Many think of October as a month for cooling weather, spooky decorations and trick-or-treaters. But for an architecture firm, it’s also a great time to think about cybersecurity. Since 2004, October has been celebrated nationally as Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a time when government and industry leaders come together to address the risks posed by cyber [...]
Architects, engineers and contractors are all vulnerable to lawsuits. Stakes are high and a lot can go wrong. When it does, the design professional is often blamed. Here’s a look at seven notable projects that resulted in architecture lawsuits, plus what can be learned from them and how to protect yourself. Frank and Berta Gehry [...]
The Risk of Wage and Hour Laws for Architects Architects and architectural firms are becoming increasingly aware of wage and hour claims, which are among the most typical legal challenges they may confront in their careers. These allegations are dangerous because employers must guarantee that they are following federal, state and even municipal laws. Employers [...]
Architecture firms oversee the transfer of large sums of money for projects. That makes you a prime target for funds transfer fraud. Here are the best practices for wire transfer safety. Wire Fraud Risks When a criminal inserts themselves into a transaction involving the transfer of large sums of money, it’s called fraud. When they [...]
Architecture clients can be difficult in more ways than one. From the indecisive client to the one worried about the budget or obsessed with the timeline, many design professionals have seen it all. The issue of difficult clients is such a common experience that ArchDaily has featured a humorous cartoon on the topic: 15 Clients [...]
As a design professional, finding the right insurance coverage can be daunting. The idea behind professional liability insurance seems simple enough. Yet you will quickly find that architect insurance rates can vary from provider to provider. To add to the confusion, just because a policy is more or less expensive doesn’t necessarily mean it is [...]
As a design professional, it’s important to know exactly what risks you face in the location that you practice. Implied warranties are a risk in some jurisdictions and can have major consequences. Under an expanded liability, an implied warranty can change who can bring a claim against you and what damages they may recover. Without [...]
Architects must manage countless risks, day in and day out. Yet most of the exposures you deal with will tend to fall into only a few broad categories. You may be in the habit of dealing with each individual situation as it arises, but that can be tedious and frustrating. Instead, it can be beneficial [...]
Architecture is a profession where the stakes are high. If there’s a problem on a project that can’t be easily resolved, a lawsuit is likely. For architects facing a lawsuit for the first time, the situation can be unnerving. It’s helpful to know what to do and when to do it ahead of time, before [...]
Fire exits are an important contingency when designing a building, even though you hope no one will ever have to use them. Contingency planning for your own professional design business works much the same way. Even though you hope you’ll never need it, it’s important to have a plan in place in case you suddenly [...]