LEGAL CONCEPTS & LEGAL ANALYSIS
FOR ARCHITECTS

Florida approved for health, safety and welfare (Related)
for Architects (AR.04.528 A,B & C and AR.05.654 A,B & C)

• Legal Concepts and Legal Analysis are each available in three parts (Part One, Part Two & Part Three)
• Each Part (I,II,III) is Ten Hours Credit.
• Each Part may be taken separately or in combination with any other Part (s).
• Text material is included with work book.
• Short written essay questions are included as a learning aid. These courses are approved for architects only by the Florida Board.
• Answers must be submitted to obtain a certificate.
• Each Part costs $200.

Part One: Preparing a General Letter of Agreement. The letter of agreement is the cornerstone of the relationship between the architect and client. This course describes how to prepare a professional agreement, how to present a business format while still preserving a "professional image," and how to avoid financial losses from unforeseen circumstances. Sample concepts are provided by a model agreement. This is an in-depth discussion. A presentation of possible approaches offers hints on the psychology involved in preparing a letter of agreement. Since leverage with clients is most important, the letter of agreement is one of the architect's most important levers. It defines responsibilities and obligations and can often make or break a professional office.

Part Two: Charging a Client and Professional Responsibility for Client Budget. If architects want their practices to be profitable, a thorough review of the various methods of compensation for architectural projects is a must. This course discusses the important ways to charge, and why certain fee structures work better on some jobs than others. Each method presented includes insightful details describing its optimal application. Several of the examples are based on real jobs. Each demonstrates how combinations of certain fee structures work together to insulate architects from legal liability while enabling them to earn more money. An in-depth discussion is also presented about how to create the professional guidelines of the client's budget with finesse.

Part Three: Contracts, Contractors and Liability. One of the most important functions of an architect is to recommend general contractors and subcontractors. How responsible is the architect if the contractor doesn't provide what he promises? This part presents a series of in-depth case studies. Each one illustrates how architects should deal with clients and contractors from an operational standpoint in order to maximize profits and insulate from liability. Other issues in this discussion include insurance, incorporation, and the preparation of exculpation clauses in the letter of agreement. Costly contracting errors are a fact of life in the architectural design business. It is important for architects to learn how to handle these crises with information provided in this course so they don't wind up picking up the tab.

Part One: Preparing a Residential Design Proposal and Dealing with Vendors, Clients and Responsibility. It is crucial to convince a client that an architect has the necessary financial capability and experience to plan the budget and spend it wisely. Sometimes, it is useful for an architect to present a potential client with a brief financial proposal, explaining design fees and outlining the project budget. A professional proposal may convince the client to hire the architect. This course, with an accompanying model, makes the preparation of a residential proposal a simple task. An in-depth analysis of dealing with responsibility discusses how the architect should handle his obligations when confronted with common problems in the design industry. These include the architect's responsibility for faulty goods and installations and when it's wise for architects not to supervise contractors to protect themselves against unwarranted liability.

Part Two: Preparing a Commercial Design Proposal and Dealing with Problems Relating to Purchases and Deliveries. The major contract architectural design firms have special personnel designated to prepare financial proposals for prospective clients. This course, with an accompanying model, demonstrates how to organize the financial essentials of a proposal, based upon design phases. Using this approach will make an architectural design office appear as if it's managed by business professionals. An in-depth discussion is also presented about the subject of purchases, a central function for many architects. Case studies illustrate how projects are influenced by the timing of purchases and deliveries and how to deal with various problems that arise in the purchasing process.

Part Three: Preparing a Letter of Agreement for Commercial Projects and Professional Relationships with Manufacturers and Showrooms. This course, with a model contract, demonstrates how to prepare a letter of agreement for corporate clients with an architectural format. This format is used by architects to convince potential corporate clients that they speak their language. An in-depth discussion is also presented about an architect's relationships with manufacturers, showrooms and dealers. Architects are frequently caught in territorial struggles, and this discussion illustrates typical problems with recommendations for successful solutions.

Florida approved for health, safety and welfare (Related)
for Architects (AR.05.583)

Topics Covered: The use of arbitration to avoid litigation is a major topic and also touches on subjects such as the relationship between a general contractor and subcontractors. Other precautions discussed to avoid liability with contractors are insurance and incorporation.

• Text material is included with workbook.
• Short essay questions are included as learning aid for architects. Answers must be submitted to
  obtain a certificate.
• Cost: $175.