means for hiring across forensic and disputes practices.
Manhattan tower conversion: columns buckle on 21st floor
New York’s Department of Buildings has opened an investigation after two support columns buckled on the 21st floor of 235 E. 42nd Street, the former Pfizer global HQ mid-conversion into a luxury rental. The DoB has required the owner to appoint a third-party engineer to run a forensic evaluation, and temporary shoring has been installed from the ninth floor up to the roof (ABC News).
Hiring angle: Office-to-residential conversions are a growing source of forensic instructions on both sides of the Atlantic — expect steady demand for structural investigators with retrofit and load-path experience.
Mulalley v Sto: German parent held liable for defective cladding
The Technology and Construction Court granted a building liability order against Sto SE & Co. KGaA, Sto Ltd’s German parent, and set its “just and equitable” contribution to Mulalley’s Chelmsford tower losses at 87.5% — well above the range typically applied to architects. It is the first time a court has assessed a cladding product supplier’s contribution under the regime (Osborne Clarke).
Hiring angle: The ruling drags overseas manufacturers into the UK BLO net, which should widen instructions for forensic engineers and materials experts in product-liability work.
Ardmore to appeal landmark £15m Building Safety Act ruling
Contractor Ardmore has confirmed it will appeal the High Court’s decision in Crest Nicholson v Ardmore Construction Ltd, which granted Crest Nicholson an anticipatory building liability order and a second BLO enforcing a £14.9m adjudication award tied to fire-safety defects at a Portsmouth scheme. Ardmore argues the legislation was not intended to apply in this way (Construction Enquirer).
Hiring angle: Whichever way the Court of Appeal lands, the BLO caseload keeps building — a positive signal for expert-witness engineers, delay and quantum consultants, and fire-safety specialists.
Baltimore Key Bridge: criminal charges against ship’s operators
The US Department of Justice has charged Singapore-based Synergy Marine, India-based Synergy Maritime, and the Dali’s technical superintendent with conspiracy, failing to notify the Coast Guard of a known hazardous condition, obstruction of an agency proceeding and false statements. NTSB’s final report attributed the loss of power that caused the collision to an improperly labelled wire that slipped over a covering, breaking a circuit-breaker connection (CNN).
Hiring angle: Marine and infrastructure failure investigations remain a specialist niche — forensic engineers with electrical systems and maritime experience continue to command premium day rates.
ICC 2026 rules add Highly Expedited Arbitration for DAB enforcement
The new ICC Arbitration Rules that came into force on 1 June introduce a Highly Expedited Arbitration procedure, seen as a viable route to enforce dispute adjudication board decisions quickly on major projects. Practitioners expect increased uptake on international construction contracts where standing DABs are already in place (White & Case).
Hiring angle: Faster arbitration cycles increase demand for delay analysts, quantum experts and technical witnesses who can turn work around at pace — a good moment to check current benchmarks in our forensic engineering salary guide.
UK expert reports move into public view in London courts
The public accessibility pilot that started on 1 January 2026 means expert reports filed and referred to in public hearings are now accessible to the public in the Commercial Court, London Circuit Commercial Court and the Financial List. Practitioners note London’s disputes market is moving into a more forensic, evidence-led phase where legal outcomes hinge on the quality of project data as much as legal argument (Construction Magazine UK).
Hiring angle: Reputational stakes for expert engineers have gone up — law firms are asking for CVs with published, peer-reviewed reports and clean cross-examination records.
Building a forensic or disputes team, or ready for your next expert-witness role? Register a vacancy or submit your CV and the JustEng team will be in touch.