Diane Mika Presenting at Human Capital Management Excellence Conference

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Mutually Assured Success: How to leverage external training to manage risk, boost learner engagement and educate customers

Presented by:
Diane P. Mika, Senior Vice President, Director of Risk Management Education, Berkley Design Professional
Adam Ballhaussen, Senior Director of Customer Education and Advocacy, Docebo

Tuesday, January 31, 2023
1:15 PM to 1:45 PM

When an action or system benefits all parties involved, it’s called mutually assured success. For example, when an employee education program helps people grow their careers and equips them with the skills that their organization needs. It’s a win-win.

Berkley Design Professional—a professional liability insurance company for architects and engineers—built an extended enterprise learning program that created mutually assured success for them and their clients. Policyholders who use the LMS make fewer claims, smaller claims, and renew their policies more often. Both parties are saving time and resources on claims, payouts, and deductibles.

Even more incredibly, these tailored learning programs were so compelling and effective that making them available to prospective customers helped Berkley close more deals, going from a conversion rate of 15% to over 90%!

Join this session to learn how Berkley DP’s team built and deployed their BDP Risk®️ learning platform with Docebo and their secrets and tips for exceptional results.

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What’s in a Name?

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Why names matter on a professional liability insurance policy

By Cindy Russell
Assistant Vice President, Senior Claims Examiner, Berkley Alliance Managers, a Berkley Company

December 8, 2022

Let me introduce myself. My name is Cindy Russell; well, my full name is Cynthia Russell. Maybe you need to know my maiden name was Ellis. Why does all this matter? Depends on what you need it for: looking up my records at the doctor’s office (Cynthia Russell), if I’m calling the financial company that has my IRA (Cynthia Ellis Russell) or social media (Cindy Russell), for example.

For architects and engineers, it matters for insurance coverage, contract considerations and the name by which the public knows them.

A design professional liability insurance policy (and likely other types of policies) provides coverage for a specific firm name or names. If a claim is made against a firm name that’s not included on the insurance policy, coverage may not be provided for that claim.

Sometimes even a small difference has a big effect. For example, John and Julie’s Architectural Group is a Named Insured on a policy but it also uses the legal name of J&J Architectural Group in certain markets or maybe it used that name previously but changed it a couple of years ago. A claim is made against J&J Architectural Group and that claim is based on a project it took on under this alternate name or the prior name. However, this additional name wasn’t provided to the insurance broker (or the insurance company underwriter) so it’s not a Named Insured on the professional liability policy and because of this it may not have coverage for the claim.

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Free Webinar: Pre-Construction Services: Cure or Curse?

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Presented by:
David A. Ericksen, Esq., Attorney at Law, Collins + Collins
Andrew D. Mendelson, FAIA, Executive Vice President, Chief Risk Management Officer, Berkley Design Professional

Thursday, December, 8, 2022
10:00 a.m. Pacific Time/1:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Submitted for AIA CES Approval
1.5 RCEP Professional Development Hours

Berkley DP policyholders who participate in this program can qualify for a 15% Risk Management Education credit. Contact your agent for further information*

This webinar has been recorded and is available on demand for Berkley Design Professional policyholders and our appointed agents and brokers on the BDP Risk® Learning Management System.

bdp Risk® lms login

Third-party review and comment on any design professional’s work product can be uncomfortable. It exposes the design to critique, second guessing, and “alternative” views. However, it can also validate and improve the design before any deficiencies lead to economic harm and consequences. Drawn from real-life cases in the media and courts, this program will highlight the potential risk and risk management opportunities emerging from third-party pre-construction design review by other design professionals, contractors, and construction managers. In addition, it will offer corresponding strategies to help you successfully engage in those processes as the designer or the reviewer.

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Broker Webinar: Social Inflation – How it Impacts the Professional Liability Market

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Tuesday, October, 25, 2022
2:00 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. Eastern Time

Presented by:
Steve Porcelli, President, Berkley Design Professional
Larry Moonan, Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, Berkley Design Professional

What is social inflation and why is it important?

Social inflation is a concern in the insurance industry with societal and legal trends driving larger, more costly lawsuits – what does it mean for the professional liability market?

Join us for insights into the key drivers of social inflation that are contributing to escalating costs for insurers and policyholders and what it might mean to your book of business.

