Christine Leigh is a fire engineer and Fellow of the Chartered Association of Building Engineers (FCABE), a Chartered Building Engineer with more than 23 years’ experience in Building Control, building surveying and fire engineering.

A former building control surveyor and current board director of the Chartered Association of Building Engineers, Christine specialises in complex fire safety disputes, building regulations compliance, external wall systems, compartmentation and legacy building risk. Christine acts as an expert adviser and expert witness for developers, contractors, housing providers, insurers and legal teams across a wide range of sectors.

Her background in both fire engineering and building control provides a practical understanding of how buildings are designed, approved, constructed and occupied. This enables her to provide clear, proportionate advice on compliance, liability, risk management and remediation strategies particularly in relation to higher risk buildings and external wall systems.

Christine has extensive experience in the assessment of fire safety risk, façade and cladding systems, passive fire protection, remediation strategies and regulatory compliance. Her expertise includes the review of building design, technical documentation, BS 8414 test data, BR 135 classification reports, technical assessments and fire safety surveys across both new and existing buildings.

Christine regularly provides expert advice and evidence in disputes involving fire safety, the Building Safety Act, building regulations, building defects and building control processes. She has experience of joint expert meetings, joint statements and expert reports, and has been cross-examined on her evidence before the courts.