Managing Engineering Liability and Ethics Issues
DISCLAIMER
Before purchasing, review the rules of your licensing or certifying entity. It is your responsibility to confirm this course meets your CE requirements. See the credit tab on the course page for details.
What’s Included: Full webinar recording, written course materials, expert instruction, a mandatory quiz, and a certificate upon completion.
Deliverability Timeline: All courses are generally available within 1-2 weeks after the live presentation.
CE Credits: AIA and/or LA/CES accreditation is available by request for courses recorded prior to March 11, 2026. All courses after that date include those accreditations by default, if applicable. With these accreditations, our courses qualify for credit in nearly all states for engineers, surveyors, architects, and landscape architects.
Learn more about the on-demand format in our FAQ or contact us at (715) 835-5900 or customerservice@halfmoonseminars.org
Agenda
Registration: 8:00 – 8:30 am
Morning Session: 8:30 – 11:45 am
Lunch (On your own): 11:45 am – 12:45 pm
Afternoon Session: 12:45 – 5:30 pm
Understanding How Contracts Can Reduce (or Increase) Risk
C. Stacy
An overview of contract law and key concepts
Understanding contract formation and revision
Recognizing liability exposure under contract
Reviewing standard contract provisions and understanding their impact on risk
• Guarantees, warranties and indemnities
Understanding consequences for delay, disruption, nonperformance, inadequate performance
Using contract terms to manage risk
Law of Engineering Malpractice
K. Williams
Reviewing the grounds for professional liability claims
Identifying who can bring a claim
Examining common sources of professional liability claims
Reviewing defenses to liability claims
Determining damages
Participating in dispute resolution: arbitration, mediation, litigation
Obtaining insurance coverage for professional liability claims
Adopting Professional Practices that Protect Your Clients and Manage your Risk
K. Pratt
Negotiating fair and understandable contract terms
Maintaining adequate documentation
Implementing document retention policies and procedures
Utilizing forms and standard documents
Communicating with clients and other parties
Implementing quality control practices
Using alternative dispute resolution procedures
Minimizing Liability Risk by Maximizing Compliance with the Rules of Professional Conduct
J. Stuckey
Complying with rules of professional conduct
• Objectivity and truthfulness
• Competency
• Confidentiality
Preventing conflicts of interest
Discussion of ethics hypotheticals/case studies
Promoting health and welfare vs. managing risk: complementary or conflicting duties?
Protecting the environment: meeting or exceeding legal requirements
Watching the bottom line: identifying and balancing economic pressures in design and construction
Integrating new technologies: identifying and balancing the benefits and risks
Reviewing ethics case studies and hypotheticals
Managing Risk with General Liability and Professional Liability Insurance Coverage
K. Pratt
Coverage provided by general liability vs. professional liability policies
Certificates of insurance and additional insureds
Indemnities
Assignment
Insurance availability
Insurance policies
Warranties, guarantees and certifications
Recognizing and responding to design professional claims
Credits
Continuing Education Credit Information
This seminar is open to the public and offers 7.5 PDHs, including 1.0 ethics hour, to Texas professional engineers. Educators and courses are not subject to preapproval in Texas.
Professional engineers seeking continuing education credit in other states will be able to claim the hours earned at this seminar, in most cases. Refer to specific state rules to determine eligibility.
Attendance will be monitored, and attendance certificates will be available after the seminar for most individuals who complete the entire event. Attendance certificates not available at the seminar will be mailed to participants within fifteen business days.
Speakers
Kevin Pratt
USI SouthwestPractice Leader with USI Southwest in HoustonMr. Pratt is a specialist in professional liability and risk management services to architects and engineers in a variety of disciplines. He is USI’s current Architects & Engineers Division Leader in Houston. In Texas alone USI currently represents more than 700 design firms. Mr. Pratt holds a degree in Business/Information Systems and has more than 16 years of project management and sales experience.
Christopher Stacy
DuBois, Bryant & CampbellDuBois Bryant & Campbell, Austin
Mr. Stacy is a partner at DuBois Bryant & Campbell and has over 15 year of experience, and he brings an extensive construction background to his practice as an attorney. Before entering law school, he obtained a degree in Architectural Engineering from the University of Texas and spent several years working in the construction industry on interstate highway, oilfield, water, wastewater and corrections projects in Texas, Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico. Mr. Stacy’s practice is divided between drafting and negotiating complex design and construction contracts and litigating disputes that arise in the construction industry.
Joe W. Stuckey, JD, LLM, PE, RPLS
Attorney at Law in RosharonMr. Stuckey practices primarily in corporate, real estate, and environmental law, including transactional work and litigation. He has a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University and J.D. and L.L.M. degrees from the University of Houston Law Center. Mr. Stuckey is admitted to the practice of law in all Texas courts, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and the U.S. Claims Court. He is also licensed in Texas as a professional engineer and a registered public land surveyor.