By Paul E. Knupp III, Esq. and Alixandra Minadeo, Esq.Lee/Shoemaker PLLC On April 22, 2026, the Virginia Legislature enacted several new laws that will impact design firms who employ Virginia staff. The laws impose new regulations such as limitations on the enforcement of non-compete clauses, wage transparency requirements, paid leave for a qualified family or medical event, and paid sick...

By Jonathan C. Shoemaker, Esq.Lee/Shoemaker PLLC Professional liability insurance is an essential tool for architects and engineers, protecting them against claims of professional negligence or errors in design services. Historically, claims-made policies have treated multiple alleged critiques of an architect’s or engineer’s work on a project as a single claim. For example, if a client asserts ten different alleged deficiencies...

By Taylor T. Dolan, Esq. and Daniel M. Eggleston, Esq..Lee/Shoemaker PLLC Most commercial construction projects involve financing arrangements between the owner and their lender, typically in the form of a construction loan or revolving loan. Although design professionals often know little about their clients’ financial arrangements, design firms play a crucial role in a lender’s decision to approve funding through...

By Jonathan C. Shoemaker, Esq.Lee/Shoemaker PLLC For many architecture and engineering firms, professional liability insurance is viewed as a necessary but opaque expense—something to renew annually, negotiate primarily on price, and hope is never needed. From a legal perspective, that mindset leaves firms exposed in ways they often do not discover until a dispute is already underway. There are several...

Key Ingredients of Successful Teaming Agreements By Paul E. Knupp, Esq. and Daniel M. Eggleston, Esq. Lee/Shoemaker PLLC Teaming agreements are a common framework for design firms pursuing contracts on today’s complex construction projects. Whether pursuing large government infrastructure projects or addressing specialized technical requirements for a small business set-aside contract, a teaming agreement enables design firms to capitalize on...

Collaborative Strategies for Design Assist and Delegated Design for Successful Project Delivery By Daniel M. Eggleston, Esq. and Cassidy M. Flood, Esq.Lee/Shoemaker PLLC Construction projects increasingly rely on collaboration between the construction and design teams to deliver the best project for the best price, with owners engaging contractors to provide preconstruction services to support the development of the design. When...

Keys to an Effective Employment Manual By Daniel M. Eggleston, Esq. and Taiwo O. Adeniyi, Esq.Lee/Shoemaker PLLC The prudent design firm should treat its employment manual as tool in its toolbox that can contribute to a healthy workplace and ensure synergy between the employer and its employees. An effective employment manual informs employees of the firm’s culture, workplace policies, and...

By Daniel M. Eggleston, Esq. and Curtis A. Orshoski, Esq.Lee/Shoemaker PLLC Litigation can be an expensive undertaking. Under what is known as the “American Rule,” parties to a lawsuit are responsible for their own attorney’s fees absent a contract provision or statute permitting the recovery of attorneys’ fees. Before a design professional agrees to depart from the American Rule, however,...

By Annica Mae Mattus, Esq., and Daniel M. Eggleston, Esq.Lee/Shoemaker PLLC When an athlete is called for a foul, quite often they confront the referee and dispute the call. While we generally view referees as neutral, would this perception change if the referee was being paid by one of the teams? Would the team paying for the referee expect favorable...

By Daniel M. Eggleston, Esq. and Curtis A. Orshoski, Esq.Lee/Shoemaker PLLC At the outset of each project, the last thing most design professionals are thinking about is a dispute. If you’ve been in the business long enough, however, you’ve almost certainly had the unfortunate distinction of being involved in a project-related dispute that morphed into a claim. Too often, design...