Expert Witness and Advisory Services lead, Chartered Civil and Structural engineer (FICE) with 30 years’ experience.

Lucy is a fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers (FICE) and a fellow of the Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb) with 30 years of experience, including 6 years in Dubai. Experienced in the design of steel, concrete, masonry and timber building structures, project management, the design process and FIDIC contracts. She has given evidence on numerous occasions in both litigation and high profile international arbitrations.

Chartered Structural Engineer with over 20 years of experience in the construction and engineering industry.

David is a Fellow of the Institution of Structural Engineers (FIStructE) and an experienced Expert Witness with a proven track record of delivering highly impactful technical opinion for clients in construction and manufacturing industry related disputes both in the UK and internationally.

David has contributed to successful client outcomes across all forms of dispute resolution, including court preparation and appearance.

David Pope is very knowledgeable in his field and his reports are thorough and objective. He is very responsive in dealing with our requests and we have no hesitation in recommending him as an independent expert in his field of expertise

In-house solicitor with 15 years’ in-house experience.

Robert is a commercial solicitor qualified in 2001, offering his experience and advice in commercial contracts, risk management and claims handling.

Steve is a chartered chemist and fire engineer, specialising in fire safety engineering, fire risk assessment, fire and explosion hazards of industrial premises, processes and materials, and ATEX/DSEAR compliance.

He has undertaken testing and research on dust and gas explosions including self-heating of materials, and then gained experience on active fire protection systems including water mist, sprinklers (design fires) and combustion toxicity. He has undertaken consultancy work on dust/gas explosion safety and self-heating. His work encompasses the technical areas of, fire safety engineering, fire consultancy, fire risk assessment and industrial process safety (DSEAR).

Steve now spends most of his time providing expert advice and evidence.  He has been cross examined in court numerous times.

Chartered Structural engineer with 16 years’ experience.

Katerina has significant expertise in the design of steel, timber, reinforced concrete, and masonry structures using various software.  

She also has broad experience in the refurbishment of commercial, industrial, educational, leisure, and historic residential buildings. 

She investigates and advises on the causes of structural defects, such as ground movement, design and construction issues and also specialises in the impact of design progress / design changes.

A doubly chartered engineer, with both the Institute of Civil and the Institute of Structural Engineers, with 17 years of experience in the design and assessment of structures in steel, timber, concrete, and masonry for commercial, industrial, educational, leisure, and residential buildings.

Gary has an engineering doctorate and has published numerous papers in leading engineering journals. His work has also formed industry design guidance documents and has been published within ICE, IStructE and Concrete Centre technical literature. Gary is a guest lecturer at the University of Loughborough, focussing on the design of concrete and masonry structures. He has also supervised numerous student research projects up to doctorial level and has been on viva panels as an industrial expert.

Gary has worked as part of design teams on buildings both in the UK and internationally and has experience in the design and delivery of high-rise concrete frames. Gary also has experience in the refurbishment of listed buildings, successfully delivering structural award-winning projects involving Grade 2 and 2* assets.

Chartered Building Surveyor with over 27 years of experience.

Ian regularly works on contentious property matters and has specialised in dilapidations and defects analysis for over 20 years. A past member of the RICS Dilapidations Steering Group, Ian regularly provides talks on behalf of the RICS (and others) on dilapidations and wider defects analysis matters.

Ian is a knowledgeable expert and has experience of mediation, adjudication, and litigation. He has provided both oral and written evidence in relation to dilapidations and building defects and has been cross examined.

Alastair is a Chartered Architect with more than 30 years’ experience in the construction industry.

As an architect, Alastair has delivered luxury residential properties and affordable housing in West London and high-end commercial spaces in Mayfair. He was a project architect for the refurbishment of a Grade 2* listed church near Sloane Square and its conversion into Cadogan Hall, a 950-seat concert hall and home to the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. He has delivered residential projects of all scales, from single houses to high-rise residential blocks. He led a team that specialised in the delivery of high-risk residential buildings under design & build contracts.

Since 2021 Alastair has focused on providing expert advice and evidence. He specialises in the forensic investigation of building defects, including fire safety, façade construction and waterproofing. He has been cross examined in both the TCC and First-Tier Property Tribunal.

In addition to his architectural qualifications, Alastair has an MSc in Construction Law from King’s College, London, and is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

Fergal is a chartered structural engineer with almost 30 years of experience, has a degree in civil engineering, and an engineering doctorate in the fire resistance of structural steelwork, which lead to the publication of papers in conference and material science journals. He became a Fellow of the IStructE in 2015 and has contributed to several sustainability publications from the Institution.

He has a good grounding in the wider issues surrounding fire design in structures and has been part of numerous industry technical and code committees producing industry guidance.

