Interior Design & Construction Expert Witness | Lori Dennis, ASID, LEED AP, NCIDQ

Expert Witness Services

Interior Design &
Construction Expert Witness

Nationally recognized interior designer and construction professional retained in high-value litigation involving luxury residential, hospitality, and commercial projects.

30+ years professional practice Expert witness since 2011 Deposition & trial testimony Plaintiff & defense nationwide
Contact Lori Download CV
Lori Dennis, ASID, LEED AP, NCIDQ — Interior Design and Construction Expert Witness

Lori Dennis, ASID, LEED AP, NCIDQ

Why Attorneys Retain Lori

Clear Opinions.
Courtroom Credibility.

Attorneys retain Lori Dennis because she reduces risk. Her testimony is grounded in decades of real-world practice, delivered with the clarity and composure trial teams require.

  • Retained on high-profile matters involving luxury residential, mixed-use, and hospitality projects across the country
  • Known for clear, defensible opinions grounded in industry standards, building codes, and professional standards of care
  • Experienced working directly with trial teams — from initial case review through cross-examination
  • Calm, articulate, and credible under deposition and cross-examination
  • Equally effective for plaintiff and defense, with a track record that demonstrates objectivity and analytical rigor

Professional Authority

Three Decades of Practice.
Industry-Wide Recognition.

Professional Credentials

30+ years as a practicing interior designer, construction professional, and principal of Lori Dennis Interior Design — repeatedly named among the top design firms in the world by leading publications. Licensed credentials include ASID (American Society of Interior Designers — recipient of Best Designer award and appointed to the National Sustainable Council), LEED AP (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design), and NCIDQ (National Council for Interior Design Qualification). Completed coursework for the UCLA Master of Interior Architecture program — one of the most rigorous graduate-level design programs in the country. Owner of SoCalContractor.com, a high-end residential construction firm delivering luxury renovations and new builds across Southern California. Owner of Lion Windows & Doors, providing direct expertise in fenestration systems, building envelope performance, and product specification — a rare combination of manufacturing knowledge and design practice that strengthens testimony in construction defect and product liability cases.

Media & Thought Leadership

Author of Green Interior Design (1st and 2nd editions) — the definitive reference on sustainable interior design practices, widely used in academic and professional settings. HGTV series star and featured authority across Bravo, OWN, and NBC. Internationally published in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and Architectural Digest. TEDx speaker and corporate/industry keynote speaker. Guest lecturer at UCLA and FIDM. Top influencer in the design industry and member of the Houzz Designer Advisory Board. Brand ambassador and media partner for American Express, Verizon, Lamps Plus, Viking, Monogram, and Volvo. Board member of Pen and Napkin. Founder of Design Campus — an online and in-person professional training platform that has educated over 70,000 design and architecture professionals in best practices, documentation, and standards of care.

Expert Witness Experience

Deep Expertise Across Design & Construction

Decades of hands-on practice across residential, commercial, and hospitality projects provide the foundation for defensible, standards-based expert opinions.

Interior Design

Space planning, specification, contracts, documentation, and professional standards of care for residential and commercial interiors.

Construction & Remodeling

Construction management, contractor oversight, scope of work, scheduling, and defect analysis for renovations and new builds.

Luxury Residential

High-value single-family, multi-family, and estate projects with complex specifications and elevated standards of care.

Hospitality & Commercial

Hotels, restaurants, mixed-use developments, and commercial tenant improvement projects.

Building Codes & Compliance

Title 24, ADA, OSHA, ANSI standards, fire codes, and habitability requirements in California and nationally.

Fenestration, Envelope & Mold

Windows, doors, skylights, roof glazing, fall-through hazards, water intrusion, mold infestation, and building envelope failures — informed by direct manufacturing and installation expertise.

Retail, Venues & Public Spaces

Premises liability in retail environments, restaurants, bars, theaters, and event venues — including shelving and display hazards, lighting adequacy, stair and egress safety, flooring conditions, and crowd flow.

Exterior & Site Conditions

Sidewalk and walkway trip hazards, exterior hardscape, pavement and grading defects, outdoor lighting adequacy, and site drainage failures.

