TOPIC:
Managing Risk During Construction
BY: Allen West & Steve Agnew
Topic Description:
We will discuss drafting and interpreting contract provisions that relate to the engineer’s responsibilities during construction. We will also discuss the legal and insurance implications of reviewing shop drawings, and performing certifications, inspections and testing. We will also provide practical advice on how to minimize and control risk.
Speaker Bio (Allen West):
Mr. West is a seasoned construction lawyer whose practice maintains an emphasis on representing design professionals. Both clients and adjusters appreciate his practical business approach to litigation and negotiation. Mr. West’s enjoys working with architects and engineers to avoid risk, and when necessary zealously defending their interests with the tactics and sound counsel of a skilled veteran.
Mr. West has successfully tried cases before juries, judges and arbitrators. He is licensed to practice law in both North Carolina and South Carolina.
Mr. West is a frequent lecturer on various construction related topics including lien law, construction contracts, claims avoidance and public contracting issues, and has been invited to speak to the UNCC School of Architecture, North Carolina Bar Construction Section, AIA, and various design professional firms and organizations. Mr. West has been selected by fellow Bar members for inclusion in Business North Carolina magazine’s Legal Elite in Construction Law for the past several years.
Before joining HSSM, Mr. West was with the firm Kilpatrick Stockton. Prior to law school, Mr. West worked as a television reporter covering politics and government for WIS News in Columbia, South Carolina, and prior to that served in the U.S. Marine Corps. Mr. West also has experience as a senior executive for a leading lighting manufacturing company located in Charleston, South Carolina.
Speaker Bio (Steve Agnew):
Stephen is an equity partner at IMCI. He is an expert on risk management issues affecting design firms and has 12 years of industry experience. He comes from a family of engineers with his father and grandfather both being mechanical engineers which gives him a unique perspective on the design industry. He received his B.S.B.A in Risk Management & Insurance and in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and in 2002, he also studied International Business at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. He is a licensed property and casualty agent and designated Certified Insurance Counselor.