Anaheim California Construction Expert Witness Directory

Why Construction Tendering Needs Specialized Intelligence

March 31, 2026 — Aarni Heiskanen - AEC Business
The construction industry has never lacked data; it lacks usable intelligence at the moments that matter most. In the high-stakes phases of tendering and pre-construction, the industry still relies on manual “Control-F” searches through thousands of pages of unstructured documents. I recently spoke with Herman Smith, a civil engineer and former Chief Digital Officer at Multiconsult, who left the corporate world to solve this specific bottleneck. His startup, Volve, isn’t just another AI wrapper; it is a specialized “drill” designed to penetrate the complexity of construction documentation. The Paradox of Digitalization without a Productivity Boost For years, the AEC industry has faced a frustrating paradox: we have more digital tools than ever, yet productivity has not improved. Herman observed this from the inside, managing hundreds of unique software licenses while seeing companies struggle to adapt to new workflows. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Aarni Heiskanen, AEC Business
Mr. Heiskanen may be contacted at aec-business@aepartners.fi

Snell & Wilmer Partner Jonathan Frank Named Winner of 2025 Connect CRE’s Lawyers in Real Estate Award

January 13, 2026 — Snell & Wilmer
ORANGE COUNTY — Snell & Wilmer is pleased to announce that Orange County Partner Jonathan Frank has received the 2025 Connect CRE’s Lawyers in Real Estate Award, a distinction honoring attorneys who demonstrate excellence in commercial real estate law while making meaningful contributions to the industry and their communities. The award recognizes legal leaders whose expertise, vision, and dedication set them apart, reflecting a career marked by both professional achievement and civic impact. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Snell & Wilmer

Construction Expert and Judge Living in the Same Hood Is Not Grounds For Recusal

December 08, 2025 — Matthew DeVries - Best Practices Construction Law
In a recent Tennessee Court of Appeals decision, Nowaczyk v. Daniels Construction (Nov. 4, 2025), a contractor tried to disqualify the trial judge because the judge happened to live in the same neighborhood as a potential expert witness for the homeowners. The court’s response? Proximity isn’t prejudice. The dispute started when homeowners sued Daniels Construction for allegedly botched remodeling work. When the judge disclosed during a hearing that he lived near the plaintiffs’ proposed expert, the defense moved to have him recused from the case. They argued that prior cases involving the same expert had led to recusals. The trial judge, however, made clear there was no personal or professional relationship with the expert and denied the motion. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Matthew J. DeVries, Buchalter
Mr. DeVries may be contacted at mdevries@buchalter.com

Quick Note: Don’t Spoil Evidence!!!!

March 10, 2026 — David Adelstein - Florida Construction Legal Updates
The phrase “spoliation of evidence” is a phrase that gets used, sometimes properly and sometimes improperly. The reason is that if evidence is legitimately spoiled, the opposing party wants an adverse inference jury instruction. There are two potential adverse inference jury instructions dealing with spoliation of evidence, neither of which are good, and one of which you definitely don’t want. A recent case discusses these jury instructions (check here) in a slip and fall personal injury case. The bottom line is that you need to preserve evidence relevant to a claim. Don’t lose it. Don’t intentionally destroy it. Don’t pretend it does not exist. Don’t do all the things that hinder the preservation and ultimate production of the relevant evidence. An adverse inference jury instruction (or an adverse inference implication in a non-jury trial) could be much, much worse. The facts are what the facts are. The best thing you can do is confront the facts. Confront the bad facts just like the good facts. The nature of any dispute is that there will be both good and bad facts. Bad facts can hopefully be explained recognizing there will be bad facts on the other side too. Sometimes, the bad facts warrant major strategic considerations and shifting the focus of how a dispute will be handled and presented. Whatever you do, don’t put yourself in a position where you are spoiling evidence. Once you get an adverse inference instruction, that’s it, as it’s very tough to overcome. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of David Adelstein, Kirwin Norris
Mr. Adelstein may be contacted at dma@kirwinnorris.com

