Registration for this webinar will close at 10am PT on Wednesday, October 29, 2025. Registrants will receive their Zoom link no later than 10:30am PT the day of. 

This 60-minute program will provide a primer on contractual defense and indemnity and explains how the contractual liability exclusion in a professional liability policy can create an uninsured exposure for design firms. In this program we will examine a variety of contractual indemnity clauses since the 2018 amendments to Civil Code section 2782.8, placing an emphasis on the competing theories governing the duty to defend in design professional contracts. The final portion of this program will focus on AIA California’s new “Duty to Defend” memo, providing members an outline to support negotiation and risk management efforts in avoiding or mitigating the impacts of an uninsurable defense obligation.

This session qualifies for 1 LU (live webinar attendees only).

Speakers:

Laura Knauss, AIA | President, Lionakis

Brett Stewart, Esq. | Manager, Loss Prevention and Education, Design Professional, AXA XL, a division of AXA

David Barker, Esq. | Attorney at Law, Collins + Collins LLP