Our Blog
Our blog, Column and Beam, features articles from our attorneys regarding design and construction matters.
Emojis, Emoticons, and Acronyms: Be Careful – The Meaning is in the Eyes of the Recipient…or Judge…or Jury
I recall the first informal use of an acronym I received in a business communication. It was the summer of 2011 and I was working on a lawsuit where opposing counsel sent me an email that ended with “LOL”. I was quite disturbed because although we had a congenial...
Potential Claim? Give Your Insurer Notice ASAP.
Like all professionals, a significant expense in your annual budget is for professional liability insurance premiums. Despite this, many firms often do not make good use of the coverage that they have purchased and paid for or - even worse - jeopardize that coverage...
Ten New Year’s Resolutions for Design Professionals
Another new year is here, and if you are like me, you try to make it a better year than the last. I have been lucky enough to interact with architects and engineers every day for many years now. While I love helping design professionals, I want to help avoid the...
Using Social Media to Evaluate Potential Employees
Let’s assume that you have an opening at your firm for an open position. You have screened the resumes submitted and narrowed the field of potential candidates to six. You can easily Google each candidate and see what information is available on the internet about...
What You Need to Know Choice of Law
You’ve seen it in many contracts, it is a contract clause that states something like: This Contract is governed by South Carolina law. You might have even debated with your client which state should be inserted into the clause. Many architect, engineers, contractors...
Is Anyone Listening? Your Virtual Assistant is.
Virtual assistant are flooding the marketplace. There is Amazon’s Alexa, the Amazon Echo, and Echo Dot. There is also Google Home/Google, Siri, Cortana and Samsung’s Bixby. Last week, we learned that Amazon and Microsoft have been working together to make Alexa...
Subcontractors and Suppliers – Why Should You Send a Notice of Furnishing of Labor/Materials on Your Next Project?
On large construction projects, it is common for significant labor or materials to be supplied by lower-tier subcontractors and material suppliers – that is, entities who do not contract with the general or prime contractor, but instead contract directly with a...
What You Need to Know About Wearables
Wearable technology was once limited to athletes and medical practices, but in recent years, it has become almost ubiquitous for both personal and professional use. Sales of wearable devices generated $3.5 billion in 2014, and that amount is expected to quadruple by...
Protect Your Business – Steps to Avoid Personal Liability
Architects, engineers and other construction professionals, like all business owners, create business entities, like corporations and limited liability companies, to operate their businesses and to shield themselves from personal liability. The liability shield is a...
4 Emerging Technologies That Can Benefit Your Firm
It is an exciting time for design and construction professionals. In the last few years, innovations in technology have emerged that are rapidly changing the way that you work, and will continue to shape the industry for future projects. Here are a few of these...