J.S. Held Adds Depth of Forensic Engineering Expertise in Canada with Acquisition of Element Forensic Engineering

Combination expands technical and financial forensic expertise for insurers and counsel across Canada.

NEW YORK, Aug. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Global consulting firm J.S. Held announces the acquisition of Element Forensic Engineering (Element), a Canadian firm with offices throughout the Toronto area and an additional office in Calgary, recognized for its work with insurers and counsel across structural, fire investigations, code interpretation, environmental, mechanical, electrical, and building science matters. Building upon earlier acquisitions, this transaction further expands J.S. Held's Canadian Forensic Architecture & Engineering platform and connects Element's clients to the firm's global bench of technical and financial experts, with capabilities including property loss evaluation, contents and inventory valuation, business interruption and economic damages, environmental and contamination claims, and causation and liability analysis.

Founded by Jeff Martin and Jeremy Bishop, Element has built a team of 40+ professionals serving insurers and counsel across both insurance claims and disputes, with a primary hub of operations in the Greater Toronto Area and a national footprint extending through its Calgary office. The firm has earned a strong reputation for industry-leading service, innovative solutions, and responsiveness, anchored in a commitment to bringing together the right people with the best solutions to achieve effective results for the insurers and counsel it serves.

Lee Spirer, Chief Executive Officer of J.S. Held, said, "We admire how the Element team works, with a commitment to collaboration and to bringing together the right people to achieve effective results for their clients. That mindset is a strong cultural match for J.S. Held, and the combination meaningfully deepens the technical and financial expertise available to insurers, counsel, and corporate clients across Canada."

The acquisition adds meaningful capacity to J.S. Held's Canadian forensic engineering bench and positions the combined team to serve national clients with closer-to-the-loss resources, managing travel costs and expediting timelines that are important to insurance carriers managing files across the country. Jim Stanilious, Insurance Services Division Leader, noted that the synergy extends well beyond efficiencies: "While this combination adds meaningful capacity to serve insurers and counsel across Canada, it also pairs Element's capabilities in structural, fire, environmental, mechanical, electrical, and building science with the broader J.S. Held platform, including building consulting, contents valuation, environmental health and safety, accident reconstruction, and forensic accounting. For carrier and counsel clients, that means closer-to-the-loss resources from one team able to address the full scope of a complex claim."

For insurers and counsel, the combination means a single team able to address the full technical and financial dimensions of a claim. Element's forensic engineering work connects directly to J.S. Held's Building Consulting practice, the firm's largest insurance-facing practice in Canada, along with capabilities Element's clients have frequently needed to source elsewhere, including contents valuation, environmental health and safety, and accident reconstruction for premises liability matters. The result keeps Element's responsiveness and trusted relationships in place while extending the firm's reach into the broader building science, mechanical, electrical, and cause and origin work clients increasingly require. Reflecting on what the combination means for Element's clients, Jeremy Bishop, Managing Partner of Element Forensic Engineering, said, "The greatest value proposition for our clients as we join J.S. Held is scaling our depth of expertise. I think of this like going from a small family medical office to the deep and layered expertise of being treated at a hospital. Our clients keep the relationships and the responsiveness they expect from Element, and they gain access to a global bench of specialists they can call on as their matters grow in complexity."

For the Element team, joining J.S. Held also brings access to mentorship, training, and technology platforms that support both team development and client service. Jeff Martin, Managing Partner of Element Forensic Engineering, framed the benefit to the firm's professionals and the clients they serve, observing, "J.S. Held brings to our team members and ultimately our clients a mature and scaled approach to technology-enabled client service. From the implementation of AI to support team members and manage proprietary client information, to more robust training programs and a breadth of industry expertise we can all learn from."

With the addition of Element Forensic Engineering, J.S. Held strengthens its position as a leading forensic engineering platform in Canada, expanding the firm's ability to address insurance claims and disputes across the country. The combined team brings together Element's established forensic engineering practice and J.S. Held's global technical and financial expertise to deliver a single, multidisciplinary resource for insurers, counsel, and corporate clients.

About J.S. Held

J.S. Held is a global consulting firm that combines technical, scientific, financial, and strategic expertise to advise clients seeking to realize value and mitigate risk. Our professionals serve as trusted advisors to organizations facing high stakes matters demanding urgent attention, staunch integrity, proven experience, clear-cut analysis, and an understanding of both tangible and intangible assets. The firm provides a comprehensive suite of services, products, and data that enable clients to navigate complex, contentious, and often catastrophic situations.

More than 1,500 professionals serve organizations across six continents, including 84% of the Global 200 Law Firms, 75% of the Forbes Top 20 Insurance Companies (90% of the NAIC Top 50 Property & Casualty Insurers), and 71% of Fortune 100 Companies.

J.S. Held, its affiliates and subsidiaries are not certified public accounting firm(s) and do not provide audit, attest, or any other public accounting services. J.S. Held is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.  Securities offered through PM Securities, LLC, d/b/a Phoenix IB or Ocean Tomo Investments, a part of J.S. Held, member FINRA/SIPC.  All rights reserved.

Contact:

Kristi L. Stathis | Global Public Relations | +1 786 833 4864 | [email protected]

SOURCE J.S. Held