Our Expert Team

When the building is old, the scope is complicated, or the consequences are expensive, you want more than a checklist. Jack Reilly Associates brings inspection, structural assessment, electrical code expertise, and construction management perspective—so clients get clear findings and practical, defensible guidance.

Jack Reilly has spent more than four decades examining how buildings are put together—and why they fail. Since founding Jack Reilly Associates in 1978, he has conducted more than 17,500 residential and commercial inspections across Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, with a focus on older structures, complex buildings, renovation projects, and high-stakes decisions where judgment matters as much as technical knowledge.
Jack is especially known for rehabilitation and forensic work. Clients often call when problems persist, responsibility is disputed, or the cost of being wrong is high. Early in his career, he helped develop HUD’s first training manual for municipal rehabilitation specialists and later lectured nationally on rehabilitation techniques and program oversight.

A longtime leader within ASHI, Jack has also served as a featured construction expert on HDTV and has testified before Maryland legislative committees on lead paint and home inspection issues. He is qualified as an expert witness in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia, and holds a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Thomas Epps, Jr. brings more than 30 years of hands-on experience in building renovation, construction management, and structural assessment. His work spans the full life cycle of residential and commercial construction—from plan review and feasibility to job-site oversight and post-construction evaluation.

As principal of DCCSM, LLC, Thomas has built long-standing relationships across the design and construction trades, giving him a clear view of how buildings are assembled in the field—and where coordination breakdowns, shortcuts, or misunderstandings lead to structural risk.

For more than 15 years, he has worked as an engineering paraprofessional under licensed professional engineers in Maryland and the District of Columbia, conducting detailed ocular inspections of structural systems. He performs over 100 structural assessments annually, documenting conditions such as cracking, deflection, corrosion, settlement, and material failure to support formal engineering reports and certifications.

Within Jack Reilly Associates, Thomas connects inspection findings to real-world construction realities—especially on complex renovation and commercial projects.

David E. Shapiro has spent more than four decades at the intersection of electrical safety, code development, and real-world inspection practice. Since 1981, he has operated Safety First Electrical, providing independent electrical consulting, inspection, and expert guidance across the Mid-Atlantic region.

A Master Electrician licensed in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, David’s career has focused on not only what codes require, but why they exist—and how they apply to existing buildings. He serves on committees responsible for multiple UL standards and is a special expert on NFPA 73, contributing to national electrical inspection standards for existing dwellings.

David has consulted for major publishers and media outlets and has supported contractors, attorneys, and homeowner organizations with clear, defensible conclusions. He is the author of Old Electrical Wiring and Your Old Wiring (McGraw-Hill) and co-author of Behind the Code.

Within Jack Reilly Associates, David’s expertise is essential on projects where electrical systems, safety compliance, and liability intersect.

Brendan Heffern is a senior construction manager with more than twenty years of experience overseeing complex building projects across the public and private sectors. His background includes ground-up heavy construction (concrete and steel), mixed-use wood-framed podium buildings, and renovations and tenant fit-outs within occupied facilities—experience that sharpens his understanding of how systems interact and how early decisions affect cost, schedule, and long-term performance.

Before serving as a third-party owner’s representative in private development, Brendan spent a decade managing projects for the U.S. Department of State (including overseas work) and leading projects in the Washington, D.C. area for the Department of Justice. These roles required rigorous project controls, security awareness, and accountability—skills that translate directly to high-stakes commercial work.

Brendan began his career with a general contractor and holds a B.S. in Architectural Engineering Technology from Wentworth Institute of Technology. Within Jack Reilly Associates, he adds project-control discipline and owner advocacy—especially valuable where inspections intersect with active construction, phased renovations, or capital decision-making.