Engineering Law and Ethics Seminar
DISCLAIMER
Before undertaking any on-demand effort, you should review the rules of your licensing/certifying entity.
It’s your responsibility to determine whether this on-demand course meets your continuing education requirements.
You must take and pass a quiz to receive credit. You can take the quiz as many times as needed and there is no time limit on the quiz.
Once the quiz is completed, you will be asked to download your certificate.
**Any on-demand programs that qualify for AIA or LACES credit will require an additional 2 business weeks for processing.
**AIA credit is not available in USB format.
Streamable MP4/PDF
You will receive an automated email letting you know when your On-Demand package is available approximately 3 business days after the date of the live event or the date of your order, whichever is later. This email will contain links to the video recording, materials, and program quiz.
To track your purchase, you will need to create an account on the website using the email address used for your registration.
For AIA requirements only, the on-demand recording will have occasional question prompts that will not allow the video to progress unless they are answered, and you will not be able to skip forward while watching the video.
Please note, if you attempt to resume watching the video on a separate device, your progress will not be saved.
Click the link which appears at the end of the video to be taken to the course quiz.
You will have unlimited access to the on-demand video recording, and it will never expire.
**Any streamable on-demand programs that qualify for AIA or LACES credit will require an additional 2 business weeks for processing.
USB MP4/PDF
HalfMoon will mail these materials via USPS.
USB orders ship approximately 3 business days after the program takes place or after the order is placed, whichever date is later. Please allow an additional 7-10 business days for shipping.
The link to the quiz will be available in a PDF in your USB drive marked QUIZ.
HalfMoon will contact you and issue a full refund if the product you ordered is not available. However, refunds will not be issued if completion certificates are requested.
Please contact HalfMoon Education if you have any questions during the process of taking this course. (715) 835-5900 or qchapman@halfmoonseminars.org
**Any USB on-demand programs that qualify for LACES credit will require an additional 2 business weeks for processing.
**AIA credit is not available in USB format.
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 – 4:30 pm
Contract Law Primer for Engineers
I. Cohen
Reviewing the necessary elements of any contract
Understanding contract “legalese”
• Determining performance
• What constitutes a breach of contract?
• What are damages and remedies?
• Liability-shifting contract provisions: warranties, guarantees and indemnities
Making changes to contracts
Professional Liability Law
S. Haspel
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
Professional and General Liability Insurance for Engineers
A. Richie
Understanding business insurance coverage:
general liability vs. professional liability policies
Additional insureds: obtaining certificates of insurance
Understanding insurance policies:
• Indemnities
• Assignment
• Insurance availability
• Warranties, guarantees and certifications
Recognizing and responding to claims
Intellectual Property Essentials for Engineers:
Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights, and Trade Secrets:
J. McKinnie
Securing ownership of your designs through patents, trademarks,
copyrights, and trade secrets
Leveraging your intellectual capital through licenses, franchises,
and other technology agreements
Policing intellectual property rights and preventing infringement
Resolving intellectual property disputes
Handling Ethical Issues in Professional Engineering Practice
K. Houchin
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
Ten Most Common Mistakes Made by
Small Companies and Startups
J. Harder
Credits
This seminar offers 6.5 PDHs, including
1.0 ethics hour, to Texas professional engineers
Continuing Education Credit Information
This seminar is open to the public and offers 6.5 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
Ian Cohen
Attorney at AECOM in Austin
Mr. Cohen is in-house counsel for AECOM’s Design and Consulting Services group. He is business counsel for the Gulf Coast and the lead intellectual property attorney for all of North and South America. As an engineer, Mr. Cohen worked on horizontal and vertical projects ranging from Boston’s “Big Dig” to San Francisco’s Millennium Tower. As an attorney, Mr. Cohen has litigated multi-million dollar construction and intellectual property matters across the country. He has undergraduate and graduate degrees in Civil and Structural Engineering from Tufts University, a law degree from Boston College Law School, and is a registered patent attorney with the USPTO.
Jonathan Harder
Of Counsel at Dickenson Wright in Austin
Mr. Harder provides clients with strategic counsel for intellectual property assets. He routinely represents various Fortune 500 and startup companies in preparing and prosecuting domestic and international patent applications. He leverages his technical degrees in Computer Science, Software Engineering, and Mathematics, as well as his experience as a software developer at a multi-national computer technology company, to effectively prepare and prosecute patent applications for clients. Mr. Harder’s practice focuses on the full life cycle of patents, which includes identifying patentable subject matter for clients, preparing patent applications, and performing prosecution procedures. His experience extends to a wide range of computer technologies, including virtualization, content sharing/management platforms, artificial intelligence, machine learning, cloud computing, optimization, smart home environments, autonomous vehicles, internet technologies, productivity applications, product design, and memory devices, among others.
Steven Haspel
The Chapman FirmAttorney at The Chapman Firm in Austin
Mr. Haspel is an attorney at The Chapman Firm in Austin, focusing on construction litigation, employment law, and business transactions. He has specific expertise in addressing complex disputes, including defects, contracts, and procurement. Mr. Haspel also represents clients regarding business torts, fraud, and governmental regulations. He graduated from The George Washington University Law School, where he was the president of the Mock Trial Board, executive chair of the Moot Court Board, a Dean’s Fellow, and a Thurgood Marshall Scholar.
Karly Houchin
Allensworth & PorterAttorney at Allensworth & Porter in Austin
Ms. Houchin works primarily with engineers and architects on professional liability cases and on complex, multi-party disputes. She represents clients in front of professional licensing boards and defends design professionals against design and construction defect claims, construction delay cases, and traffic control plan disputes. Known for her dedication to legal scholarship, Ms. Houchin’s work has been published in the Texas Construction Law Journal and she is often called upon to analyze intensive case law and develop sophisticated legal strategy.
Jason McKinnie
Gunn, Lee & Cave, P.C.Attorney at Gunn, Lee & Cave in San Antonio
Mr. McKinnie is a registered patent attorney with Gunn, Lee & Cave, P.C. He focuses his practice on intellectual property, including patent drafting, trademark and copyright registration, trade secret protection, and related litigation. Mr. McKinnie’s practice covers a diverse array of industries, including oil and gas, pharmaceutical, software and cyber security, and mechanical and electrical devices. He drafts and negotiates contracts such as licenses, assignments, asset purchases, non-disclosures, and non-competes. Mr. McKinnie is admitted to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Supreme Court of the State of Texas, and United States District Courts for the Western, Eastern, and Southern Districts of Texas.
Adam Richie,
Munsch Hardt Kopf & HarrAttorney at Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr in Austin
Mr. Richie is an attorney in the construction and construction litigation sections of Munsch Hardt. Prior to becoming an attorney, Mr. Richie worked as a mechanical engineer and project manager at a prominent consulting engineering firm in Houston, Texas, and then after obtaining his law degree, as general counsel. He is also one of a handful of attorneys in Texas credentialed as a licensed professional engineer and a LEED-accredited professional (AP). He has experience in drafting and negotiating complex design and construction contracts for all types of commercial projects. Mr. Richie has also successfully represented owners (public and private), general contractors, subcontractors, and design professionals in numerous lawsuits and disputes.