Article | June 30, 2026
FCPA Enforcement: Where the Bribery Actually Happened
FCPA enforcement trends analyzed by geography. Discover where bribery risk is concentrated and how it impacts global compliance, investigations and risk management.
Dr. Masoud Mousavi is a civil engineering expert specializing in geotechnical engineering, with more than a decade of experience advising on complex civil, transportation, and energy infrastructure projects. He is recognized for translating complex technical issues into clear, defensible findings and is highly committed to providing rigorous, reliable support to his clients.
Dr. Masoud Mousavi specializes in applied research, design, and forensic investigation of geotechnical systems. His work frequently involves the investigation of construction defects, geotechnical failures, stormwater‑related damage, and natural hazards. Dr. Mousavi supports insurance claims, dispute resolution, and litigation by providing independent, defensible engineering opinions grounded in sound technical analysis. He is recognized for translating complex geotechnical problems into clear, well‑supported findings and conclusions for legal, regulatory, and engineering audiences.
Dr. Mousavi’s technical expertise spans geotechnical engineering, transportation geotechnics, corrosion engineering, earthquake engineering, unsaturated soil mechanics, and advanced laboratory soil testing. His experience includes the investigation and evaluation of ground improvement systems, such as rigid inclusions and stone columns, stormwater‑related geo‑structural damage; bridge foundations and retaining systems, including MSE walls and soldier pile‑and‑lagging systems; storage tank foundation performance; driven piles, micropiles, and drilled shafts; laterally loaded piles; support‑of‑excavation and dewatering systems; soil heave and settlement; soft clay and peat deposits; stability and liquefaction of earth‑fill and tailings dams; paved and unpaved roadway systems; grading and compaction; differing site conditions; and constructability‑related issues.
Dr. Mousavi routinely performs advanced analyses using industry‑standard software, including PLAXIS, GeoStudio, Slide, Settle3, DeepSoil, LiquefyPro, LPILE, GROUP, Surfer, QGIS, and Python. His analytical work integrates numerical modeling and soil–structure interaction to evaluate serviceability and strength performance under both static and dynamic loading conditions.
In addition to analytical work, Dr. Mousavi has extensive laboratory and field experience, including pile driving operations, static and dynamic pile load testing, compaction testing, soil borings, and in‑situ testing such as SPT, CPT, PMT, and VST. His research background includes evaluation of corrosion in MSE walls, flooded pavement performance analyses, numerical modeling of moisture infiltration, sensitivity analyses, shear‑strength assessment of fractured rock under varying moisture conditions and investigation of earthquake‑induced liquefaction mitigation and seismic‑induced settlement in saturated and unsaturated soils.
Dr. Mousavi has taught undergraduate and graduate engineering courses and has served as a lecturer in geotechnical earthquake engineering at the University of New Hampshire. Across all engagements, he is committed to providing rigorous, objective, and reliable expertise tailored to each client’s technical and strategic objectives.
FCPA Enforcement: Where the Bribery Actually Happened
FCPA enforcement trends analyzed by geography. Discover where bribery risk is concentrated and how it impacts global compliance, investigations and risk management.
Secretariat is pleased to share that 56 of our experts have been recognized in the Lexology Index 2026 Construction report for their outstanding work on complex construction disputes and claims around the world. With 12 experts named as Global Elite Thought Leaders—the report’s most exclusive ranking, achieved by only 5% of listed professionals—Secretariat has earned the No. 1 spot in this category for the second year in a row among more than 750 ranked firms.
Eric Poer, a Managing Director in Secretariat’s Global Investigations & Disputes practice, was retained by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to serve as their forensic accounting expert in a high-profile securities fraud dispute.