More broadly, he has experience in the design and assessment of structures in steel, timber, concrete, and masonry for commercial, industrial, educational, leisure, science and residential buildings. Within that, higher education, science building and refurbishment became particular areas of interest. Fergal also became one of the foremost contributors to sustainability in structural design, with several publications pushing the boundaries of carbon footprinting for structures.

Fergal has been involved with expert witness work since the start of his career, initially as structural engineer supporting the expert witness in an analytical role on several claims, and more recently in the role of lead expert.

Matthew is a Chartered Engineer with over 15 years of civil and structural engineering design experience covering a broad range of sectors and clients, with project values ranging from £5K to £155M. Matthew’s experience has involved a mix of design consultant led and contractor/developer led projects, engineering surveys and reporting, building pathology and forensic engineering, and acting as an expert witness.

From developing his early career within a multidisciplinary construction consultancy, and later within solely engineering firms, Matthew has an in-depth appreciation of the work carried out by all disciplines to ensure the success of a project. Matthew has a keen interest in architecture and the historic environment and is an affiliate member of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC) and a member of The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB).

Matthew now spends most of his time providing expert advice and evidence to clients.

Experienced Chartered Building Services Engineer and Member of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers.

13 years of experience delivering complex buildings in a range of sectors including education, low carbon offices, healthcare, and laboratory buildings for world-class universities. Leads the internal development of technical design standards and guidance for the building services design teams within Ridge. Founding committee member of the CIBSE HVAC Systems Group and contributor to other CIBSE initiatives, including the Electrical Engineering for Net Zero Buildings working group and IT & Controls group.

Fire engineer and chartered building engineer with more than 20 years of experience.

Christine started her career as a Building Control surveyor, before moving into fire engineering. She is a Board Director of the Chartered Association of Building Engineers.

Christine is a respected expert in her field and has been appointed as expert advisor and expert witness on cases involving fire safety construction, defects, and Building Regulations. Her in-depth knowledge of fire safety risk, and her broad knowledge means that she is particularly suited to holistic fire safety assessment and review.

She has an Advanced Professional Award in Expert Witness Evidence, which is at master’s degree level.

Chartered Mechanical Engineer with 20 years’ experience in the construction industry. Member of the Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers.

Natalie’s building services design and expert witness experience includes projects in the UK and Middle East across a range of sectors including residential, hospitality, education, healthcare and transport.

Natalie has experience of litigation and mediation and has prepared advisory reports, expert reports and joint statements, advising clients on disputes relating to the design, installation, testing and commissioning and maintenance of MEP engineering services. She has assisted in the preparation for hearings and participated in expert discussions and mediations in conjunction with the lead expert.

Systems covered include heating, ventilation, cooling, gas, water, controls and fire protection systems for residential and commercial buildings as well as utilities, district heating/cooling distribution networks on larger sites.

Chartered Building Surveyor with 30 years of industry experience, including a number of years running his own practice.

From early in his career, Andrew has been involved in defects analysis and producing expert reports for both commercial and residential properties, overall, amassing knowledge of a wide range of construction methodologies.

Andrew has extensive dilapidations experience, and is an experienced expert in all types of dispute resolution.

Andrew is equipped with sustainability expertise as a Non-Domestic Energy Assessor.  Also, as a former NRAC Access Consultant, Andrew is able to advise on accessibility issues.

After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in law, Niralee changed paths to qualify as a Chartered Architect and now has considerable experience in the construction industry.

Niralee’s experience in architectural practice covered the RIBA Plan of Work Stages, including building contracts, consultant appointments, feasibility studies, statutory approvals, developed design, site inspections and the CDM Principal Designer role. She specialised in large residential projects on brownfield sites with complex constraints.

Since shifting focus to expert witness services, Niralee has been appointed as an architecture technical expert on a variety of issues. She now specialises in providing advice on disputes involving fire safety claims, water ingress claims, and allegations of architectural negligence ranging from poor site inspections and certifying to poor detailing and design co-ordination.

Her instructions have included assessment of allegations of professional negligence, regulatory compliance with the England and Wales Building Regulations, and compliance with other building codes. She is experienced in opining on the intersection between different design consultants’ responsibilities and scopes.

Niralee is an elected RIBA Councillor, representing the London region from 2023 to 2026. She also examines Part 3 students at The Architectural Association School of Architecture. In addition to her architecture qualifications, Niralee holds a bachelor’s degree in law from the University of Nottingham and the Expert Witness Civil Certificate from Cardiff University Bond Solon.

Hannah is a chartered engineer with over twenty years’ experience.

She has delivered complex projects in commercial, industrial, and residential sectors, including student accommodation, across the UK, as well as having specialised in healthcare and life sciences sector as part of her career.

