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Giovanni SpitaliArchitect

Services

Expert witness and litigation support

Technical opinions that stand up in court.

I act as court-appointed expert (CTU) and party-appointed expert (CTP) at the Courts of Agrigento and Sciacca, in civil and criminal proceedings, at first instance and on appeal. I assist private clients, companies and law firms with reports that are clear, verifiable and written to be understood by the judge: from the site inspection to the assessment of damages, through to observations on court-appointed reports.

Who it is for

  • Judges and court registries, for clear and timely court-appointed reports
  • Lawyers and their clients, for party-appointed opinions and observations on court reports
  • Receivers, custodians and creditors in enforcement and insolvency proceedings

Court-appointed expert at the Court of Agrigento since 2000, with appointments also for the Court of Sciacca and for the Prosecutor General’s Office at the Court of Appeal of Palermo. Party-appointed expert for law firms, companies and private clients across Sicily.

  • 2000first court appointment
  • 350+court-appointed expert reports
  • 50+property enforcement cases
  • 20insolvency proceedings

Fields of expertise

  • Valuation of buildings, land and businesses
  • Inheritance and court-ordered divisions
  • Damage from water ingress, fire and construction defects
  • Boundaries, distances, easements and landlocked plots
  • Building contracts, works accounts and contractor claims
  • Expropriation and compensation
  • Acoustics, building services and compliance
  • Property enforcement and insolvency proceedings
  • Court-ordered works, assisting the bailiff
  • Valuation of boats and equipment

What it includes

  • Court and party expert in civil cases: building contracts, defects, damages, property exchanges
  • Expert advice in criminal proceedings, court- and party-appointed, including unauthorised building and demolitions
  • Pre-trial technical surveys and sworn expert reports
  • Property valuations, inheritance and court-ordered divisions
  • Observations and rebuttals to court-appointed expert reports

How I work

  1. Reading the file

    Study of the case file and the questions put by the court, identification of missing documents and the investigations required.

  2. Joint site inspection

    Surveys, sampling and photographs with the parties present, recorded in minutes.

  3. The report

    A text written to be understood by the judge: explicit method, verifiable calculations, orderly appendices.

  4. Observations and hearing

    Replies to the parties’ experts and clarifications at the hearing, when required.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a court-appointed and a party-appointed expert?

The court-appointed expert (CTU) is nominated by the judge and is independent of the parties; the party-appointed expert (CTP) assists one party, attends the expert operations and files observations. I perform both roles with the same method.

Can I get an expert report before starting a case?

Yes: a sworn report or a pre-trial technical assessment fixes the state of the property and helps you decide whether and how to proceed, often avoiding litigation.

Do you work in criminal proceedings?

Yes, as expert for the prosecution or the defence, in particular on building, planning and site-safety matters.

Every commission is covered by professional confidentiality and professional liability insurance.

Let’s talk about your project.

A house to design, a site to run, a court case to face or a tender to win: tell me what you need.

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