Intellectual Property & Design Rights

Designer photography and image ownership, work product disputes, trade dress, publication rights, copyright of design concepts, and unauthorized use of proprietary design materials.
  • Accident Reconstruction
  • ADA & OSHA Compliance
  • ANSI Standards
  • Antique Furniture Appraisals & Valuations
  • Billing Standards
  • Breach of Contract
  • Causation & Foreseeability
  • Celebrity Clients
  • Change Orders
  • Code Violations
  • Coefficient of Friction Testing
  • Color Coordination & Finishes
  • Compensation Standards
  • Construction Defects
  • Construction Delays & Scheduling
  • Construction Management
  • Construction Standards
  • Contract Disputes
  • Contract Documents
  • Copyright of Design Concepts
  • Cost to Cure Damages & Defects
  • Dangerous Conditions
  • Design Photography & Image Ownership
  • Design Work Product Disputes
  • Discovery & Interrogatory Assistance
  • Drainage
  • Equipment Failure
  • Ergonomic Design
  • Errors & Omissions
  • Ethics
  • Exterior Hardscape & Pavement
  • Fair Market Value
  • Failure Analysis
  • Fire & Life Safety
  • Flooring & Slip Resistance
  • Foreseeable Hazards
  • Fraudulent Billing
  • Furnishings
  • Furniture Design
  • Health & Safety
  • High Net Worth Clients
  • Human Factors
  • Illumination
  • Inadequate Lighting
  • Industry & Professional Standards of Care
  • Injury Insurance Claims
  • Interior Architecture
  • Irrigation
  • Landscape Design
  • Liability
  • Licensing
  • Lighting Levels
  • Mold & Moisture Damage
  • Mold Remediation
  • Negligence
  • Personal Injury
  • Premises Liability
  • Product Liability
  • Product Sales, Manufacturing & Distribution
  • Project Management
  • Property Disputes
  • Public Assembly & Crowd Flow
  • Publication Rights
  • Publicity, Media & Influencers
  • Retail Premises Liability
  • Roof Glazing & Fall-Through Hazards
  • Scope of Loss
  • Shelving & Display Hazards
  • Sidewalk & Walkway Hazards
  • Skylight Safety
  • Slip, Trip & Fall
  • Space Planning
  • Specification
  • Stair & Egress Safety
  • Sustainability
  • Title 24 Compliance
  • Trade Dress
  • Trademark
  • Unapproved Design Changes
  • Valuations
  • Venue & Event Space Safety
  • Water Intrusions
  • Workmanship Standards
  • Wrongful Death
  • Zoning

Litigation Services

  • Expert reports & written opinions
  • Deposition testimony
  • Trial testimony
  • Document review & analysis
  • Site inspections
  • Rebuttal reports
  • Case consultation & strategy
  • Mediation & arbitration support

Retained by both plaintiff and defense counsel. Available for engagements nationwide.

Lori Dennis is a nationally recognized interior design and construction expert witness with over 30 years of hands-on practice across luxury residential, commercial, and hospitality projects. Her expert testimony spans construction defect cases, professional negligence, breach of contract, premises liability, standard of care disputes, and remodeling failures. Licensed as ASID, LEED AP, and NCIDQ, she brings direct experience with building codes, Title 24 compliance, material specification, and project delivery — bridging the gap between design intent and construction execution with the technical precision trial teams require.

Representative Counsel

Trusted by Leading
Law Firms

Lori has been retained by top insurance defense and plaintiff firms on complex design and construction litigation.

  • Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell
  • Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith
  • Fairfield and Woods, P.C.
  • Cohen Dowd Quigley
  • Baker, Keener & Nahra, LLP
  • Trujilo & Winnick
  • Ragghianti Freitas LLP
  • Mirch Law Firm LLP
  • Caldrelli Hejmanowki Page & Leer LLP
  • Huet-Cox & Sloboda LLP

Full case list and references available upon request.

Industry Partnerships Recognized by leading brands as an authority in luxury design, construction specification, and manufacturing standards.

Brand partners including Viking, American Express, Verizon, Lamps Plus, Milgard, Volvo, and Sub-Zero

Fee Schedule

Expert Witness
Fee Structure

Professional rates reflect the depth of expertise, preparation, and courtroom-ready analysis delivered on every engagement.

Document review & consulting$600 / hour
Expert report preparation$600 / hour
Deposition testimony$600 / hour
Travel (non-working)$300 / hour
Travel (actively working)$600 / hour
Trial testimony$750 / hour

Fee schedule provided upon engagement; retainer required. Available to work nationally.

Frequently Asked Questions

Expert Witness FAQ

Yes. Interior designers may testify as expert witnesses when their opinions are based on specialized knowledge, education, training, and professional experience. Courts routinely accept qualified interior design experts in matters involving standard of care, design practices, documentation, habitability, and construction-related disputes.
Lori Dennis has more than 30 years of professional experience as a practicing interior designer and construction professional and has served as an expert witness since 2011 on high-profile matters involving luxury residential, hospitality, and commercial projects.
Yes. Lori Dennis is retained by both plaintiff and defense counsel and provides opinions based solely on industry standards, professional practice, documentation, and case facts, regardless of the retaining party.
Yes. Lori Dennis has experience providing sworn deposition testimony and trial testimony and works closely with counsel to ensure opinions are clearly articulated and well supported.
No. Expert witness services are provided on a non-contingent basis only. Compensation is not dependent on the outcome of the case.

Contact

Lori Dennis, ASID, LEED AP, NCIDQ

Interior Design & Construction Expert Witness — Available Nationally

Email

lori@loridennis.com

Phone

(310) 493-3972

Office

1838 Sawtelle Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025

Download CV (PDF)