We are pleased to present our 2022 WTW A&E webinar schedule. Please find program summaries for each webinar below as well as the link to the 2023 schedule.
WTW A&E 2023 Monthly Webinar Series
Contact willisae@willistowerswatson.com with any questions.
2022 WTW A&E Webinars
- December 12: Emerging A&E PL Claim Issues – Panel Discussion
- November 21: Managing Scope Creep
- October 31: Halloween Special: Contracts from the Dark Side Revisited!
- September 12: Design-Build: Professional Liability Risk, Implications For Consulting Design Professionals
- August 8: Lessons in Liability
- July 11: Communication and Documentation
- June 13: Design Liability in a Changing Climate
- May 9: Health Safety Welfare and Ethics for the Design Professional
- April 11: Managing Cyber Risk & Developing an Incident Response Plan
- March 14: Successful Construction Phase Services: You Need More than the
Luck of the Irish - February 14: Valentine Special: “Go – No Go?”
- January 10: Construction Collection Challenges
2022 WTW A&E Webinar Details
Emerging A&E PL Claim Issues – Panel Discussion
December 12, 2022, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. CT
Join us for an interactive panel discussion with Claims experts from some of the leading A&E PL insurance carriers in the industry. Dan Buelow, Managing Director and Bob Stanton, VP of Claims for WTW A&E will moderate a panel discussion on emerging A&E claim trends. We will be joined by Claim representatives from AIG/Lexington, Beazley, Berkley, CNA and Hanover. Our distinguished panel will be sharing claim stories involving a wide range of project types and disciplines. We will have an interactive discussion on valuable “lessons learned” and risk management tips every design professional firm should consider in order to mitigate their risks from costly claims and client disputes. A great program for all levels of staff!
Managing Scope Creep
November 21, 2022, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. CT
Change is a key challenge to a basic premise of project management: the control of resources to meet a certain objective by a specific date within a finite budget. Scope creep happens when there is an expansion of services provided without a corresponding increase in the design professionals fees or recognition of additional risk exposure. Change is inevitable, but scope creep is not. This workshop will help you learn the triggers for change and how to manage the change process to maintain your client relationships and your firms profitability through the use of some invaluable risk management tips – and effective communication and documentation practices.
Halloween Special: Contracts from the Dark Side Revisited!
October 31, 2022, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. CT
Put on a scary outfit and join us for our annual WTW A&E Halloween webinar special: Contracts from the Dark Side Revisited. We will be taking another look back at some of the scariest contract clauses our A&E clients have been spooked with over the last year. This special webinar promises to scare you straight and prepare you for that next horrific Owner drafted contract. Once again, we will discuss some practical tips on how to negotiate fair and insurable professional agreements. Dan Buelow, Managing Director of WTW A&E, will moderate a discussion on how best to recognize and negotiate these spooky contractual risks with the help of two scary dudes: Mark Blankenship, Director of Risk Management for wtw A&E and David Ericksen, from the law firm Collins + Collins. This is a fun program for all staff.
Design-Build: Professional Liability Risk, Implications For Consulting Design Professionals
September 12, 2022, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. CT
This webinar will address some of the perils and risks associated with fixed price contracting and aggressive risk allocation on Design-Build projects including a discussion of professional liability risk for Design Professionals engaged by Design-Builders on those projects. Potential solutions to some of these risk and challenges will be addressed along with discussion of challenges and potential solutions for professional liability insurance programs on Design-Build projects.
Lessons in Liability
August 8, 2022, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. CT
A Primer course presented in a question and answer format which addresses many of the risk management issues facing designers in the market today. Jobsite safety, Protecting the public, Documentation, etc. This program will discuss various risk management and insurance issues surrounding accessibility and energy efficiency and engage the participants on the topic of jobsite safety and their role and responsibility as it relates to protecting the public. Recommend risk management techniques to address the potential exposures that architects face as it relates to jobsite safety and claims. We will also discuss preferred contract language to address codes, regulations, etc. and have a lively discussion on contract issues as well as rules and regulations governing the architecture practice. We will also illustrate how to protect your firm and the public through insurance and various risk management.
