We are pleased to present our 2026 WTW A&E webinar schedule along with program summaries and registration links. Please register for each program by clicking on the registration link below each summary.
Upcoming webinars
- December 15: Blueprint for Success: Mastering Construction Contract Administration for Architect Engineers
- January 12: Emerging A&E Risks & Claim Trends
- February 9: Valentine Special: “Are We in Love? Go, No-Go Project Evaluation”
- March 9: Extreme Weather, Climate Science and Liability: How Courts are Shaping the Standard of Care
- April 13: Ethics Alert: “Playing by the Rules When the Rules Keep Changing - Your Professional Survival Guide”
- May 11: Reality Check: “Lessons in Liability - What They Don’t Teach You in School”
- June 8: Good Rebuttals - Your Arsenal for Winning A&E Contract Battles
- July 13: Chaos Theory: “Project Change Management - When Murphy’s Law Meets Your Timeline”
- August 10: Campfire Confessions: “Claim Stories Around the Camp Fire - Tales That Will Keep You Up Tonight”
- September 14: Lost in Translation: “Communication and Documentation - When Good Intentions Meet Bad Outcomes”
- October 30: WTW A&E’s Annual Halloween Special: Contracts from the Darkside!
- November 16: AI Revolution: “Artificial Intelligence - Your New Best Friend or Your Next Biggest Risk?”
- December 14: Danger Zone: “Beazley Claim Study - When Construction Sites Become Crime Scenes”
Webinar details
Blueprint for Success: Mastering Construction Contract Administration for Architect Engineers
December 15, 2025
Job site related claims, including delay and bodily injury claims against design professionals, is a significant risk for every design firm. Understanding the role of the design professional in Construction Contract Administration (CCA) is critical when it comes to effectively managing this risk. We will discuss the pitfalls and opportunities design firms face when it comes to construction contract administration and what every member of a design team visiting site needs to know when it comes to the standard of care.
Back to toparrow_upward
Emerging A&E Risks & Claim Trends
January 12, 2026
The winds of change are blowing through the A&E industry, and you need to know which way they’re headed! Don’t get caught off guard by the evolving risk landscape that’s reshaping professional liability claims across the design profession. Dan Buelow, Managing Director of WTW A&E, leads an all-star panel of battle-hardened senior claim managers and leaders from some of the industry’s top PL carriers as they dissect the eye-opening results of our 2026 WTW A&E industry survey. We’re talking real numbers, real trends, and real consequences - from the alarming rise in claim severity that’s making carriers sweat, to the project types and delivery methods that are becoming litigation magnets. This isn’t your typical dry statistical review – we will be uncovering proactive measures that can save your firm from joining the casualty list. Plus, we’ll tackle the emerging threats keeping industry leaders awake at night. When the industry’s leading carriers share their crystal ball predictions on the evolving standard of care, you’ll want to be listening!
Back to toparrow_upward
Valentine Special: “Are We in Love? Go, No-Go Project Evaluation”
February 9, 2026
Love is in the air once again and you won’t want to miss our annual WTW A&E Valentine special. Every year we spice this program up as we consider the important 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 firm’s valuable resources on. 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. Dan Buelow, Managing Director, WTW A&E and Mark Blankenship, Director of Risk Management, WTW A&E will be joined by Andrew Mendelson, Executive Vice President, Chief Risk Management & CX Officer for Berkley Alliance Managers, a Berkley Company. Join us for an interactive discussion around critical risk identification considerations when it comes to evaluating prospective projects, project team capabilities, financials, contract formation - and client relationships.
Back to toparrow_upward
Extreme Weather, Climate Science and Liability: How Courts are Shaping the Standard of Care
March 9, 2026
The weather outside is frightful, and so are the liability implications! Yvonne Castillo, Director, Victor Advisory and Nick Lopuszynski, Director of Complex Claim, Professional Services, CNA will explore how extreme weather events driven by climate change are increasing professional liability risks for design firms. They will analyze case law to discuss how courts assess foreseeability in relation to severe weather and the evolving standard of care. The session will cover why defenses such as “act of God” are losing effectiveness, how codes and standards fall short of climate realities and what proactive steps firms can take to incorporate future climate projections into their design processes. Attendees will gain insights into risk mitigation strategies, emerging trends in weather-related claims and examples of projects where climate modeling has enhanced resilience against extreme weather events.
