Risk Management
Construction is an inherently risky industry.
For design and construction professionals, understanding these
risks and formulating strategies for controlling them are critical
to long term success. As a leading insurer of architects and
engineers, Beazley understands the need to take the lead and
provide our insureds with proactive risk management
assistance.
Our risk management programs
include:
Risk management webinars
The linchpin of our risk management offerings
is the live webinars that we present quarterly in partnership with
Contract Solutions Group (CSG). The schedule is
March-June-September-December.
Past topics have included: Contract
Negotiation; Construction Phase Liability Issues; Designing to
Code; and Defending Against Contractor Claims.
In addition to Beazley and outside attorneys,
the seminars have included senior professionals from leading
A&E firms. All our insureds are invited to attend, from
one person firms to firms in the ENR top 50. Beazley
picks up the cost of one connection per firm (which can accommodate
as many people as you can fit in a conference room), and additional
connections are available for a nominal cost.
Participation in a live Beazley webinar
entitles attendees to a certification of completion and, for
eligible firms, a premium credit of 5 percent on the first renewal
and 10 percent each year thereafter (subject to any State
limitations and provided 50 percent of your professional staff
participates in at least one webinar).
* May not be available in all states.
Beazley A&E Reporter
We issue a quarterly A&E Reporter focused
on the delivery of useful risk management information on topical
issues such as condominium liability and LEED design, and to report
on current developments in A&E-related law. The Reporter is
issued on a January-April-July-October timetable.
Contract reviews
We recognize the importance of contracts that
allocate risk in an equitable manner and do not contain provisions
that will expose you to potentially uninsured risks. We have
attorneys on staff who can review your contracts and identify
provisions with potential professional liability and risk
management implications, such as standard of care, indemnities, use
of documents, etc., and provide alternative or additional language
as necessary. Please discuss with your broker how you might wish to
take advantage of this service.
Expert retreat
In 2007, we held the first of what will be an
annual invitational Expert Retreat for our larger insureds. The
first Retreat comprised educational workshops led by Beazley
attorneys, outside counsel and leading experts in various fields to
analyze the effective use of experts in defending claims. Topics
included condominium claims, contractor claims, differing site
condition claims and structural claims, and were presented in
entertaining fashion through mock arbitrations and
cross-examinations. The feedback was fantastic.
Web based resources
This website contains archived copies of the
webinars and Reporters, as well as overviews of laws affecting
A&Es in all 50 states, articles of interest, and regular
updates on developments in the A&E and construction industries.
Each insured and broker will receive a password in order to access
this premium content.
Key risk management contacts
Jim Schwartz is responsible for Beazley’s risk
management services. Jim brings 15 years of experience as a
practicing attorney in New York and Boston, most recently as a
partner in the Boston law firm Donovan Hatem LLP, where he
specialized in representing architects and engineers in the context
of professional liability claims, contract negotiations and
transactional issues. He also provided risk management services to
architects and engineers on a nationwide basis.
(617) 261 8414
james.schwartz@beazley.com
Colleen Palmer joined Beazley in December 2007 and is based in the
Boston office. Before joining Beazley, Colleen was a practicing
attorney at Donovan Hatem, LLP in Boston, MA, where she focused her
practice on assisting architects and engineers. She specialized in
providing risk management services to design professionals on a
nationwide basis, including conducting risk management seminars and
providing contract reviews. Colleen earned her Bachelor of Science
degree in Biology from Cornell University and her Juris Doctor, cum
laude, from the University of Miami School of Law.
(617) 261 8412
colleen.palmer@beazley.com