J.S. Held acquires Element Forensic Engineering

J.S. Held, a US-based technical and forensic advisory firm, has acquired Element Forensic Engineering, a Burlington, ON-based forensic engineering consulting firm.

Founded in 2015 by Jeff Martin and Jeremy Bishop, Element works with insurers and counsel on insurance claims and disputes. The firm has expertise spanning structural, fire investigations, code interpretation, environmental, mechanical, electrical, and building science matters.

Element has 40+ professionals across offices in the Greater Toronto Area and Calgary.

J.S. Held’s acquisition of Element will strengthen its Canadian forensic engineering capability.

“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,” said Jim Stanilious, insurance services division leader, J.S. Held. “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.”

The Element deal follows J.S. Held’s 2025 acquisition of GHL Consultants, a Vancouver-based fire engineering and building code consulting firm, and Technorm, a Montreal-based forensic and building safety consulting firm.

“The greatest value proposition for our clients as we join J.S. Held is scaling our depth of expertise,” said Jeremy Bishop, managing partner of Element. “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.”

Founded in 1974, J.S. Held has more than 1,500 people across six continents. The firm advises law firms, insurance companies, and Fortune 500 companies in a wide range of sectors, including real estate, infrastructure, manufacturing, energy, financial services, and healthcare.

J.S. Held has practices in technical and scientific advisory, strategic advisory, digital and data, financial investigations, valuation, and risk.