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Based in New York City since 2006, James D. Kelley (Jim) is a Senior Principal Engineer for EFI’s Large/Complex Loss group. Mr. Kelley provides forensic evaluations in Structural & Architectural Engineering disciplines, in addition to construction dispute matters in the region.

With more than 20 years in the design and investigation industries, James has experience in the assessment, forensic investigation, and remedial design for a variety of structures and infrastructure projects. His firsthand practical experience in the engineering/construction industry spans 30 years.

James has diverse demonstrated experience in structural analysis, design, and investigation of residential, commercial, and industrial buildings/structures in addition to ancillary architectural façade systems/structures, heavy civil & subterranean structures, and infrastructure. His experience also encompasses performing Anti-Terrorism Force Protection (ATFP) blast/impact structural design/analysis and preparing advanced finite element computer models of structures for design & behavior/failure investigations.

Mr. Kelley is frequently retained as an expert forensic engineer to evaluate and opine on root cause determination of losses involving structural and architectural design & construction defects and other manufactured or natural catastrophic events.

He has conducted and led many significant investigations within and outside the U.S. mainland for representative attorneys and insurance carriers in large-loss high-value disputes and litigation support matters. He has evaluated residential, commercial, and industrial buildings following major disasters, including Hurricanes Irma and Maria on USVI St. Thomas and Puerto Rico Islands, Hurricanes Florence, Ida, and Ian on the U.S. Mainland Gulf Coast, and Earthquake Damage Assessment of PRPA ports, piers, and structures following the Maria Antonia, Jan. 7, 2020, M6.4 Earthquake that occurred off the southern coast of Puerto Rico. He has also assessed structures following hailstorms, windstorms, floods, vehicle impacts, and fires.

Prior to practicing engineering, Mr. Kelley worked in the Construction field for a decade, achieving the position of General Foreman before leaving the construction industry to become a Professional Engineer. He is therefore experienced with construction means/methods & practices and has conducted evaluations of construction/design defect dispute matters, including adjacent construction structure impact/damage evaluations for Developers, General Contractors, and Building Owners.