RIAI McCann FitzGerald CPD Series 2026 - Navigating Legal Responsibilities in Architectural Practice, 19 May to 9 June
- CPD Events
- Live Webinars
- Member Events
- Public Events
Event Information
The RIAI is pleased to launch the 2026 McCann FitzGerald CPD Series, building on the strong engagement and positive feedback from last year’s programme. This four-part series continues to support architects in navigating the increasingly complex legal, contractual, and regulatory landscape of architectural practice, offering practical insights grounded in real-world scenarios.
Each session will be delivered live via Zoom Webinar from 12:00 to 13:30, combining expert-led presentations with a moderated Q&A segment to allow participants to engage directly with the speakers. A live participant poll will be conducted during each session to better understand member experience, professional challenges, and to inform future CPD development. Recordings of the presentations (excluding Q&A) and slide decks will be made available to members following the sessions.
This series is designed to provide practical guidance across key areas of professional responsibility, from project inception and procurement, through planning and environmental considerations, to contract administration and managing claims risk.
Session 1 – Roles and Responsibilities of the Architect
19 May | Barrett Chapman & Jamie McGee, partners at McCann FitzGerald
This opening session sets the foundation for the series by examining the evolving role of the architect across the lifecycle of a project. It will explore responsibilities at the pre-construction stage, including advising on procurement strategies, forms of contract, and the selection of contractors, while also addressing the increasing importance of specialist inputs and the role of the architect as lead consultant.
The session will then move into the architect’s role as contract administrator under standard building contracts, providing a practical overview of duties and obligations. Key topics will include contractor and employer claims, notice and procedural requirements, and the principles of valuing and certifying payments. The session will conclude with practical guidance on managing the final certificate stage, highlighting common risks and best practice approaches.
Session 2 – Procurement
26 May | Orlaith Sheehy, partner at McCann FitzGerald
The second session will focus on procurement, with particular emphasis on the growing importance of green and socially responsible procurement practices. It will examine the policy and legal frameworks underpinning sustainable procurement, and how these requirements are being integrated into public and private sector projects.
Participants will gain insight into how green public procurement (GPP) can be incorporated at each stage of the tender process. from pre-qualification and selection stages through to contract award and administration. The session will also address specific considerations and the practical challenges faced by architects in aligning procurement processes with sustainability objectives.
Session 3 – Planning and Environmental
2 June | Sinéad Martyn, partner at McCann FitzGerald
The third session will provide an essential update on planning and environmental law, with a focus on recent legislative developments and emerging trends. It will cover key commencements under the Planning and Development Act 2024 and outline how these changes are expected to impact practice.
In addition, the session will explore recent planning case law and evolving policy directions, offering insight into how decisions are being shaped in the current climate. The topic of planning permission extensions will also be addressed, comparing the provisions of the 2000 Act with the updated framework under the 2024 Act, and highlighting some of the implications for project timelines and risk management.
Session 4 – Claims Against Architects
9 June | Stephen Proctor & Sean Carr, partners at McCann FitzGerald
The final session in the series will focus on claims risk and liability exposure for architects. It will begin by examining the architect’s duty of care and the most common types of claims that arise, including those linked to design, certification, and contract administration roles.
The session will also address claims arising under standard form contracts, including contractor and employer claims, and the procedural requirements that underpin them. Participants will gain practical guidance on managing notices, valuing claims, and certifying payments, alongside an overview of limitation periods and key risk mitigation strategies.
Drawing together themes from across the series, this session will equip architects with a clearer understanding of how to manage their responsibilities effectively while minimising exposure to disputes and claims.
Speakers
Stephen Proctor, