New Year Resolutions Were you one of the many that made a New Year’s resolution this year?  Trends show that by the third week in January most people have tossed those right out the window!  We all have the same…

The Importance of Contract Review for Your A&E Firm While there are many ways an Architecture, Engineering or Design Firm can manage their risk in providing their services to a 3rd party, a thorough contract review is of utmost importance….

2019 Risk Management Seminar for Design Professionals Last week at our 29th annual seminars in Grand Rapids, MI and Troy, MI we had over 60 firms join us!!  Every year we are completely amazed and humbled by the incredible turnout.   Our…

 Design Professionals earn your continuing education credits, HSW, AIA approved for 4 learning units. Hear from Jim Case of Kerr Russell and Weber law firm regarding the 2017 changes to the AIA and EJCDC contracts, real life war stories and Sarah Chambers…

“Contractors Insurance Requirements – A Primer” Commercial insurance for a general contractor is different than the insurance that a subcontractor needs to carry. Really?? Many owners, generals, construction managers don’t realize the importance of requiring insurance ‘apples to apples’. In this AmWins…

COLUMBUS DAY Monday, October 9, 2017 is Columbus Day – which is a state and federal holiday. The holiday started in 1792 as an Italian-American heritage celebration in New York. The day was declared a federal holiday in 1937 by…

Selecting the Right Professional Liability Broker One of the most difficult issues facing design professionals is the task of choosing an insurance broker or producer. Many times, the last item on a design professional’s agenda is insurance coverage. As a…

Cyber Coverage Last year marked the second-highest record for business data breaches: 781. In order to properly protect you, your business, and your employee and client data, you need to understand the different type of Cyber Liability coverage available.  …

Standard of Care for Design Professionals Clients are sometimes confused about the standard of care applicable to the services of design professionals. The law recognizes that professional services are based on reasoned judgment and that there is no one correct course of…

Preparing and Protecting Your Commercial Property Against Pipe Burst Accidents BREAKING NEWS FROM THE HARTFORD CLAIMS Frozen pipes cause some of the most common and costliest cold weather claims. While most frequently occurring in the Northeast and Midwest, frozen pipes…

Devil’s Night is a name associated with October 30, the night before Halloween. It is chiefly associated with the serious vandalism and arson seen in Detroit, Michigan from the 1970s to the 1990s. This finally prompted the “Angels’ Night” community response…

What is a Standard Contract? It can be considered one of the most crucial steps in the architectural process that, once completed, will never need to be attempted again. An accurately prepared legal agreement between the architect and owner will…

Understand the Regulations and Risks of Drones Unmanned aerial vehicles (more commonly known as drones) are becoming an integral part of the design and construction industry. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is moving forward on setting up general requirements…

Kidnap and Ransom Coverage In today’s uncertain political climate, conducting business internationally as well as within the boundaries of the United States has become more dangerous. If you or your employees travel domestically or overseas, maintain offices outside of the United States,…

It is important for Design Professionals to have contacts on all projects.  Here are a few items with regards to contacts to keep in mind: -Read the contract and know what your firm is getting into.  It is important to…

Document Retention We are often approached by our clients asking how long is the appropriate length of time to retain certain documents. One of the most common questions is: “How long should we keep our emails?” The best practice is…

  Retain Documents – How to! Which is a better strategy: retain all of your documents or just some? With modern advances in technology and the ease of storing documents, it has become difficult to choose which documents to keep…

With the temperature fluctuations we experience throughout our unpredictable seasons, ice dams are causing frustration and financial burdens to home owners. Although the damage caused by ice dams will more than likely be covered by your Home Insurance policy, the…

  Here are some Smart Insurance New Years Resolutions for 2016! Roughly 40% of Americans make New Years resolutions on January 1st every year. By February, nearly 90% fail to keep their resolution. While a resolution usually has no financial…

How Effective is Your Risk Management Program? Many design firms attend risk management training sessions and implement certain practices based on an industry trend or project claim. Other firms may only concentrate on contracts and insurance coverage’s as a risk…

This month, nearly every home and many businesses will have some sort of Christmas tree on display. With all the joys of the holiday season, it may be easy to forget that there are dangers associated with having an electronically…

When obtaining quotes for your Professional Liability policy it is important to know all of the factors that will affect your firm at the time of a claim.  One of those significant factors is First Dollar deductible vs. Straight deductible….

 Holiday Safety for Businesses The holidays usually bring several things to a small business – more foot traffic, celebratory decorations and additional staff to help with boosted sales.  However, with added customers and distractions, slips and trips are never far…

CYBER SHOPPING As the holiday season approaches, please be aware of the risks involved while shopping online. Pay attention to the following cyber shopping tips from the FBI (www.fbi.gov). Beware of unsolicited (spam) emails. Don’t respond, and don’t click on…

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