The compelling risk report, Guilty Until Proven Innocent: Claims Defense Documentation, addresses documentation by the architect, centering on the presumption, “If it’s not written down, it didn’t happen.” The paper is a guideline for managing your documentation with helpful suggestions for beneficial recordkeeping and documents retention and retrieval for an effective claims response in the…
Read MoreResource Type: Article
Don’t Shoot Me, I’m Only the Architect
The risk report, Bulletproof Contract Administration: Managing Risk during Construction, addresses documentation procedures that can be advantageous in managing risk during the construction phase. Although considered cumbersome in this often complex phase of services, the suggestions put forth can serve as valuable defense documentation in the event a claims bullet is fired. Beginning with the…
Read MoreHasta la Vista, Baby: Contractor Termination Lawsuits
When the terminator shows up, you must be ready. Termination of the contractor on a project almost always guarantees a lawsuit, and the architect is often among the casualties. The risk report, Contractor Termination Lawsuits: The Architect’s Risks and How to Manage Them, addresses why the architect is often sued when a project goes wrong,…
Read MoreLive Long and Prosper
The risk report, BIM Me Up, Scotty: Navigating Risk in Digital Practice, is your chance to get the inside on preemptive risk management for your digital travels. It is an opportunity to gain insight for managing your practice so that you can put up your deflector shields to guard against incursions from the litigious Borgs…
Read MoreI’m Responsible for Them?
One of the most important defenses in any professional liability lawsuit is that an architect is not responsible for losses of a person who has no contract with the architect such as a general contractor or sub-contractor on a project. The legal term is that the architect and the third party do not share “privity…
Read MoreA Sustainable Standard of Care?
We live in an age of ever-accelerating change and “advancement”. On the one hand, technological advancement provides the lure and expectation of increased opportunities and efficiencies. However, those new technologies, products, and approaches present an increased potential for failure and disappointment. Design professionals are constantly expected to find new ways of building projects better, faster,…
Read MoreDesigning for the Future: Avoiding Intellectual Property Claims
From 2009 through 2018, almost all intellectual property claims against design professionals in the Victor and CNA program involved copyright issues. Intellectual property, perhaps the most valuable asset for design professionals, includes trademarks, patents, and copyrights. While intellectual property claims in the program were minimal, design professionals should be aware of these risks arising from…
Read More5 Tips on Whether to Buy Long-Term Care Insurance
One of the most difficult decisions in long-term care planning is whether to purchase long-term care insurance (LTCI) and which product best suits your needs. On the one hand, LTCI premiums are high and they may be raised in the future. Plus, if you are in your 50’s and 60’s when purchasing policies, the need…
Read MoreTechnology and Transformation in Architecture
Integrating architectural services into a more collaborative design and construction process is transforming practice today. And younger architects are leading this transformation. Design creativity and instantaneous communications are two key characteristics of the youngest generation in the architecture profession. Rapid changes in technology provide transformational tools to enhance both creativity and communication. New technological tools…
Read MoreEmerging Professionals and Disability Insurance
Emerging professionals work hard—you apply yourself to everything you do. You thrive by embracing the changes you know life brings. Yet starting your career is only the first step toward achieving financial stability—since all of life’s events cannot be predicted. As you start your future, how do you protect your income? Accidents and illness happen…
Read MoreEmerging Professionals and Disability Insurance
