Expert Witness & Technical Brief
Independent technical opinion for law firms, arbitration panels, regulatory bodies, and insurance carriers — wells engineering, HPHT and deepwater specifically.
The problem you have
You are counsel, an arbitration panel, a regulator, or an insurance carrier dealing with a wells-engineering matter. You need a credentialled technical expert who can:
- Brief counsel in plain language on what actually happened, what should have happened, and the gap between the two;
- Produce a written technical opinion that survives cross-examination;
- Sit in deposition or testimony if required.
The specific subject-matter areas I cover are HPHT completions and DST design, deepwater subsea completions (open-hole and cased-hole alternate-path gravel-pack sand control), workover programme management, ESP and artificial-lift design, OCTG material selection, well integrity, and contract / tender disputes in upstream completions.
Credentials that matter for instructed work
- Chartered Engineer (CEng) — UK Engineering Council, Reg. No. 608108 (since 2013).
- Fellow of the Energy Institute (FEI) — Reg. No. 45637 (since 2013).
- IWCF Level 4 Supervisor — Combined BOP Stack Surface / Subsea (valid since February 2026).
- Six peer-reviewed SPE / OTC papers on HPHT completion design, underbalanced perforating, high-gas-rate carbonates, and first-deployment 17-Chrome OCTG.
- 25 years operator-side experience across Schlumberger, Eni, Total, Maersk Oil North Sea UK, BP, Petronas Carigali, Reliance Industries and Basra Energy Company Limited.
- Trilingual (English, Italian, Spanish) — depositions and reports available in any of the three.
What you get
Three engagement formats:
| Format | Deliverable | Typical scale |
|---|---|---|
| Technical brief (counsel orientation) | 60–90 minute briefing call + 3–5 page summary memo + Q&A | 4–8 hours |
| Written expert opinion | Full technical opinion compliant with the rules of the relevant forum (CPR Part 35 in England & Wales; equivalent in other jurisdictions) | Scoped to the matter |
| Deposition / testimony | Preparation, deposition, cross-examination, follow-up | Scoped to the forum timetable |
What this is not
- Not legal advice. I am a technical expert, not a lawyer.
- Not work for both sides of the same dispute. One side per matter, absolute.
- Not work involving Basra Energy Company Limited, BP, CNPC, or any matter inside the Mesopotamian Basin operational footprint.
Process
- Initial call under NDA. You describe the matter, the forum, the timeline, and the specific technical question.
- Conflict check. I run a structured COI declaration against my current and prior engagements. Either we proceed cleanly or I decline on the call.
- Engagement letter (typically your standard form).
- Work delivered to the agreed scope — brief, opinion, or testimony.
Frequently asked
Are you accredited under CPR Part 35 (England & Wales)? Yes — my chartered status (CEng UK Engineering Council) and Fellowship (FEI) satisfy the technical-expert requirements. I follow the CPR Part 35 duty to the court / tribunal at all times.
Can you act on matters outside England & Wales? Yes. I have worked on tender / contract matters in the North Sea (UK), West Africa, Bay of Bengal and the Gulf. Specific jurisdictional rules discussed on the initial call.
What is your typical case profile? Mid-complexity matters where the dispute centres on completion design, workover execution, well integrity failure, or tender / contract interpretation.
Do you have professional indemnity insurance for instructed work? Yes, held via Mattey Energy Ltd. Cover details on request; higher cover available for larger matters.
Will you publish anything from the engagement? Never. Expert-witness work is strictly confidential and remains so indefinitely.