Communication and Documentation
July 11, 2022, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. CT
We will be discussing a critical and often neglected area of risk management within the Design practice: effective communication and documentation. Most claims against A&E firms are due to unmet expectations. Most claims against A&E firms are not rooted in design error but rather in non-technical causes of loss’s of which poor communications and documentation is a leading factor. This program will review the challenges and exposures associated with poor communication and documentation within the design and construction practice and offer practical measures your firm can take to reduce your risk.
Design Liability in a Changing Climate
June 13, 2022, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. CT
Design professionals have an ethical and legal duty to design facilities to protect public health, safety, and welfare. When doing so they often rely on building codes and standards. But codes and standards set a minimum for design acceptability. And they are based on information acquired over many decades. Now society is facing rapid climate change and extreme weather events and antiquated codes and standards do not adequately address the demands of climate volatility. Adaptive and resilient design may have to exceed the minimum requirements. But many clients – and many government entities – do not recognize the necessity of investing in projects that exceed minimum standards thus creating a conflict between immediate financial concerns and long-term project viability. Design professionals must understand the legal environment where foreseeability of harm and the duty to design to a higher standard of care may increase their professional liability exposure beyond their contractual liability exposure. Designing above the minimum standard can be a great risk management solution in the face of climate volatility but design firms must understand their legal and contractual obligations and learn to educate clients about the advantages and necessities of adaptive and resilient design.
Health Safety Welfare and Ethics for the Design Professional
May 9, 2022, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. CT
What are the ethical obligations of the Design Professional when it comes to the health, safety and welfare of the general public? Jeff Coleman, from The Coleman Law Firm, will be presenting his very popular program to address this very question. What are the potential risks and liabilities to the Design Professional surrounding accessibility, energy efficiency, issues relative to conflicts between existing codes and client requests? What steps should you take in the event an error or omission is discovered? This promises to be a lively discussion that will address all of these questions as well as the rules and regulations governing the A&E practice.
Managing Cyber Risk & Developing an Incident Response Plan
April 11, 2022, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. CT
Cyber claims involving design firms are on the rise and a number of A&E firms have experienced significant losses as a result of cyber related attacks and ransomware. We will be joined by top cybersecurity experts for an update on the cyber risks facing the design and construction practice with a focus on crafting a cyber incident response plan. Our panelists will review what every A&E firm should be doing to mitigate this complex and evolving risk - and what controls you will need to have in place in order to secure standalone cyber liability incurrence coverage. We will also review the importance of having an incident response plan in place to respond to a cyber attack on your firm in order to minimize the interruption and financial impact to your business. We would recommend this program to anyone responsible for managing a design firm’s risk – in addition to anyone responsible for managing IT for your firm.
Successful Construction Phase Services: You Need More than the Luck of the Irish
March 14, 2022, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. CT
A design professional’s involvement with the construction phase is often critical to the successful completion of a construction project. While performing these services allows the design professional a valuable opportunity to detect errors and omissions and participate in decisions to resolve problems, there are risks associated with this phase of the project. In this seminar, we will explore the potential risks and rewards to the design professional when performing construction phase services.
Valentine Special: “Go – No Go?”
February 14, 2022, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. CT
Love is in the air once again for our annual WTW A&E Valentine Special. Every year we spice this program up as we consider the critical and evolving “Go/No-Go” decisions every design firm must make when evaluating new project opportunities and prospective clients. This is a great time of year to think about relationships – and who you want to spend your time and firm’s valuable resources with. Some firms are kind of loose when it comes to entering prospective relationships and often end up singing the blues - while others take a more methodical approach. We will be joined by Andy Mendelson, FAIA, Chief Risk Management Officer for Berkley DP for an interactive discussion around critical “Go No-Go” considerations when it comes to evaluating prospective projects, project team capabilities, financials, contracts and client relationships.
Construction Collection Challenges
January 10, 2022, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. CT
The challenge to collecting design professional fees during the course of construction has become an increasing challenge in recent years and is approaching a crisis. The key leverage of the design has been delivered and contractual collection remedies are chronically inadequate and plagued with risk. This is especially true for traditional subconsultants and for any design professional on a design-build team. This program will demonstrate the challenges through real life examples, chronicle the typical contractual shortcomings, and seek to establish solutions to overcome and succeed.