Register Now!

Diane Mika Presenting at Society for Design Administration (SDA) EDConnect22

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Risk Management Essentials of the New Normal

Presented by:
Diane P. Mika, Vice President, Director of Risk Management Education, Berkley Design Professional

Tuesday, October 25, 2022

AEC firms are in a continual state of transition with new leaders emerging, senior leaders retiring, and executives planning for the future. The focus tends to be on improving core service offerings, often at the expense of the organization’s business aspects.  Whether working to develop next-generation talent inside a firm or positioning a company for potential acquisition, it is critical to evaluate and improve non-core areas, including professional development, strategic planning, marketing and business development, knowledge sharing, culture, and financial management. Attend this session and learn ideas for business improvement that will help develop your business acumen and position your firm for future success.

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Managing Risk through Effective Contracts (Live Online Class)

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Presenter:
Andy Mendelson, Senior Vice President, Chief Risk Management Officer, Berkley Design Professional

Date: Wednesday, September 14
Time: 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. (Eastern)
1.5 Professional Development Hours

This webinar has been recorded and is available on demand for Berkley Design Professional policyholders and our appointed agents and brokers on the BDP Risk® Learning Management System.

bdp Risk® lms login

Not Available for the live online class? Pre-order the On-demand recording!

Your professional services agreement is an essential tool in managing your exposure to risk. An equitable contract fairly apportions risk, while an onerous contract can shift inordinate—and sometimes uninsurable—liability to you. The terms and conditions of the agreement establish the roles and responsibilities of the design professional and the client. The contract review and negotiation process provide you with an opportunity to set reasonable expectations with your client. And, in the event of a claim or dispute, your contract is the first piece of documentation the claims examiner will request. This workshop reviews the risk management fundamentals that underlie the development of effective contracts, the contract review process, and key clauses that impact your risk exposure.

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BDP Risk® Delivers Mutually Assured Success

Posted by & filed under BDP Blog.

By Diane Mika
Vice President, Director of Risk Management Education
Berkley Design Professional, a Berkley Company

At its simplest, insurance can be described as “a piece of paper and a promise.” Customers buy a
piece of paper (an insurance policy) and the insurance company promises to pay in the event there
is a claim.

It’s no secret that professional liability claims against architects and engineers can be expensive—both to the insurance company (cost of resolving claims and paying damages) and to the policyholder (paying deductibles). In addition to the hard costs of resolving a claim, design firms must also absorb the soft costs: lost staff time, lost opportunities, diminished relationships and increased future insurance premiums.

Therefore, the key to mutually assured success is mitigating claims. That’s where BDP Risk® comes in!

Our risk management education program provides relevant learning from the practitioner’s perspective coupled with the wisdom of decades of experience in the insurance industry. Based on a solid understanding of what factors and situations lead to claims against architects and engineers, our BDP Risk® training resources, materials and courses are designed to teach effective practices and strategies that can be put to immediate use to help customers avoid risk and reduce the frequency and severity of claims.

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How Can BDP Risk® Help You? Our Top 5 Concierge-Level Services

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By Candelario Lopez
Senior Learning Management Specialist
Berkley Alliance Managers, a Berkley Company

August 11, 2022

Design professionals and agents are busy people.

Fortunately, Berkley Design Professional’s Learning Management System (LMS), BDP Risk® offers several services that can save them time when they need risk or practice management advice. Here are the top five Concierge-Level services for both design professionals and brokers.

Design Professional Policyholders

1. Anytime Access and Support
Policyholders can access the BDP Risk® LMS at any time from any device! For questions, about how to do something or to start a learning path, you can contact a real person at 831.293.6254. If you prefer, you can also email [email protected] and your request will be answered promptly. You are only a phone call or email from receiving our Concierge-Level services.

2. Course Recommendations
We take the guess work out of choosing the correct course by providing recommendations to assist you in meeting your risk management or licensing requirements. Simply ask!

3. Tailored Learning Plans
We have created Learning Plans for various stages of a design professional’s career to assist you in making the correct decision and eliminating the guess work. These Learning Plans contain the courses recommended to obtain the knowledge you seek and are organized in a specific sequence to maximize effectiveness.

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