Back to toparrow_upward
Ethics Alert: “Playing by the Rules When the Rules Keep Changing - Your Professional Survival Guide”
April 13, 2026
Ready to earn your required ethics credits while actually staying awake? This isn’t your grandfather’s dusty ethics seminar, we’re tackling the real-world ethical minefields that today’s design professionals navigate every single day! Mark Blankenship (with special guest attorney Jeff Coleman) will bring the heat with recent disciplinary cases that will make you question everything you thought you knew about professional responsibility. When clients push back against code requirements, when budgets clash with safety standards, and when you discover that gut-wrenching error after the project’s already under construction, what’s the right move? And what move will get you hauled before the licensing board? We’re diving deep into the ethical obligations that come with protecting public health, safety, and welfare, exploring the murky waters where client demands meet professional judgment, and examining the real-world consequences when things go sideways. This promises to be a lively, no-holds-barred discussion that addresses the tough questions about conflicts of interest, disclosure obligations, and what to do when your professional instincts conflict with commercial pressures. Because in today’s complex practice environment, knowing the ethical rules isn’t just about keeping your license - it’s about keeping your reputation intact.
Back to toparrow_upward
Reality Check: “Lessons in Liability - What They Don’t Teach You in School”
May 11, 2026
School’s out, but class is definitely in session! Time for a masterclass in the hard-knock lessons that separate the survivors from the casualties in the A&E world. This isn’t theory - this is street-smart wisdom earned through blood, sweat, and insurance claims. Through our signature Q&A format, we’re tackling the risk management issues that keep partners awake, from managing client expectations that seem to expand faster than project budgets, to navigating standard of care requirements when everyone thinks they’re an expert. We’ll dissect contract formation nightmares, construction administration disasters, and all those other “learning opportunities” that can turn a profitable project into a costly cautionary tale. But here’s the twist - instead of just scaring you straight, we’re serving up practical advice, real-world recommendations, and battle-tested strategies that actually work in the trenches. Perfect for staff at every level who want to learn from others’ mistakes instead of making their own!
Back to toparrow_upward
Good Rebuttals - Your Arsenal for Winning A&E Contract Battles
June 8, 2026
Time to arm yourself for the contract negotiation battlefield! Don’t let another RFP season leave you feeling defeated by those dreaded “take it or leave it” contract terms that seem designed to transfer every conceivable risk to your firm. Our “Good Rebuttals” program is your secret weapon - a comprehensive toolkit of battle-tested negotiation strategies and ready-to-deploy contract language that will transform you from pushover to powerhouse at the negotiating table. We’ll dive deep into the art of the rebuttal: from crafting compelling responses to overbroad insurance requirements and problematic data privacy clauses, to developing your own “playbook” of proven contract language alternatives. Join Mark Blankenship, Dan Buelow, and special guest in-house counsel as we share dissect real-world scenarios, and build your confidence to push back on unreasonable contract terms while still winning the work.
Back to toparrow_upward
Chaos Theory: “Project Change Management - When Murphy’s Law Meets Your Timeline”
July 13, 2026
“There are two projects: The one you plan for and the one you live with after that!” If that quote doesn’t make you laugh (or cry), you haven’t been in this business long enough. Change is inevitable, but project disasters don’t have to be - and David Ericksen from Ericksen Legal, PC is back to prove it! Drawing from real-life projects that went from dream assignments to nightmare scenarios faster than you can say “scope creep,” this program is your survival guide for the chaos that comes with every project worth doing. We’re not talking about minor tweaks and gentle course corrections - we’re talking about the seismic shifts that happen mid-design, the client revelations that surface mid-construction, and the regulatory curveballs that make you question your career choices. But here’s the good news: the most frequent change drivers are surprisingly predictable once you know what to look for, and the best strategies for handling them can be developed in advance rather than improvised under pressure. Through interactive case studies, proven methodologies, and David’s trademark blend of legal insight and practical wisdom, you’ll walk away with tools to anticipate the unexpected, identify red flags before they become red alerts, and respond to change with confidence instead of panic.
Back to toparrow_upward
Campfire Confessions: “Claim Stories Around the Camp Fire - Tales That Will Keep You Up Tonight”
August 10, 2026
Summer’s here, the nights are warm, and it’s time to gather ’round the campfire for some spine-tingling tales from the professional liability crypt! But these aren’t fictional ghost stories - these are real claims involving real design professionals that will make you check your insurance coverage twice and your contract language three times. Through our interactive storytelling format, we’ll walk through actual claims spanning every project type you can imagine: from the routine jobs, to the prestigious assignments that became professional nightmares. Each cautionary tale comes with hard-earned lessons learned, specific risk management tips that actually work in the real world, and practical strategies your firm can implement tomorrow to avoid becoming next year’s cautionary tale. Perfect for staff at all levels who want to learn from other people’s expensive mistakes instead of funding their own education through the claims process.
