Join us for a webinar hosted by The Harmonie Group's Professional Liability Committee on Thursday, April 9th at 12:00PM Central Time. There will be three topics presented, followed by a live roundtable discussion with an opportunity to submit questions. This webinar is pending approval for 1 hour of Texas General Adjuster CE Credit.

Managing Design Professional Claims: Navigating Design Build Risks and Construction Administration Do’s and Don’ts  

Caleb Riser, Richardson Plowden

This presentation will explore some pitfalls for design professionals in the design-build context, as well as construction administration. In the design-building context, the issues include elevated standards of care, protecting against means and methods responsibility and flow-down provisions, as well as coordination risks for construction administration (CA). Specifically, during CA, Caleb Riser will discuss protecting against project “mission creep” and local and state means by which designers can official “opt out” of CA duties. Attendees will learn how these issues can affect claim evaluation and defense.

Indemnification in Design Professional Claims: The Power and Pitfalls of Indemnity and Limitations Provisions in Commercial Contracts

Matt Rusch, Erickson | Sederstrom

This presentation by Matt Rusch provides a clear, practical explanation of how contractual indemnity clauses commonly are used to shift liability in the construction industry, including contracts that directly affect design professionals. Their use is subject to significant statutory and public policy restrictions that vary by state, based on policy considerations that are viewed differently in various jurisdictions. Attendees will learn about the key limitations, how to spot issues, how choice of law issues are analyzed, and how to navigate the limitations effectively. 

Expanding Scope of Design Professional Liability

Mohammad Ghiassudin, Margolis Edelstein

Courts have increasingly expanded design professional liability beyond contractual privity, particularly through negligent misrepresentation claims, exposing architects and engineers to suits from non-clients and subsequent purchasers. Design professionals are now routinely named alongside contractors and subcontractors in construction defect litigation, with claims implicating both tort and contract theories and requiring compliance with procedural rules such as certificates of merit. These cases also raise complex timing issues, including the application of statutes of limitations, the discovery rule, and statutes of repose.

Defending Broker/Agent Claims
April 30th, 2026
12:00 PM Central Time

Cassie Meyer | Executive Director | cmeyer@harmonie.org | www.harmonie.org