Sadly, Oregon’s engineers, architects and land surveyors are being forced into unfair contracting practices called “duty to defend” clauses, which require us to pay the legal expenses for others involved in construction projects even before fault is determined. This is detrimental to design firms, especially women, minority and emerging small businesses, who cannot afford to take on that kind of liability. As a small firm owner without the financial means to have a lawyer review every contract, I have had to become very educated over the last 10 years on the risks associated with the language embedded into the contracts I sign.
The Democratic sponsors of an N.C. Senate jobless benefits reform bill projected Thursday an overall more than $900 million savings to employers from a proposed 18-month insurance tax holiday.