Back to toparrow_upward
Lost in Translation: “Communication and Documentation - When Good Intentions Meet Bad Outcomes”
September 14, 2026
They say communication is everything, but in the A&E world, poor communication is often the gateway to everything going wrong! Don’t let another project derail because someone misunderstood an email, misinterpreted a drawing note, or missed a critical conversation entirely. This interactive deep-dive tackles the communication and documentation practices that separate the professionals from the amateurs, and the successful firms from the ones writing settlement checks. We’re exploring the full spectrum of communication disasters that plague our industry: emails that seemed clear until they ended up as trial exhibits, field notes that created more confusion than clarity, marketing promises that became contractual obligations, and contract language that meant one thing to you and something entirely different to everyone else. From the initial client meeting to final project closeout, every interaction is an opportunity to either strengthen your position or accidentally create your next liability exposure. Through real-world examples, practical frameworks, and interactive problem-solving, we’ll show you how to manage expectations proactively, document decisions defensively, and communicate in ways that reduce risk rather than amplify it. Because in today’s litigious environment, it’s not just about doing good work - it’s about being able to prove you did good work, and that starts with communication and documentation practices that actually protect your firm when things get complicated.
Back to toparrow_upward
WTW A&E’s Annual Halloween Special: Contracts from the Darkside!
October 30, 2026
Put on your scariest costume and prepare yourself for our annual Willis A&E Halloween horror spectacular because we’ve collected a year’s worth of terrifying contract clauses. Welcome to “Contracts from the Darkside,” where we’ll be examining the most spine-chilling, blood-curdling, absolutely horrifying contract terms that unsuspecting A&E firms have encountered in the wild over the past year. We’re talking about indemnification clauses that would make Dracula blush, liability provisions that are scarier than any haunted house, and insurance requirements so unreasonable they could wake the dead. But this isn’t just about getting spooked - we’re here to scare you straight with practical tips, proven negotiation strategies, and battle-tested contract language that can transform these nightmarish terms into fair and insurable professional agreements. From the seemingly innocent clauses that hide deadly traps to the obviously problematic provisions that somehow keep showing up in “standard” agreements, we’ll dissect the anatomy of problematic contracts and arm you with the tools to fight back against the forces of unreasonable risk transfer. Join us if you dare!
Back to toparrow_upward
AI Revolution: “Artificial Intelligence - Your New Best Friend or Your Next Biggest Risk?”
November 16, 2026
The robots aren’t coming - they’re already here, and they’re redesigning your projects, optimizing your schedules, and quite possibly plotting your professional obsolescence! But before you start updating your resume, join us for this essential guide to mastering AI adoption without losing your professional soul (or your professional liability coverage). Mark Blankenship, Director of Risk Management, Willis A&E – and Co-Chair of the ACEC RMC Subcommittee on Artificial Intelligence, is here to separate the AI hype from the AI reality, sharing crucial strategies for integrating these powerful tools responsibly and effectively within your organization. This isn’t about whether you should embrace AI - that ship has sailed - it’s about how to do it without accidentally creating new liability exposures, ethical dilemmas, or quality control nightmares. We’ll dive deep into AI governance frameworks that actually work in real firms, explore ethical considerations that go way beyond “don’t let the computer design everything,” and provide practical implementation tips that can enhance your productivity while keeping you in compliance with professional standards. From understanding what AI can and can’t do reliably, to managing client expectations about AI-enhanced services, to navigating the evolving regulatory landscape that’s trying to keep up with technological reality, this program delivers the roadmap you need to stay ahead of the curve. Because in the rapidly evolving world of design technology, the firms that thrive won’t be the ones that resist change - they’ll be the ones that embrace it intelligently!
Back to toparrow_upward
Danger Zone: “Beazley Claim Study - When Construction Sites Become Crime Scenes”
December 14, 2026
Hard hats required - we’re heading into the danger zone! Job site-related claims aren’t just a significant risk for design firms, they’re often the difference between a successful project and a career-defining disaster. When delay claims start flying and bodily injury lawsuits surface, every design professional who ever set foot on that construction site suddenly becomes a person of interest in what feels like a very expensive crime scene investigation. Understanding your role in Construction Contract Administration isn’t just good practice - it’s survival training for one of the highest-risk aspects of design professional services. Through compelling case studies, real claim scenarios, and hard-earned industry wisdom, we’ll explore the pitfalls that turn routine site visits into legal nightmares, and uncover the opportunities that smart firms use to actually strengthen their positions during construction. Whether you’re the project architect making weekly site visits or the junior engineer taking photographs, every member of your design team needs to understand how the standard of care applies when they step onto an active construction site. We’ll dissect what goes wrong, why it goes wrong, and most importantly, what you can do to protect yourself and your firm while still providing the construction support your clients expect and your contracts require. Because when construction goes sideways, knowing the rules of engagement can mean the difference between being part of the solution and being part of the lawsuit!
Back to toparrow_upward
Disclaimer
WTW hopes you found the general information provided here informative and helpful. The information contained herein is not intended to constitute legal or other professional advice and should not be relied upon in lieu of consultation with your own legal advisors. In the event you would like more information regarding your insurance coverage, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. In North America, WTW offers insurance products through licensed entities, including Willis Towers Watson Northeast, Inc. (in the United States) and Willis Canada Inc. (in Canada).
