Agenda

Webinar instructions will be emailed before the date of the webinar.

Please log into the webinar 15 – 30 minutes before start time.

Log into Webinar
8:00 – 8:30 am CDT
Morning Session
8:30 – 11:45 am CDT 
Break
11:45 am – 12:15 pm CDT
Afternoon Session
12:15 – 3:30 pm CDT

 

Preventing and Defending Professional Liability Claims                     L. Pederson
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

Recognizing Your Rights, Responsibilities                     S. Roeder
and Risks under Contracts
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

Determining What Insurance You Need                     A. Bergstrom
in Your Engineering Practice
Understanding business insurance coverage: general liability vs. professional liability policies
Additional insureds: obtaining certificates of insurance
Understanding insurance policies:
• Indemnity
• Defense
• Claims made vs. occurrence coverage
• Recognizing and responding to claims

Handling Ethical Issues in Professional Engineering Practice                   R. Bowman
National Society of Professional Engineers’ Code of Ethics
Promoting health and welfare vs. managing business risk: complementary or conflicting duties?
Watching the bottom line: identifying and balancing economic pressures in design and construction
Protecting the environment: evolving standards of care and meeting or exceeding legal requirements
Competence and integrating new technologies: identifying and balancing the benefits and risks

Handling Ethical Issues Associated                     C. Ofori-Amanfo
with Defects and Failures
Importance of ethics on the project
Rules of professional conduct
Behaviors that can be viewed as unethical
Behaviors that can be viewed as ethical

 

 Webinar Instructions

All attendees must log-on through their own email – attendees may not watch together if they wish to earn continuing education credit. HalfMoon Education Inc. must be able to prove attendance if either the attendee or HalfMoon Education Inc. is audited.

Certificates of completion can be downloaded in PDF form upon passing a short quiz. A link to the quiz will be sent to each qualifying attendee immediately after the webinar. The certificate can be downloaded from the Results page of the quiz upon scoring 80% or higher.

Webinars are presented via GoToWebinar, an easy-to-use application that can be run on most systems and tablets. Instructions and login information will be provided in an email sent close to the date of the webinar. It is highly recommended that you download, install and test the application before the webinar begins by clicking on the link in the email.

GoToWebinar App requirements:
Windows 7 – 10 or Mac OSX Mavericks (10.9) – macOS Catalina (10.15)

Web Browser:
The two most recent version of the following browsers:
Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Microsoft Edge
Internet Explorer v11 (or later) with Flash enabled

Internet connection: Minimum of 1Mbps       Hardware: 2GB RAM or more

For more information, visit the Support section at www.gotowebinar.com

Credits

Minnesota Professional Engineers
6.0 PDHs, including 2.0 ethics hours

 

Continuing Education Credit Information
This webinar is open to the public and offers 6.0 professional development hours, including 2.0 ethics hours, to professional engineers licensed in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The Minnesota Board does not pre-approve courses and activities, however to the best of our knowledge this course/activity meets the continuing education requirements outlined in MN Statute 326.107. Final discretion is up to the Board.

Attendance will be monitored, and attendance certificates will be available after the webinar for those who attend the entire course and score a minimum 80% on the quiz that follows the course (multiple attempts allowed).

Speakers

Adina R. Bergstrom

Founding Partner of Sauro & Bergstrom, PLLC, a plaintiff’s firm located in Oakdale, Minnesota.
With a background in insurance claims and regulatory compliance, Ms. Bergstrom has decades of experience analyzing, resolving, and litigating insurance claim disputes and construction matters both as a plaintiff’s attorney and formerly as staff counsel for several large insurance companies. She regularly handles insurance appraisals, arbitrations, and litigation at both district and appellate courts in Minnesota and elsewhere. She serves as an AAA arbitrator, as well as an expert on insurance coverage and bad faith issues. Ms. Bergstrom is an active member of several national organizations, including the National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters and the American Bar Association’s Tort and Insurance Practice Section, where she is the current chair of the Property Insurance Litigation Committee. Ms. Bergstrom was named by Minnesota Law and Politics as a Rising Star in 2011, 2012, and 2013 and as a Super Lawyer in 2014 – 2021.

