Expert Legal Consultancy Services
Specialised forensic architecture for legal teams.
Expert Legal Consultancy Services
Specialised forensic architecture for legal teams.
The Practice
Gould Forensic Architecture
I operate on a singular, uncompromising premise: In complex digital ecosystems, 'Accidents' are structurally impossible. There are only Latent Defects or Architectural Negligence.
My background is not in standard IT consulting. I am a Forensic Systems Architect with a dual-discipline foundation that bridges the gap between physical engineering rigor and digital liability.
With a career beginning in Core Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science before pivoting to Data Systems Architecture in 2013, I view software not as lines of text, but as a 'load-bearing structure.' Just as a bridge fails due to material fatigue, digital systems fail due to 'Code Cascades'—where silent upstream changes cause disproportionate downstream damage.
I act as a specialised Shadow Expert for solicitors and insurers, translating technical complexity into undeniable liability arguments."
Ian Gould, Principal Forensic Architect
The Core Expertise
Forensic Systems Analysis
Critical Infrastructure & DORA
Forensic Systems Analysis
We do not offer general IT support. We conduct deep-dive forensic audits into failed systems to identify the specific architectural fracture—whether it be an API dependency failure, a 'Code Cascade,' or material degradation in physical infrastructure.
In commercial litigation, establishing that a system failed is simple; establishing why
We do not offer general IT support. We conduct deep-dive forensic audits into failed systems to identify the specific architectural fracture—whether it be an API dependency failure, a 'Code Cascade,' or material degradation in physical infrastructure.
In commercial litigation, establishing that a system failed is simple; establishing why it failed—and who is liable—requires architectural precision.
Our methodology moves beyond surface-level bug reports to trace the Chain of Causation from the moment of loss back to the moment of negligence.
We distinguish between 'Latent Defects' (unavoidable errors) and 'Architectural Negligence' (governance failures), providing legal teams with the technical certainty required to secure a judgment.
Shadow Expert Consulting
Critical Infrastructure & DORA
Forensic Systems Analysis
Litigation is often won or lost before the first expert report is filed. Acting as a Shadow Expert, we provide legal teams with a distinct tactical advantage: the ability to assess the technical merits of a claim early, privately, and cost-effectively.
We work behind the privilege curtain to review discovery documents, decode technical ja
Litigation is often won or lost before the first expert report is filed. Acting as a Shadow Expert, we provide legal teams with a distinct tactical advantage: the ability to assess the technical merits of a claim early, privately, and cost-effectively.
We work behind the privilege curtain to review discovery documents, decode technical jargon, and identify the critical weaknesses in the opposing party's architecture.
By instructing Gould Forensic Architecture at the pre-action or early discovery stage, you avoid the risk of instructing a testifying expert only to find the technical evidence does not support your legal theory.
We stress-test the case first.
Critical Infrastructure & DORA
Critical Infrastructure & DORA
Critical Infrastructure & DORA
In regulated sectors such as Energy, Transport, and Bio-Security, digital failure is not just an inconvenience; it is a systemic threat.
We audit critical infrastructure against the rigorous standards of the EU Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) and international safety protocols.
Our architectural approach treats code as a physica
In regulated sectors such as Energy, Transport, and Bio-Security, digital failure is not just an inconvenience; it is a systemic threat.
We audit critical infrastructure against the rigorous standards of the EU Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) and international safety protocols.
Our architectural approach treats code as a physical, load-bearing component of the infrastructure.
Whether assessing the composite integrity of a wind turbine or the biometric governance of a national border system, we verify that the digital architecture is robust enough to withstand both cyber-kinetic attacks and systemic cascade failures.
We do not just check for compliance; we stress-test for survival.
Proprietary Research & White Papers
Defining the Architectural Standard for Digital Resilience.
Gould Forensic Architecture does not just audit systems; we define the standards for their survival.
Our proprietary research is currently shaping the industry approach to the EU Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA), moving critical infrastructure beyond static 'compliance' checklists to active, kinetic defense strategies.
"We argue that in an era of 'Code Cascades,' resilience must be architectural, not just procedural".
Our Core Frameworks:
- The Autonomous Captain Twin (ACT) Protocol: A groundbreaking architectural standard for preventing lateral movement in cyber-attacks. By utilising 'digital bulkheads' and kinetic code replacement, ACT treats cyber-events as logic failures to be neutralised in milliseconds, rather than security breaches to be siloe monitored. This protocol is currently being evaluated as a benchmark for DORA-compliant architecture in high-stakes environments.
- Code Kinetic Insurance (CKI): We have pioneered the framework for underwriting 'Dynamic AI Risk.' Our research demonstrates that traditional static insurance policies are structurally incapable of covering self-evolving algorithms. CKI proposes a new liability model based on real-time 'code drift' and algorithmic behavior, bridging the gap between actuarial science and software engineering.