Prior to becoming an independent consultant, James Wright worked for 6-1/2 years as a Contract Claims Specialist in Halliburton/KBR’s Law Dept managing Engineering & Construction claims on both KBR and Halliburton Energy Services contracts, having previously served as testifying expert on such matters while with Wright & Associates Project Management Group, Inc.
He also served as Director of E-Discovery at Halliburton, developing and managing the E-Discovery protocols for all matters, including litigation and government investigations. He also represented the Litigation Group in the development of Records Management protocols as a member of the Document Retention Oversight Board.
After Halliburton spun off KBR, from which most of the major contract claims and disputes arose, James served as Director at FTI Consulting in Houston, focusing on litigation support for Electronic Discovery and providing broad technical support for various consulting engagements.
He was a Founding Director of the Corporate E-Discovery Forum [with 500+ members from 250+ corporations]. It was a non-profit organization of Corporate-only groups that met a few times a year and discussed matters related to E-Discovery Best Practices for In-House Corporate staff. As corporations developed such knowledge and expertise in house, the forum was dissolved and similar discussion groups continued in other venues.
Certifications
- Licensed Professional Engineer, Texas
Professional Affiliations
- Founding Director of Corporate E-Discovery Forum
- Various Client Advisory Boards for E-Discovery Technology providers.
Education
- B.A. in Mechanical Engineering, Rice University
Employment History
2008 – Present
James Wright Consulting LLC – Principal
Consulting on major capital project construction claims and disputes and litigation support re: electronic evidence.
2011 – 2016
S&B Engineers and Constructors – Sr. Project Engineering Lead [various roles]
Representative Projects:
- $200M+ specialty chemical manufacturing plant [USA]-served as liaison between Program Manager [S&B] and ISBL Engineer in Atlanta.
- Natural Gas Fractionation Plants [2], Mt. Belvieu, TX., Served as contract change coordinator developing $40MM+ in contract changes on this LS project.
- Air Separation Plants [2] – US Gulf Coast. – Provided supervision and client liaison to resolve late disputes and secure release from liability by the Client[Owner].
- Alliance multiple projects, Chocolate Bayou, TX. Served as Project Engineering Lead, developing scope/estimates and managing design of multiple simultaneous small capital projects.
2010
Benchmark Performance Group – Director of IT Policy and Services
Developing policies and overseeing major overhaul of Information systems/services for this Houston-based energy services company, a former FTI and Wright Consulting client.
2007 to 2008
FTI Consulting, Inc., Houston, TX – Director
Consulting on matters of electronic evidence and electronic discovery for investigations and litigation. Provided broad technical support for other FTI engagements.
2001 to 2007
Halliburton Co., Houston, TX – Law Dept.
KBR Technical Services, Inc. – Contract Claims Specialist
Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
Reported to Sr. V.P. -Litigation
Managed and coordinated claims and disputes on major design/construction projects, and served as liaison between counsel and internal technical staff when such matters proceeded to mediation, arbitration, and/or litigation.
Served on KBR Risk Management Committee, developing new protocols for same. Served on Halliburton Document Retention Oversight Board.
Major Projects Claims included:
- Specialty Chemical Plant, Alberta Canada [$40MM+ in claims]
- Offshore Pipelines Projects, Mexico [$180MM+]
- Offshore Topsides Project, Gulf of Mexico [$14MM+]
- Mining Modernization Projects, Arizona [$24MM]
- Forest Products Plants, Alabama {$10-25MM]
1999 to 2001
Acres International Corporation, Houston, TX – Regional Manager
Managed the startup Houston office of this Canadian-based hydropower engineering firm expanding into the US Energy market. Acres acquired Wright & Associates PMG.
1991 to 1999
Wright & Associates Project Management Group, Inc. – President/Principal
As Owner’s Representatives, provided Project Engineering, Project and Construction Management, Scope Development, Project Execution Planning, Capital Cost Estimating, Contractor Selection, Contract and Change Negotiation, and Expert Litigation Support for major operating companies. Corporate sponsor of the Project Management Institute – Houston.
Representative Projects:
- Refinery Hydrotreater Addition – Pasadena, TX
- Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrade/Expansion –Houston, TX
- Agricultural Chemical Production Plant – Houston, TX
- Offshore Pipeline and Production Facility, Gulf of Mexico
- Specialty Water Chemicals Plant, Sugarland, TX
- Landfill Gas to Electricity Generating Plant, Austin, Texas
- Magnetic Iron Oxide Project – Houston, TX
1975 to 1991
Engineering/Construction Contractors
Project Management, Business Development [Manager of Proposals], Project Engineering and Equipment Engineering for Houston-based engineering and construction firms in the petrochemical, energy, and specialty chemicals industries including the following.
- Davy McKee [John Brown] Engineering Inc.
- Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. -Central Division
- ENSTAR Engineering, Inc. [Formerly Delta Engineering Corporation]
- PROCON, Inc. [Division of UOP]
- Hudson Engineering Corporation – [Div of J.R McDermott Int’l]
- WKM Valve Div. of ACF Industries
Representative Projects:
- Various Cryogenic Gas Processing Plants – TX
- FCCU/Gas Con Unit Revamp, Pasadena, TX.
- Synthetic Rubber Plant Expansion, Lake Charles, LA.
- Chemical Plant Solvent Purification Unit, Baytown, TX.
- Refinery Tail Gas Unit, Lake Charles, LA.
- Lube Oils Plant Energy Conservation Project., Louisiana
- FCCU Waste Heat Recovery Facility -Amarillo, TX
- Merox Extraction [Refinery] Unit – Saudi Arabia
- Crude & Vacuum Refinery Unit – Louisiana
- Major Petrochemical Complex – Saudi Arabia
- Polyisobutene Plant – Texas