The Difference Between Seasonal Adverse Weather and Unusually Severe Weather (and How Contractors Can Protect Against Both)

October 21, 2025 — Matthew DeVries - Best Practices Construction Law
Picture this: A contractor is nearly finished with a major dam stabilization project, but a series of Owner-directed changes pushes the last phase of the work into late fall and early winter. Instead of working through the relatively dry conditions expected in the original schedule, the contractor is suddenly battling weeks of rain and freezing temperatures. Crews are slowed, costs increase, and productivity suffers. That’s exactly what occurred in the recent decision of Thalle Construction Co., ASBCA Nos. 63685, 63721, 63734 (Aug. 13, 2025). In that case, the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals recognized that government delays had arguably pushed the contractor’s performance into a period of worse seasonal adverse weather than it would have faced under the original schedule. The Board distinguished between two types of weather:

Seasonal adverse weather: Normal, recurring patterns like rainy seasons or winter freezes, which are foreseeable and must be built into a contractor’s plan. If government delay extends performance into these months, the contractor may recover additional time and compensation.
Unusually severe weather: Extraordinary, unforeseeable events such as record-breaking storms or extreme floods. Under standard clauses, this type of weather typically entitles the contractor to time only (excusable delay), not money.

Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Matthew DeVries, Buchalter
Mr. DeVries may be contacted at mdevries@buchalter.com

Federal Shutdown Idles Most OSHA Activity, Raising Safety and Compliance Concerns

November 04, 2025 — Bryan Gottlieb - Engineering News-Record
When federal funding expired Oct. 1, the U.S. Dept. of Labor triggered its contingency plan, effectively halting most oversight functions at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Bryan Gottlieb, Engineering News-Record
Mr. Gottlieb may be contacted at gottliebb@enr.com

Indiana District Court Finds Crane Inspection Services Do Not Trigger “Professional Services” Exclusion in Liability Policy

February 17, 2026 — Jason Taylor - Traub Lieberman Insurance Law Blog
In Crane 1 Holdco, Inc. et al. v. Continental Ins. Co., 23-cv-205 (N.D. Ind. Jan 12, 2026), the District Court for the Northern District of Indiana had occasion to interpret the scope and meaning of the term “professional services” in an excess liability policy exclusion. By way of background, Robert Coppage was crushed by a crane while at work. He was seriously injured and later received a significant settlement in a state court civil action against the company that inspected the crane, Crane1. Crane1 sought coverage for the settlement under a first layer excess policy issued by Continental Insurance Company, which included an exclusion for any “liability arising out of the actual or alleged rendering of, or failure to render, any professional services by the Insured or any other person for whose acts the Insured is legally responsible.” The underlying complaint alleged that Crane1 was negligent in its modification, services, maintenance, inspection, and/or repair of the crane. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Jason Taylor, Traub Lieberman
Mr. Taylor may be contacted at jtaylor@tlsslaw.com

Why and When Construction Robotics Makes Sense

February 10, 2026 — Aarni Heiskanen - AEC Business
In construction, robotics is often discussed in terms of technology: better AI, more capable machines, and robots on job sites. Recent research suggests that the question is less about whether robots can work and more about when and why they deliver real value. An Aalto University research paper on computer-vision-driven robotic waste sorting offers a valuable lens into this. The researchers use ZenRobotics’ computer-vision-enabled automated system as a case study. The Finnish startup was acquired by Terex, a U.S. company, in 2022. At first glance, waste sorting might seem like a niche application. But it illustrates a broader economic logic that aligns with findings across the broader body of research on construction robotics. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Aarni Heiskanen, AEC Business
Mr. Heiskanen may be contacted at aec-business@aepartners.fi

ANAHEIM CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTION EXPERT WITNESS DIRECTORY AND CAPABILITIES