Electrical Engineering Expert Witness
When a case turns on how an electrical system was designed, installed, used, maintained, or failed, the technical details can decide the outcome. I work with plaintiffs and defense counsel on cases involving electrical and electronics evidence, and I explain in clear terms what happened to counsel, judges, and juries.
I’m Mark McFarland, a licensed Professional Engineer and Board Certified Diplomate Forensic Engineer with over 30 years of experience. My background is well aligned with litigation involving shock and electrocution, product and equipment failures, design errors, and code violations. These issues surface in personal injury and wrongful death cases. I take cases nationwide, for plaintiffs and defendants, in civil and criminal matters.
What I Investigate
Shock and Electrocution Incidents
These cases can include installation issues, code violations, equipment failures, design defects, environmental damage, and training deficiencies in residential and industrial settings. I evaluate wiring, circuits, equipment, code compliance, training records, installations, and related evidence to determine the most likely cause of what happened. These cases range from injuries caused by an energized circuit to the death of a lineman related to insufficient training and safety practices.
Consumer and Commercial Electronics Failures
Devices and equipment that overheated, malfunctioned, or exposed someone to a hazard fall squarely in this practice area. I’ve investigated audio and consumer electronics equipment that exposed users to hazardous sound levels, and similar equipment-level failures where the question is whether a product performed within its design specifications or fell short of them.
Utility and Infrastructure Incidents
Poles, lines, cables, and other electrical and telecom equipment spanning a roadway or property occasionally contribute to serious incidents, including fatalities. These cases require understanding both the electrical engineering and the regulatory standards utility installations are held to.
Home and Building Wiring Disputes
After a fire or smoke event, the question of whether existing wiring and devices remain safe to use, or whether they contributed to the incident in the first place, may requires a hands-on inspection, not a guess based on the aftermath. I inspect wiring, panels, circuits, and devices exposed to fire or smoke damage and give a defensible opinion on suitability for continued use.
Why the Details Matter More Than the Headline Cause
Electrical failure cases may not have one obvious, undisputed cause. The real work is narrowing a set of plausible explanations down to the one, or ones, the evidence actually supports. I bring both an electrical engineering background and a quality sciences background to that question. This means I can tell you not just what likely happened, but how different processes, or the lack of them, may or may not have led to the failure.
Discuss Your Case
Fifteen minutes covers the engineering question, any conflicts, and whether my background fits. No charge, no obligation.
My Process
- Initial call. We discuss your case and any potential conflicts of interest, and whether the case is a good fit for my background. No obligation either way.
- Retention and material review. Once retained, I review the case file, incident reports, maintenance records, relevant codes, regulations, standards of care, and any other relevant materials.
- Inspection, where the case calls for it. Many electrical cases require examining the equipment, wiring, or site directly, not just reviewing paper.
- Ongoing communication. I keep the retaining attorney informed of what I’m finding as the investigation develops, and I make myself available on the retaining attorney’s schedule.
- Report, if requested. Many of the cases I’ve been retained on have settled on the strength of my report, and the matter ended at this step.
- Deposition, if the case continues. I testify in deposition to make sure my methods and opinions are clear to the court and the parties involved. Cases that didn’t settle after the report often settle at this stage.
- Trial, if the case proceeds that far.
Why Attorneys Choose Me for Electrical Cases
- Over 30 years of experience. I have worked as an engineer in industry, government, research, and forensics. I’ve held job titles such as Electronics Engineer, Antenna Engineer, Telecommunications Specialists, Forensic Engineer, and Software Engineer.
- I’ve never had an opinion limited or excluded. No Daubert challenge has ever succeeded against me, a track record that matters when opposing counsel is actively looking for a reason to exclude your expert before trial even starts.
- Licensed and Board Certified. I hold a Professional Engineering license in Colorado and California, and a Diplomate in Forensic Engineering from the National Academy of Forensic Engineers, one of the more rigorous credentialing bodies in this field.
- I work for both plaintiff and defense. That balance is deliberate, not incidental. An expert who only ever appears for one side invites the argument that his conclusions are bought rather than the result of rigorous analysis. Mine aren’t.
- Nationwide reach, fast licensure. My NCEES Engineering Record lets me become licensed in most additional states within about 30 days, so a case outside Colorado or California rarely creates a scheduling problem for your team.
- I explain engineering in plain language. Judges and juries don’t need a lecture on circuit theory. They need to understand, clearly and honestly, what happened and how my analysis and opinions are meaningful to the decisions they have to make. That’s the skill I bring to the stand.
- I’ve never had an opinion limited or excluded. No Daubert challenge has ever succeeded against me, a track record that matters when opposing counsel is actively looking for a reason to exclude your expert before trial even starts.
FAQs
An electrician installs and repairs electrical systems based on electrical codes and best practices. My role is retrospective: investigating why something already failed, using engineering analysis and, where appropriate, physical testing, to determine cause and then explaining that finding clearly under oath if the case requires it.
No. Electrocution and shock cases are a significant part of my practice, but I also handle equipment and component failures, wiring and fire-related disputes, product liability matters, patent litigation, and class action suits involving electrical or electronic systems.
I generally need at least a month before a report or opinion is due, since I’m typically managing several active matters at once. A case that arrives with only a week or two of runway is usually a sign it wasn’t well managed before I was brought in, and that’s a risk worth flagging upfront rather than pretending I can rush sound engineering analysis.
Yes. I take plaintiff and defense work in both civil and criminal matters. That’s part of why my opinions hold up well under cross-examination: I’m not committed to a side’s narrative before I’ve reviewed the evidence myself.
I keep my clients informed of my findings and opinions throughout the case, from initial review through inspection and analysis. When my findings don’t support the case, the retaining attorney may end the engagement at that point. If your case involves an electrical or electronic failure, electric shock, electrocution, or equipment malfunction, reach out today.
Talk to Mark About Your Case
If your case involves an electrical or electronic failure, electric shock, electrocution, or equipment malfunction, I’d rather have a direct conversation about the facts than a form. Reach out and I’ll tell you plainly whether it’s a fit for my background.