Geology Expert Witnesses

David Wilshaw, MS, PG has over 35 years of experience in Engineering Geology, Geotechnics, Engineering Geophysics, Hydrogeology and Geoenvironmental Assessments. Since 2012, his company Britannia Solutions LLC has continuously provided expert geological opinions to insurance carriers, private individuals, corporations and their respective legal advisers. Mr. Wilshaw offers services as a Professional Geologist and expert witness with respect to disputed sinkhole insurance claims and many other specialized areas of engineering geology, including Ground Collapse, Slope Failures, Underground Mining Subsidence and the Adequacy of Ground Investigations in relation to claims under construction contracts. David Wilshaw has been a certified Neutral Evaluator under §627.7074 F.S. since 2011. He is licensed as a Professional Geologist in Florida, Pennsylvania and Tennessee and is registered as a Chartered Geologist (Geological Society of London) in the United Kingdom. He is also owner and President of Integrity Drilling & Geophysical Services, LLC (www.idgsfl.com), a company he established in 2013 providing geotechnical drilling, soil testing and geophysical services throughout Florida and the SE USA. In 2019 he was instrumental in relocating Ground Stiffness Surveys Ltd from the UK to Florida and is President of its successor company Ground Stiffness Surveys LLC (www.groundstiffnesssurveys.com). He is a frequent contributor to local, national and international media (TV, radio, print). Download full resume here:David Wilshaw - CV.pdf

Litigation Services Include:

• Testifying Expert at Deposition over 150 times.
• Testifying Expert at Trial over 40 times.
• Neutral Evaluation of over 150 Disputed Sinkhole Insurance Claims in accordance with Section 627.7074 Florida Statutes
• Peer review and expert opinion to defense and plaintiff attorneys on over 3,000 disputed claims for sinkhole loss

View Consulting Profile.

James A. Jacobs, PG, CHG, CPG, has over 30 years of experience as a Geologist / Hydrogeologist and licensed contractor focused on answering geologic, environmental impairment, and forensic questions. He is a certified hydrogeologist in California and Washington and a Professional Geologist in California and several other states.

A Fulbright Senior Scholar with 4 awards in environmental engineering and science, his projects relate to collecting, describing, and analyzing Soil, Rock, Groundwater, Vapor, and Stormwater samples, summarizing the data and creating useful technical information and cost recovery statements for decision makers or settlements. His other projects relate to peer review and contractor evaluation projects.

Mr. Jacobs has provided litigation services in the investigation and analysis of cases involving contamination by hydrocarbon and solvent spills and leaks, erosion, flooding, and related issues. He has provided testimony assisting with many settlement conferences. Mr. Jacobs is qualified to testify in municipal, state, and Federal courts.

Litigation Support and Expert Witness:

• Perform litigation and technical support for various environmental and engineering cases from evaluating remediation history to well damage to erosion control
• Estimate reasonable and necessary remedial costs for settlement conferences
• Serve as an objective peer reviewer
• Expert witness testimony on environmental cases

Since 2002, Mr. Jacobs has been an elected director of two public agencies, a local sewer district, and a community services district. As such he is interested in I&I issues and sewer gas and volatile contaminant vapor intrusion into indoor air spaces via ineffective vapor seals on fixtures or dry P-traps in buildings. He performs cost allocations for environmental litigation, and also provides oil and gas production verification.

View James Jacobs' Consulting Profile.

Dr. Ed Garbin, Ph.D., P.E., D.GE is a veteran geostructural engineer with nearly 20 years of engineering experience and 30 years of construction experience. A former General Contractor, Adjunct Professor at USF, Chief Engineer at Hayward Baker, and Vice President of Engineering at Earth Tech, he specializes in the design and construction oversight of ground improvement and specialty geostructural systems on complex sites. Dr. Garbin is the founder, President, and Principal Engineer of Garbin GeoStructural Group and is a licensed Professional Engineer in 19 states. He is also a Diplomate, Geotechnical Engineering from ASCE's Academy of Geo-Professionals.

Dr. Garbin is well-known for being a highly effective communicator, able to convey complex topics in a simple, understandable manner. He is available for design assistance, continuing education training, and litigation support.

Areas of Technical Expertise:

• Heavy Civil Engineering Design and Construction
• Ground Improvement for Weak Soils and Karst
• Earth Retention
• Shallow and Deep Foundation Systems
• Sinkhole Remediation
• Soil-Structure Interaction
• Ground Improvement / Modification Systems
• Geo-structural Instrumentation and Data Acquisition
• Marine Environment Soft Soils / Shallow Groundwater

GEO Associates provides litigation support services and expert witness testimony for civil and criminal investigations and insurance industry cases (both plaintiff and defendant) that involve Groundwater Pollution and Data Analysis, Forensic Geology and Geophysics, Hydrology Modeling, and Forensic Meteorology including Weather Event Re-Construction and Force Majeure cases. GEO Associates can assist attorneys and insurance claim professionals in obtaining, analyzing, modeling, and interpreting the correct geophysical/geological and meteorological data for their case.