Rebecca Bowman, Esq., P.E., D.F.E.

Attorney at Law Office of Rebecca Bowman, Principal

Ms. Bowman is a sole proprietor, practicing in dispute resolution, estate planning, civil engineering, real estate, legal services, strategic development, and training. She is experienced in dispute resolution, estate planning and administration, engineering design and forensic analysis, construction/project management, real estate, small business start-up, employment law, and nonprofit support. She is a registered professional engineer and a certified arbitrator and mediator. Mrs. Bowman writes a column for the PE Reporter, “Risky Business,” and she lectures for the Community College of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania State University, the Washington County Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Society of Professional Engineers and others. She earned her B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from the University of North Dakota, her M.B.A. degree from Oklahoma University, and her J.D. degree from Duquesne University. She just completed her Certificate in Sustainability Policy from Penn State and has recently joined the National Society of Professional Engineers as their Senior Director of Ethics and Professional Practice.

Collins O. Y. Ofori-Amanfo, P.E.

Owner and Board Certified Diplomate Forensic Engineer, Principal Engineer

Mr. Ofori-Amanfo’s broad-based experience includes investigation of collapsed structures, investigation of construction defects and damage, investigation of condensation in building envelopes, evaluation of roof and wall leakage, field water spray testing of windows, and assessment of wind and hail damage. His work also involves giving expert testimony and assisting attorneys in resolving disputes over construction and materials-related problems. Prior to establishing Collins Forensics LLC, Mr. Ofori-Amanfo previously worked for many years at Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. (WJE), the Illinois Department of Transportation, and Twin City Testing Corporation. He received his B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Science and Technology in Ghana and his M.S. degree in Structural Engineering from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. Mr. Ofori-Amanfo is a registered professional engineer in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, North Dakota, Nebraska, and Missouri.

Lenae M. Pederson

Partner at Meagher & Geer, P.L.L.P.
Lenae M. Pederson focuses her practice on complex civil litigation, with an emphasis on disputes related to design professionals and products liability. In her professional liability practice, Ms. Pederson defends architects and engineers in private and public construction projects of all types, including claims associated with highway design, building design, roof design, parking ramp design, heating and refrigeration system design, oven equipment design, and several other commercial designs. She has won successful jury verdicts in litigation defending engineers when millions of dollars were at stake. In her products liability practice, Ms. Pederson defends manufacturers and distributors faced with claims involving construction equipment, recreational vehicles, and small machinery. Additionally, she has defended a major auto manufacturer in several Lemon Law cases, including jury trials. She also defends international companies in food litigation as part of the firm’s Safety, Toxic Tort & Environmental practice group. Ms. Pederson speaks regularly on a wide range of litigation topics at seminars hosted by local and national organizations. She is also an adjunct professor at Mitchell Hamline for the Lawyering: Advice and Persuasion program.

Sarah E. Roeder

Corporate Counsel at Wunderlich-Malec Engineering, Inc.
Sarah E. Roeder leads and executes the strategic and day-to-day functions of the corporate legal department, including oversight of contract reviews and risk management. Wunderlich-Malec is a 100% employee-owned company with over 400 engineers and other professionals in 35+ business units across the United States, specializing in professional engineering and architecture services, systems integration, industrial automation and controls, and custom electrical fabrication. Prior to joining Wunderlich-Malec, Ms. Roeder practiced construction law at several Minnesota firms where she regularly represented general contractors and design professionals and earned recognition as a Minnesota Super Lawyers Rising Star in Construction Litigation. She earned a J.D. degree, cum laude, from the University of St. Thomas School of Law and a B.A. degree, summa cum laude, from Drake University.

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