Agenda:

Registration:                        8:00 - 8:30 am

Morning Session:                8:30 - 11:45 am

Lunch (On your own):         11:45 am - 12:45 pm

Afternoon Session:             12:45 - 4:30 pm

Intellectual Property Essentials for Engineers:  Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights, and Trade Secrets
Andrew Vicknair

   Securing ownership of your designs through patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets
   Leveraging your intellectual capital through licenses ,franchises, and other technology agreements
   Policing intellectual property rights and preventing infringement
   Resolving intellectual property disputes

Cyber Security: A Growing Concern
Louis Fey Jr.

   Cyber security threats and business exposure to data breach
   Day in a life of a cyber breach and how to respond in the event of a breach
   Coverage that is available under a cyber insurance policy to illustrate how the coverage matches up with the steps taken after a breach
   Examples of actual claims, with lessons learned from those events

Contract Law Primer for Engineers
Mary Anne Wolf

   Reviewing the necessary elements of any contract
   Understanding contract “legalese”
      • Determining performance
      • What constitutes a breach of contract?
      • What are damages and remedies?
      • Liability-shifting contract provisions: warranties, guarantees and indemnities
   Making changes to contracts

Professional Liability Law
Mary Anne Wolf

   Reviewing the grounds for professional liability claims
   Identifying who can bring a claim
   Examining common sources of professional liability claims
   Reviewing defenses to liability claims
   Determining damages
   Participating in dispute resolution: arbitration, mediation, litigation
   Obtaining Insurance coverage for professional liability claims

Handling Ethical Issues in Professional Engineering Practice
R. Gray Sexton

   Promoting health and welfare vs. managing risk:  complementary or conflicting duties?
   Protecting the environment: meeting or exceeding legal requirements
   Watching the bottom line: identifying and balancing economic pressures in design and construction
   Integrating new technologies: identifying and balancing the benefits and risks

Speakers:

Louis G. Fey Jr., CPCU, CIC, CRM, AIC

VP Risk Management at BancorpSouth Insurance Services, Inc.
Mr. Fey currently serves as vice president of risk management for BancorpSouth Insurance Services, is chairman of the State of Louisiana’s Property Casualty Commission, is president of the Professional Insurance Agents of Louisiana (PIA), and advises Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon as a member of his Agency Advisory Council. Mr. Fey provides insurance services to engineers. In event of a claim he can also assist by identifying defenses and strategies during litigation. Mr. Fey regularly assists clients by clarifying coverage and by assisting as a liaison during the claim process. He has more than 36 years of multi-line property casualty insurance experience, and has been deemed an expert at both the Federal and State level as to claim handling standards, claim practices, claim procedures, underwriting standards and practice, coverage interpretation, policy drafting, and agency errors and omissions.

R. Gray Sexton

Law Offices of R Gray Sexton, Sexton Law
Mr. Sexton was general counsel to The Louisiana Board of Ethics and The Supervising Committee for Campaign Finance Disclosure for 40 years. He represented the Government’s interest in all administrative and judicial proceedings before all State and Federal Courts. He participated in all aspects of the program from its inception. Mr. Sexton brings unparalleled experience and institutional knowledge to the representation of public officials, public employees, lobbyists, candidates, governmental contractors and others who have encountered regulatory issues with the Board of Ethics, the Committee of Campaign Finance, and the Office of the Disciplinary Council. Mr. Sexton was also the attorney for the Consulting Engineers Council of Louisiana for more than four decades. His practice includes the representation of numerous engineering firms. He has had extensive experience representing the interests of engineering firms and has filed numerous amicus curiae briefs on behalf of the engineering profession in Louisiana.

Andrew Vicknair

Partner at Shields Mott LLP in New Orleans
Mr. Vicknair worked as a software engineer for a major medical manufacturer and as an electrical engineer for a major chemical manufacturer prior to entering law school.  He regularly uses his prior work experience as a part of his legal practice.  He is now a partner in Shields Mott.  Mr. Vicknair’s primary practice areas include all phases of intellectual property, including litigation, prosecution, and transactional matters.  He also practices in commercial litigation and construction litigation, including claims related to construction defects, payment, subcontractors, owners, and general contractors.  Mr. Vicknair lectures on intellectual property law topics, including trademarks, patents and copyrights, as well as on construction law topics such as Louisiana lien law and general Louisiana construction law.

Mary Anne Wolf

Keogh, Cox & Wilson, Ltd.
Ms. Wolf received her juris doctorate degree from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University in 1999. While in law school, she served as managing editor of the Louisiana Law Review. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Louisiana State University in 1983, graduating cum laude. She obtained her professional engineering license from the State of Louisiana in 1988, and is a member of the Louisiana Engineering Society. Prior to attending law school, Ms. Wolf was a project design engineer in the construction industry for ten years. Ms. Wolf is a partner with the law firm of Keogh, Cox & Wilson in Baton Rouge. Her areas of practice include construction law and professional liability defense of architects, engineers and other design professionals.