Do you know that when you design a building, you automatically own the copyright to not only your drawings and plans, but you also have a copyright to the design as well? When you design a building, the copyright belongs to the person or persons who created the plans or design. Some project…
Read MoreCategory: Professional Liability
Navigating Risk in Digital Practice
Two AIA Trust reports about digital practice risks have recently been updated. The 2021 Guide to Cyber Liability Coverage by independent insurance expert, Insurance Buyers’ Council, Inc., will help you understand what you need to know about cyber liability coverage for your firm. The 2021 update of BIM Me Up, Scotty–Navigating Risk in Digital Practice,…
Read MoreNew Policy Expands Definition of Insured
For more than 60 years, the Victor and CNA professional liability program has maintained a solid and stable base policy while introducing innovative expansions of coverage. Just as the design and construction industry has evolved, so has their policy. The CNA policy has now expanded the definition of the term insured in a significant way…
Read MoreIndemnification Clauses: All You Need to Know
Most architects prefer to design the built environment rather than learn about legal concepts such as indemnification. While you should always engage your attorney to review contract language, this legal concept can significantly increase your risks on a project, especially if poorly written. An indemnification clause is your promise to cover the losses of the…
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Green Design: What Can Go Wrong?
A new AIA Trust paper about the potential impact of the green design movement on the architect’s standard of care explores new risks and legal theories associated with green design and offers two case studies.
Read MoreAn Architect’s Guide to P3s
Federal, state, and local governments in the United States see Public-Private Partnerships (P3s) as a means to implement critical infrastructure improvements, such as improved public roads, highways, and bridges, and construct municipal improvements, such as courthouses, airports, and higher education residential facilities, when they have no immediate way to fund them. While benefits abound for…
Read MoreThe Smokey Haze Around Marijuana Facilities Design
In April 2018, the AIA Trust published The AIA Trust Guide to Marijuana Facilities Design which examines some of the necessary design considerations as well as the potential legal risks that a design professional may face in light of conflicting state and federal legal requirements. As these requirements continue to evolve, so do issues that…
Read MoreBusiness Coverage Professional Liability
The Perils of Substitutions
While you may have spent years developing a reliable specification based on research and product performance to be sure your work is exemplary, you may be asked to review proposed product substitutions with which you have limited knowledge or experience. Since you may be perceived as obstructionist if you object or viewed as approving the…
Read MoreDesigning Hedonism
The AIA Trust just published two guides that address some of the unique design issues associated with each of these growing areas of design and construction: marijuana facilities and craft breweries. The AIA Trust Guide to Marijuana Facilities Design examines some of the necessary considerations for the safe and efficient delivery of product to the…
Read MoreBusiness Coverage Professional Liability
Floods Happen—Are You Prepared?
Floods can happen anywhere—more than 20% of flood claims come from properties outside the high-risk flood zone according to FEMA. Architects are impacted by floods through exposures at their offices, their homes, and their client’s properties. So it’s important to understand what flood insurance covers—and what it does not cover—and what you need for your…
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