In her previous role she was responsible for the project multi-disciplinary services delivery as well as securing new business for the practice.  Over her career she has worked on various projects including new build concrete frame, steel frame (large span trusses and medium scale frames) and small and large refurbishment projects. She was also responsible for the management of the engineering committee, which looked to monitor and manage the technical documents, research changes in engineering practice in the industry (Building safety act and design code alterations) and improve knowledge sharing across the structural engineers in the practice.

Hannah has recently begun to specialise in providing expert advice to clients, drawing on her wealth of experience in structural design and project delivery.

James has over 10 years of experience in the design and assessment of structures in steel, timber, concrete, and masonry for commercial, residential, and institutional buildings. He has spent his career working with industry leading design consultancies delivering projects across the UK.

James has extensive design experience across a range of sectors, including working on high-profile residential and commercial office towers and prestigious transformation projects across the UK. His refurbishment experience covers Grade 1 listed buildings and transformations of landmark institutional assets in both London and Liverpool.

James has provided both expert witness and forensic engineering services on complex claims within the property and construction insurance sectors. He has worked closely with loss adjusters, insurers, and legal teams to provide conclusive, evidence-based opinions on claim matters. This work has specifically included root cause analysis investigations and provision of expert opinion.

James joined the Technical Expert Witnesses team at Ridge in 2025 and now provides expert services on national and international construction disputes.

Architect with more than 35 years of experience in private practice and in the commercial sector.

Chris has extensive experience relating to the management, administration, building design and supervision of a wide variety of architectural projects. From early conceptual design through to procurement and construction.

He has acted as an expert many times in a variety of cases, including practical completion disputes, contractual disputes, and diagnosis and eradication of building defects.

Chris splits his time between expert work and design work.

Expert Witness & Advisory Services. Senior Associate and researcher with 15 years’ experience of expert support.

Claire is a researcher with a background in chemistry and law (DPhil and MChem from the University of Oxford and a PG Cert in construction law from King’s College, London) who assists professionals instructed as experts.  

She has experience of international arbitration (particularly in the Middle East and Australia), litigation and adjudication and assists experts to produce high-quality, relevant, and understandable reports.

Mahira is a researcher who assists engineers and other professionals instructed as expert advisors and expert witnesses in international arbitrations, litigation and in other dispute resolution forums.

Mahira proofreads reports for accuracy, style, adherence to any relevant rules, and for accessibility to the non-technical reader. She also carries out document searches and other tasks that assist experts. Mahira is highly organised and efficient, resulting in time and cost savings for clients.

Mahira has a law degree, an LLM and a Bar Professional Training qualification (BPTC).

Joe assists those instructed as independent experts and advisors in various types of dispute, predominantly focusing on Building Surveying. Joe has a BA and an MA in History, and is currently undertaking an MSc in Building Surveying.

Emi supports engineers and architects instructed as experts. From reviewing reports and managing complex documentation to handling the finer details that keep projects moving smoothly, she ensures that experts provide clear and accessible advice to legal teams, clients, and tribunals.

With a background in research and analysis, Emi is thorough and precise in her work, providing structure and clarity to technical reports. She enjoys working across multiple disciplines as it provides exposure to different perspectives and distinctive challenges, allowing her to continually gain new knowledge while helping to navigate intricate disputes.

Emi has a BSc in biological sciences.

Guneet assists professionals who are instructed as experts in various types of disputes.

Guneet manages documents, assists with proofreading reports, and supports other tasks that help our experts.

Guneet has an MSci in Chemistry.

Marta is a Chartered Fire Engineer with over 13 years of experience in the construction industry. She began her career in fire safety research before moving into technical design within the built environment and later expanding into fire safety management and fire risk assessments. Her experience includes the design and construction of external walls, internal compartmentation, and both passive and active fire safety systems. Marta has also undertaken numerous external wall assessments and worked on projects across a wide range of sectors, including airports, offices, educational buildings, residential developments, hospitals, care homes, hotels, and warehouses.

As a Chartered Engineer (CEng) and Member of the Institution of Fire Engineers (MIFireE), Marta now specialises in dispute resolution. She provides expert fire safety advice and acts as an expert advisor and expert witness in cases involving design and construction defects, Building Regulations compliance, professional negligence and matters arising under the Building Safety Act.

Marta holds an MSc in Construction Law and Dispute Resolution from King’s College London and the Cardiff University Bond Solon (CUBS) Expert Witness Civil Proceedings Certificate. Her technical foundation includes degrees in Fire Safety Engineering and Chemistry, giving her specialist insight into the combustion process and fire behaviour of materials.

Marta joined the Technical Expert Witnesses team at Ridge in 2025 and now provides expert services on construction disputes.