Session 8A: Risk Management Awareness for PA Public Sector Work

Session Description: Speakers will discuss past tort cases and what public sector engineers can do to minimize unnecessary tort exposure to PennDOT, municipalities and private contractors while working for their employers and/or clients.

Moderator: Joe Fiocco, Fiocco Engineering & SAFE Highway Engineering

PennDOT Tort Litigation Case Studies, Jane Fisher, Esq., Attorney, Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General
Risk Management 101 for Professional Engineers, Fredrick Brehm, Esq., Attorney, Powell Trachtman Logan Carrle & Lombardo
Liability Insurance Defense, Thomas McAndrew, Esq., Attorney, Siana-Bellwoar

Speaker Bios:

Jane Fisher is a senior deputy attorney general with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Office of Attorney General. The Office of Attorney General represents Commonwealth agencies in tort litigation. Jane covers District 5 and 6 for PennDOT litigation, and covers Lehigh, Carbon, Monroe, Northampton, Montgomery, Delaware, and Chester Counties for other state agencies. She primarily handles complex cases involving highway engineering, and maintenance of the highway cases.

Frederick Brehm’s legal practice focuses on the representation of professionals in the design and construction industry, as well as the negotiation and drafting of contracts for construction and design professional services. He has handled hundreds of architectural and engineering matters, and successfully defended or prosecuted numerous cases at trial and through arbitration. Frederick has argued several matters in the appellate courts that have had a favorable impact on design professionals in Pennsylvania.

Thomas McAndrew concentrates his practice in insurance defense litigation, with an emphasis in municipal law, including police, professional, public official, motor vehicle, and premises liability. He also has considerable litigation experience representing clients in medical, legal and other professional malpractice claims, personal injury claims, and family law matters.

About

The Thomas D. Larson Pennsylvania Transportation Institute is Penn State’s transportation research center. Since its founding in 1968, the Larson Institute has maintained a threefold mission of research, education, and service. The Institute brings together top faculty, world-class facilities and enterprising students from across the University in partnership with public and private stakeholders to address critical transportation-related problems.