Geotechnical Engineering 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.

Vincent A. Ettari, P.E., P.C. specializes in many fields of Civil, Structural, Site, Coastal, Safety & Environmental Engineering, including the Design & Analysis of:

• Structures, Buildings, Houses, Dwellings
• Foundations, Footings, Elevators, Retaining Walls, Dams
• Development Plan & Plats for Sites, Properties, and Residences
• Underground & Subsurface Chamber / Chambers
• Scaffold, Scaffolds, Scaffolding
• Site Plans & Subdivisions: Industrial, Commercial, Residential
• Roads, Roadways, Ramps, Walks, & Man Hole Cover / Covers
• Sidewalks, Walkways, Paths & Pathways
• Lighting: Lamps, Lights, Lamp Poles, Light Levels
• Luminaries & Illumination (Specifications)
• Rock Cuts & Blasting (Topography, Specification)
• Soil Slopes / Samples / Mechanics / Geotechnical Engineers
• Sanitary Facilities, Septic Systems (Board of Health Septics Approval)
• BOHA / DEP Approvals
• Water, Drains, Drainage, Sewer & Sewage Lines & Mains
• Culvert / Culverts, Manholes (Man Holes) & Catchbasins / Catch Basins
• Inspection, Supervision, and Certification of Construction
• House Inspector & Inspections
• Road, Roadway, Walk & Sidewalk Premises Liability (e.g., Steep Slope)
• Walkway, Path, Ramp & Pathway Premise Liability (e.g., Steep Grade)
• Coefficient of Friction / Slip & Fall (Snowy & Icy Conditions)
• Vertical Discontinuity / Discontinuities / Trip & Falls
• Small Ports / Port, Marinas / Marina, Marine Dredging
• Levees, Jetties, Dolphins, Piers, Sea & Flood Walls
• Wharves, Breakwaters, Bulkheads, Weirs, & Revetments
• Groins, Dikes and Waterfront Structures
• Drainage Basin Analysis, Rainfall, Floods & Flood Plain / Plains
• Flooding Controls & Control Devices
• Storm Water Runoff (10, 25, 50 & 100 Year Storms)
• Pressure & Pressures: Wind, Wave / Waves, Ice, Snow
• Rain Fall Run Off & Storm Water Pollution Treatment
• Excavation, Grading, Fills & Filling Operations (Swales, Berms, Silt Fence)
• Erosion Control, Sediment Barriers, Sedimentation / Catch Basins (Hay Bales)
• Pumps and Pump System Line & Main
• Slope, Dam, Levee, Jetty, Dolphin, Pier, Wharf & Breakwater Collapse
• Bulkhead, Weir, Revetment, Groin, Dike, Footing & Foundation Failures
• Failure of Fire Containment Wall, Elevator or Water Front Structure
• Tenement House Façade Collapses
• Code History of Existing Multiple / Multi-Family Dwelling / Building
• Application of Municipal Building, Fire & Property Maintenance Codes
• City, Town & Village Zoning, Planning, Steep Slopes & Grades, Wetland & Wetlands Ordinances
• Testimony at Board Meetings as a Design Forensics Engineer

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

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.