GEO Associates uses the latest approved Regulatory EPA and USGS numerical modeling software to map the concentration levels and transport of air and groundwater pollutants. GEO Associates numerical modeling expertise, combined with their advanced knowledge of meteorological, geophysical and geological data gathering and processing, provides strong support to the attorney and client for cases involving Air Pollution, Reduced Visibility, Severe Storms, Groundwater Contamination, Flooding, Wind Damage and Hazardous Material Spills and Releases to Air and/or Water, which result in accidents, contamination of aquifers, toxic air, property damage, personal injury and death.

Services Include:

Forensic Geology

Industrial Groundwater Pollution

Toxic Tort Strategy

Environmental Surface and Groundwater Pollution

Mapping of Surface and Groundwater Contamination

Forensic Hydrology

Groundwater Computer Modeling

Aquifer Systems Analysis

Hazardous Spill Releases

Geological and Geophysical Data Acquisition, Processing and Analysis

Geological and Geophysical Mapping of Reservoirs

Observational Field Programs

Reflection and Refraction Seismology

Forensic Seismology

Seismic Investigations

Oil and Gas Operations and Operator Performance

Marine and Land Seismic Operations

Value Analysis of Proprietary Geophysical and Geological Data

2D and 3D Reflection Seismology Modeling and Analysis

Fluid Dynamics and Reservoir Analysis

Toxic Fluid Migration

Class Action and Force Majeure Cases

Scott Friesen, PE, is a licensed Professional Engineer in California, Florida, Arizona, Hawaii, Mississippi and two Canadian provinces (Alberta and Manitoba), and is LEED Accredited (CaGBC) and certified as an Energy Manager. Scott has more than 14 years of experience in Design and Construction of HVAC, Plumbing and Building Energy Conservation, System Design, Construction and Forensic Analysis. He has also performed commissioning, energy audits and was involved in marketing and business development.

Scott's responsibilities at Ivey include design and forensic analysis of HVAC, plumbing, fire protection and energy management systems. He performs site inspections, testing, research, product analysis, cost estimating and is responsible for writing reports and testifying in depositions, hearings and trials.

Scott is a member of Association of Professional Engineers, Geologist, Geophysicists of Alberta (APEGGA), American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) and Canadian Green Building Council (CaGBC).

Experience (partial listing):

• Approximately 75 HVAC, fire protection and plumbing design projects
• Approximately six design error and omission expert engagements
• Approximately 20 residential construction defect expert engagements
• Approximately 16 commercial construction defect expert engagements
• 10 LEED design projects
• 8 HVAC and plumbing commissioning projects

David G. Koger is a Remote Sensing Image Analysis expert with over 40 years of experience in the field. He configured and operates a state-of-the-art remote sensing image analysis and geographic information system and consults on various remote sensing applications.  Background Experience - Mr. Koger was an early researcher and developer of Satellite Data Applications. He installed analog and digital image analysis workstations and trained users in defense, major oil, and academia in Panama, Ecuador, Chile, Australia, Germany, France, Italy, Africa and the U.S. His clients include the Department of Energy, National Cancer Institute, American Farm Bureau, broadcast journalism, law firms, and several hundred oil and gas explorationists.

In 2007, Mr. Koger conducted a study to map regional geomorphic features for all of Nebraska. Since that time, ten earthquakes of 3.0 and above on the Richter scale have coincided with features mapped. Using Digital Airborne Platforms, he has studied huge areas around the globe.  

In his unique line of work, Mr. Koger has performed forensics film analysis, searched for Noah's Ark, and analyzed images of the Shroud of Turin and the underwater video that found the Titanic.  

Litigation Support - Mr. Koger offers Forensic Digital Image Analysis of remotely sensed, aerial photo (digital or film), and underwater video. His services include forensics, time-series studies, and documentation of surface damages, wildfires, material movements. Expert witness strategies and research methodologies are available to attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant. 

Remote Sensing Environmental Activity and History Superfund / Industrial Damage Underwater Video Surface Damages Hazardous Waste Wildfire Origin / Wildfire Movement Erosion / Soil Loss Land Access and Boundary Disputes

Basement Fault Mapping Earthquake Prediction and Evaluation Landslide Prediction and Evaluation Photogrammetry Airphoto Image Analysis (Digital, Scanner, Film) Time-Series Habitat Mapping Oil / Gas / Mineral / Water Exploration Buried Treasure / Submerged Treasure

View David G. Koger's Consulting Profile.

