April General Membership Meeting: Contracts – It’s All In The Details

ACECH April General Membership Meeting

Wednesday April 5, 2023, Noon-1:30 p.m.

About the Session:

A local attorney and an insurance industry representative share their real-life experiences with claims that occurred because of contractual wording and their related issues. Whether it’s an Owner-drafted, Design-Build or Industry standard contract, it’s worth the time to go through the contract to avoid increasing your risk to losses.

This webinar will be conducted by individuals with years of experience in risk management, claim litigation and contract review. It will illustrate the key things to look for in your contracts that have caused problems for firms. We will also review contract management as part of the risk management process so that you are able to make an initial assessment of the contract.

Learning Objectives:

Through this webinar, we will discuss the fundamentals that underscore the importance of a carefully drafted, fair, and equitable professional services agreement; explore the areas of a contract that are critical to managing the risk of claims, and strategies that help manage the contract review process

Speakers:

FRANK K. GOTO, JR – Frank obtained his law degree from the William S. Richardson School of Law (University of Hawaii) in 1978.  He has been practicing in the State of Hawaii since then.

After passing the bar, Frank began his legal career as a Deputy Attorney General with the Department of Attorney General’s office, State of Hawaii, working in the Land and Transportation section and Litigation section.  He worked on cases involving design, construction and maintenance of highways, bridges, airports, harbors, state buildings and other facilities.  

Since February 1988, Frank has been in private practice where he has been primarily involved in defending design professionals including architects and engineers in mediation, arbitration and trial, in various types of design and construction claims.   He has also provided legal services to many professionals for contract negotiations and contract review.  He has been asked to represent the insureds from all the major insurance carriers and some specialty carriers who provide professional liability coverage to the design community in Hawaii.  

KAREN K. HONG – Karen is an Insurance Agent with Atlas Insurance Agency, Inc. She specializes in professional liability insurance coverage for Architects and Engineers.  

Karen has been in the insurance industry for over 40 years.  Her previous positions include various management positions at both insurance companies and agencies and most recently managed the Architect and Engineers insurance program at Finance Insurance, Ltd.  She was formerly the Resident Vice President of Argonaut Insurance Company and Claims Manager for Hawaii Employers Mutual Insurance Co.

She regularly conducts educational seminars for her clients on insurance, risk management, contract review and loss prevention.