The Secretariat - Comprehensive Analysis Report
Summary
The Secretariat is a leading global independent expert services and litigation consulting firm, dedicated to assisting clients with complex legal, risk, and regulatory matters worldwide. The firm's mission is to provide meticulous preparation, insightful analysis, and persuasive communications to prominent law firms, leading corporations, and influential institutions. Headquartered in Atlanta, Secretariat maintains a global presence with over 700 experts and advisors across North America, Europe, Australia, Asia, and the Middle East, underscoring its commitment to quality, integrity, and independence in the expert services industry.
1. Strategic Focus & Objectives
Core Objectives
The Secretariat's core objectives revolve around delivering independent advisory services and expert testimony in intricate disputes and litigation. The firm aims to support clients across various fast-paced sectors, including construction, energy, healthcare, technology, and natural resources. A primary goal is to remove uncertainty and instill confidence for clients confronting challenging problems in high-stakes situations.
Specialization Areas
The firm specializes in international arbitration and litigation, large-scale construction disputes (with a particular emphasis on delay and quantum analysis), forensic accounting, economic damages, and government contracting. Secretariat's unique value proposition lies in its ability to combine deep industry experience with advanced economic and analytical skills to provide sophisticated and rigorous analysis.
Target Markets
Secretariat primarily targets leading law firms, corporations, and institutions involved in high-stakes legal, risk, and regulatory matters across various global jurisdictions. Their market positioning emphasizes their role as independent advisors capable of handling complex disputes in sectors like construction, energy, healthcare, technology, and natural resources.
2. Financial Overview
Funding History
The Secretariat provides litigation consulting and advisory services. While specific total funding amounts or recent funding rounds are not publicly detailed for this private company, its consistent growth and strategic expansion efforts, particularly through acquisitions of construction consulting firms, highlight ongoing investment in its operational capabilities.
3. Product Pipeline
Key Products/Services
International Arbitration and Litigation Consulting: Providing expert testimony and advisory services in complex international disputes. This service involves meticulous analysis and persuasive communication.
Construction Disputes (Delay and Quantum Analysis): Specializing in the analysis of delays, disruptions, and quantum (damages) in large-scale construction projects. This is a core expertise area.
Forensic Accounting: Offering services related to financial investigations, fraud detection, and the quantification of financial losses. This helps clients in various legal and regulatory contexts.
Economic Damages: Providing expert assessment and calculation of economic damages in commercial disputes, intellectual property cases, and other litigation.
Government Contracting: Advising on disputes and compliance matters related to government contracts. This leverages expertise in complex regulatory environments.
Technology & Innovation-related Disputes: Addressing strategic issues such as competition, intellectual property disputes, data security, and privacy challenges within the technology sector. This includes advising on licensing negotiations, valuation, patent monetization strategies, product forecasting, and launch analyses.
4. Technology & Innovation
Technology Stack
The Secretariat leverages advanced analytical techniques, applying deep industry experience and sophisticated economic and analytical skills. Their technical capabilities include econometrics and predictive modeling for advising clients on valuation, forecasting, and strategic issues. The firm's work in the technology sector spans products and services like mobile and medical devices, artificial intelligence, robotics, semiconductors, and software, indicating their proficiency in navigating complex technological landscapes.
5. Leadership & Management
Executive Team
The leadership team comprises numerous Managing Directors across its global offices. Key Managing Directors include:
David Ahearn – Managing Director, Atlanta.
Kagan Aktas – Managing Director, London.
Stuart Allan – Managing Director, Dubai.
David Argue – Managing Director, Washington, DC.
Chaitanya Arora – Managing Director, Singapore.
Amit Arora – Managing Director, London.
Paul Baez – Managing Director, Miami, Washington, DC.
Drew Baiter – Managing Director.
Oliver Barnes – Managing Director, London.
Michael Baumann – Managing Director, Washington, DC.
Bruce Blacker – Managing Director, Dallas.
Anna Bleazard – Managing Director, Singapore.
Alexander Demuth – Managing Director, Munich, specializing in arbitration, litigation, and settlements on post-merger and commercial disputes and investor-state arbitrations.
Allan Ingraham – Managing Director, specializing in Technology, Media, & Telecommunications.
Ryan Sullivan – Managing Director, specializing in Technology, Media, & Telecommunications.
Aminta Raffalovich – Managing Director, specializing in the economics of technology and innovation.
