Professional Liability

Wiedner & McAuliffe, Ltd. successfully defends architects, engineers and other design professionals against a wide range of tort claims alleging financial or physical loss due to negligence, errors or omissions. Our nationwide work with numerous liability insurance companies, skill at insurance coverage interpretation, and knowledge of construction industry practices form the core of our ability to provide effective risk management and liability counsel to:

Our attorneys are aggressive client advocates in all phases of litigation and dispute resolution. As members of the Defense Research Institute, Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel and such specialized organizations as the Property Loss Research Bureau, we keep current on innovative defense strategies. Moreover, because we counsel some of the country’s largest property and casualty insurers as well as a number of construction and real estate companies, we have experience on all sides of the table to effectively resolve liability claims through mediation, arbitration and litigation

We understand the way that architects and their engineering team interact in the process of designing a building. Often there are many architectural and engineering professionals involved in the delivery of a complex structure or system, and any litigation over alleged negligent error or omission can involve a wide range of parties. Wiedner & McAuliffe attorneys are skilled at determining the facts and defending our clients when faced with:

We emphasize two particular strengths of our firm to defend architect and engineer clients.

• Preventing Spoliation: Preserving the integrity of the original evidence has long been a point of emphasis in the way we handle professional as well as product liability civil litigation. Disputes often involve claims of error or inefficiency during construction, and detailed analysis of project documentation can provide the most effective defense. We work with our clients to preserve and analyze all project documents and correspondence, including change orders, to identify the responsibility for problems. Such thoroughness often leads to a settlement short of costly litigation.
• Insurance Recovery: Our experience with subrogation and damage recovery is unsurpassed, and we apply it to professional liability defense in the construction industry through analysis and enforcement of everything from liability insurance policies to payment and performance bonds covering design defect claims.

Allegations of negligence or error can devastate architects, engineers and other professionals who have spent years building reputations and practices. The elements of a liability lawsuit aim at the heart of a professional’s skill and commitment. Wiedner & McAuliffe attorneys understand the liability challenges our professional services clients face, and give them effective defense solutions using the full range of our firm’s skills and resources.

Our Departments/
Industries Served

Workers' Compensation
Civil Litigation
Commercial Disputes
Construction Disputes
Employment Law
Fire and Explosion
Governmental Resources
Personal Injury and Property Damage
Industry-wide Litigation
Insurance Coverage
Product Liability
Professional Liability
Subrogation and Insurance Recovery
International Representation