Law for Architects: What You Need to Know - Hardcover

Herrmann, Robert F.; Menaker & Herrmann LLP

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0393733459 ISBN 13: 9780393733457

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, 2012

Synopsis

An essential reference for practitioners, emphasizing how legal concepts affect the process of bringing architectural vision to reality.

Law for Architects: What You Need to Know guides design professionals through the daunting landscape where design and construction meet the legal system. It provides an introduction―written in clear, reader-friendly language―to issues that arise at every stage in the practice of architecture. For architects starting or building their own practice: Why do I need a written agreement with my clients? Why do I need insurance? How do I organize my firm? For seasoned architects considering retirement: How do I transfer ownership in my company? How can I benefit from the good will I helped to build? For students who want to learn more about the practicalities of starting out: Why is it important to have a license? Isn’t it enough to have a degree in architecture? What are my rights as an employee? It also addresses the perennial questions that concern architects: How do I protect myself from being sued? How do I protect my intellectual property rights in my work? and much more.

Law for Architects identifies the legal issues that lurk in every corner of your design practice and helps you figure out what questions you need to ask.

About this title

About the Author

Robert F. Herrmann is a partner in the New York City law firm of Menaker & Herrmann LLP. A graduate of Yale College and Columbia University School of Law, he has for more than thirty years advised architects, engineers, interior designers, owners, and contractors. He is a professional affiliate of the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, where he has organized and participated as a panel member in many seminars for design professionals. He serves as a mediator of construction claims for the American Arbitration Association and the Commercial Division of the New York State Supreme Court.

Review

“Not just every architect but every design professional should own a copy. It is clearly written and, as Robert Buford so accurately says in his foreword, allows us to do what it is we are meant to do – be architects – by making the legal stuff readily intelligible. The table of contents itself is instructive. Law for Architects will become the text for professional practice at schools of architecture and an essential volume in every design practitioner’s library.”
- Deborah Berke, FAIA, LEED AP

“Architecture deals with form, content, and ideas. It also deals with trusses, lighting, budgets, waterproofing, and expansion joints. To this unlikely multiplicity, you invariably need to add law into the mix. From copyright concerns to insurance to construction disputes, Robert Herrmann’s Law for Architects responds with clarity and precision to the questions asked by architects in the course of their work. It is also an indispensable and fascinating read.”
- Bernard Tschumi, architect and professor of architecture, Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, New York

“A crystal-clear guide to the myriad points where the practice of architecture intersects law, this book is an indispensable guide. Robert Herrmann’s reasoned advice provides an excellent foundation to make an architecture practice of any scale more professional.”
- Peter Pennoyer, A.I.A.

“Robert Herrmann’s book thoroughly and thoughtfully covers topics of significance to all architects, for students to acquire greater depth on a topic, and for practitioners to improve their effectiveness and success. Belongs on every architect’s bookshelf!”
- Paul Segal, FAIA, Adjunct Professor and Director of Practice, Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture Planning and Preservation

Edition details

• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0393733459
• ISBN 13: 9780393733457
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 224