!! IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT !!
Practice Update | International Expansion and Elevated Standards
When the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the global economy, we made a conscious and principled decision to support our clients across all sectors. During that period, we froze our rates, introduced caps on matters requiring extended involvement, and absorbed significant operational pressure in order to remain accessible, responsive, and dependable.
That decision was not without cost—but it was deliberate.
Five years later, the global environment has shifted. The South African Rand has strengthened materially against the US Dollar, international demand for forensic and expert services has increased, and our own practice has experienced sustained growth in complex and high-stakes engagements.
This growth has reaffirmed a fundamental reality of expert practice: unlike conventional consultancies, forensic and expert services cannot scale through automation, increased staffing, or accelerated workflows without compromising reliability, defensibility, and evidentiary integrity. Every report we produce is prepared on the basis that it may be subjected to judicial scrutiny and cross-examination, unless explicitly stated otherwise.
During 2025, we undertook a period of reflection. While we continued to accommodate a growing volume of work, it became clear that maintaining excellence required a recalibration of focus, standards, and structure—rather than continued expansion in volume.
International Expansion
Following multiple requests for services from the United States and Canada during 2025, we are pleased to formally announce the registration of IBFUSA LLC, filed in New Mexico.
From January 2026, our practice operates through two jurisdictions:
This expansion is strategic and standards-driven. It is not a departure from our African practice, but a reinforcement of the level at which we operate.
Elevated Standards Across All Matters
Going forward, all new appointments—regardless of jurisdiction—will be approached in accordance with standards aligned to United States Federal Rules of Evidence and Daubert principles. This ensures methodological rigor, transparency, and defensibility consistent with the most demanding expert-evidence environments globally.
African clients will continue to be served at this elevated standard, without any increase to local hourly rates. However, to maintain this level of work, we will be committing more time, analysis, and professional scrutiny to each matter and will be increasingly selective in the engagements we accept.
In 2026 and beyond, our focus will be on fewer matters of greater consequence—where expert evidence must withstand the highest level of scrutiny and where outcomes truly matter.
Notice to United States Attorneys
At this stage, IBFUSA LLC will provide services exclusively to attorneys and legal teams within the United States. This allows us to ensure strict compliance with jurisdictional requirements, evidentiary standards, and professional expectations while we establish and refine our North American operations.
We welcome engagement from US attorneys seeking expert forensic services on serious, complex, or high-stakes matters requiring disciplined methodology, international experience, and litigation-ready opinions.
Expansion into additional professional sectors within the United States is anticipated in future phases, following regulatory, operational, and professional alignment.
Our Operating Philosophy
- We do not compete on price.
- We do not limit scope to meet comparative quotations.
- We do not produce opinions that cannot be defended.
Our objective is clear: fewer clients, deeper analysis, and work that exceeds local and international benchmarks.
For matters where the stakes are real—legal, financial, reputational, or human—we remain committed to delivering expert services at a level beyond anything available locally.
Professional enquiries are welcome.