Gary Kleinrichert – Managing Director, whose expert financial valuation was instrumental in securing a landmark $5.89 billion Citgo sale order.
Robert Miś – Director, engaged by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) as a cryptocurrency-mining and blockchain technology expert in a significant fraud scheme prosecution.
Recent Leadership Changes
In February 2020, Thomas Fertitta, founder of TDF, LLC, joined Secretariat as a Managing Director and now leads the Washington office following the acquisition of his firm. As of June 2025, Taoufik Lachheb, co-founder of Lsquare Consulting, joined Secretariat as a Managing Director after the integration of his boutique dispute resolution firm.
6. Talent and Growth Indicators
Hiring Trends and Workforce
The Secretariat has expanded to include more than 700 experts and advisors globally. The firm has completed over 10,000 engagements across six continents and collaborates with 80% of the top 100 global law firms. Hiring trends reflect continuous recruitment for expert and advisory roles across various specialized areas, supporting its global expansion. The company's core beliefs in integrity, quality, and objectivity are central to its talent acquisition strategy.
7. Social Media Presence and Engagement
Digital Footprint
The Secretariat maintains an active presence on professional networking platforms, including LinkedIn. This presence is utilized to share news, industry insights, and showcase their expert services and thought leadership in disputes, litigation, and economic advisory, fostering community engagement and brand positioning.
8. Recognition and Awards
Industry Recognition
The Secretariat holds the 1st position in the GAR 100 Expert Witness Firms' Power Index 2025. In 2025, the firm was named Arbitration Expert Firm of the Year at the Lexology Index Awards Ceremony. Also, 87 Secretariat professionals were recognized in the Lexology Index 2025 Consulting Expert Reports series as global industry leaders across various categories. A notable achievement includes an expert valuation that contributed to a historic $5.89 billion Citgo sale order.
9. Competitive Analysis
Major Competitors
The Secretariat operates within a highly competitive market for expert services and litigation consulting. While specific competitor names are not detailed, the firm competes with other global leaders in disputes, litigation, and economic advisory. These competitors typically offer specialized expertise in areas such as construction delay and quantum analysis, forensic accounting, economic damages, international arbitration, and technology-related disputes, mirroring Secretariat's core offerings.
10. Market Analysis
Market Overview
The market for expert services and litigation consulting is characterized by the high-stakes nature of legal, risk, and regulatory matters globally. It encompasses diverse sectors like construction, energy, healthcare, technology, and natural resources, each presenting complex disputes that demand specialized financial, analytical, and strategic insights. The technology sector, in particular, is dynamic, presenting strategic opportunities and risks related to competition, intellectual property, data security, and privacy, all within the firm's expertise. The industry places a premium on quality, integrity, and independence from its advisors.
11. Strategic Partnerships
TDF, LLC: In February 2020, Secretariat acquired TDF, LLC, a construction consulting and dispute resolution firm. This partnership expanded Secretariat's presence into the Washington, D.C. market and enhanced its core offerings in CPM scheduling, claims, and dispute resolution.
Lsquare Consulting: In June 2025, Secretariat integrated Lsquare Consulting, a boutique dispute resolution firm. This collaboration further strengthened Secretariat's dispute resolution services by bringing Taoufik Lachheb and his team onboard.
12. Operational Insights
The Secretariat differentiates itself through its globally integrated teams of experts, who are trusted in high-stakes legal, risk, and regulatory matters. Its competitive advantage is derived from deep specialization in areas such as international arbitration, construction disputes, forensic accounting, and economic damages, coupled with the application of sophisticated analytical methodologies. The firm's independence, rigorous analysis, and unwavering commitment to quality and integrity define its operational approach, enabling it to deliver credible and authoritative expert opinions.
13. Future Outlook
Strategic Roadmap
The Secretariat's strategic roadmap outlines continued expansion of its global network and a deepening of its specialized expertise. The firm aims to capitalize on the increasing complexity of disputes in dynamic sectors worldwide. Opportunities for growth are anticipated in evolving legal, risk, and regulatory challenges, particularly within the technology, energy, and construction sectors. By consistently attracting top talent, leveraging strategic acquisitions, and maintaining a steadfast commitment to technical excellence and global collaboration, Secretariat is well-positioned to further solidify its leadership in the expert services and litigation consulting market. The firm's focus on areas such as financial and economic crime risk, and technology-related disputes, highlights its forward-looking strategic direction.