Rudolph P. Frizzi, PE, GE, D.GE is a Civil Engineer with over 25 years of extensive practical Foundation and Geotechnical Engineering experience. Mr. Frizzi has extensive project management experience throughout the United States and internationally, with particular emphasis on:

• Foundation Design and Construction in Urban Areas
• Large Scale Land and Waterfront Public and Private Development Projects

Mr. Frizzi has obtained extensive field, office supervision, and project management experience including soil and rock sampling and in-situ testing; monitoring pre , during, and post-construction with state-of-the-art geotechnical instrumentation; nondestructive testing; aqueous and sub-aqueous inspections and investigations; and heavy construction which has contributed to his practical approach to geotechnical problem solving. In addition to his "engineer of record" experience, Mr. Frizzi has provided expert geotechnical consultation and trial testimony on over 50 excavation and foundation litigation cases throughout the United States and internationally. His services are available to attorneys for Plaintiff and Defense.

Areas of Forensic Expertise:

• Foundations for Stadiums, Arenas, High-Rise Structures in Urban Areas
• Embankment and Dam Stability
• Large-scale Land and Waterfront / Marine Structures and Development
• Shallow and Deep Foundation Systems
• Soft and Hard Rock Treatment
• Earthwork
• Ground Improvement of Waste Fills
• Temporary and Permanent Lateral Support Systems for Deep Excavations
• Geotechnical Instrumentation and Vibration Monitoring
• Construction Dewatering

View Rudolph Frizzi's Consulting Profile.

Michelle Macauley is a Geotechnical Engineer and Trenchless Expert that specializes in aspects of new installation and rehabilitation projects for infrastructure replacement, improvement, and capacity enhancement using trenchless technologies. She has spent over 21 years in the Pacific Northwest, with a particular emphasis on geotechnical engineering, trenchless design, and involvement in the water / wastewater industry. 

Background Experience: Prior to starting Macauley Trenchless, Ms. Macauley was the National Trenchless Practice Lead for Jacobs Engineering and oversaw multiple trenchless projects across the company. Prior to working at Jacobs, she was a senior geotechnical engineer specializing in trenchless design and construction with GeoEngineers and Staheli Trenchless Consultants. 

In addition to her extensive project experience, she has been active in trenchless technologies at a national level.  She is currently serving on the Board of Directors for the North American Society for Trenchless Technology (NASTT) and is a regular presenter at NASTT's national trenchless conference (No-Dig). She is an active member of ASCE and serves on the Trenchless Installation of Pipes (TIPs) subcommittee, is helping re-write the Manual of Practice (MoP) on Pipe Ramming, is helping write the new MoP on Direct Pipe, and has consulted on other MoPs.

Litigation Supoprt: Ms. Macauley provides expert witness services to attorneys representing plainitff and defendant. Her services include deposition, mediation, and trial. She is a professional Civil Engineer in Washington, Alaska, California, Oregon, Texas, amd a Licensed Engineering Geologist in Washington.

Areas of Expertise: 

Horizontal Directional Drilling Microtunneling Pipejacking Pipe Ramming

Direct Pipe Guided Auger Boring Pipe Bursting Pilot Tube Microtunneling

Education:

• M.S., Geological Engineering, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, 1996
• B.S., Geological Sciences, University of Washington, 1994

View Michelle Macauley's Consulting Profile.

Robin D. Franks, PG, CHMM, RSO has over 25 years of relevant industry experience as a professional Geoscientist / Geologist and Certified Hazardous Materials Manager. President and TGE Resources, Inc., she offers environmental due diligence, industrial hygiene, environmental compliance auditing, and remediation management of affected real property services.

Ms. Franks provides litigation support and client representation with regard to environmental matters. She has been actively involved in more than 35 "merger/acquisition" projects encompassing over 750 sites nationwide. As senior Technical Advisor, she has been involved in thousands of real property investigations, many of which have involved remediation/closure projects within Texas and throughout the United States.

Areas of Expertise:

• Real Estate Assessments - Environmental Due Diligence
• Environmental Compliance Audits
• Remediation Management, Corrective Action (Clean-up) Consulting of Contaminated Real Estate
• Risk-Based Closure
• Hazardous, Solid Waste Materials Management, Clean-up Consulting of Affected Property
• Asbestos, Lead-Based Paint, Mold/Fungal, Industrial Hygiene
• Radiation Safety (NORM)
• Petroleum Storage Tank (PST) Management, Compliance, Corrective Action
• Environmental Testing, Clean-up Consulting

View Dr. Franks' Consulting Profile.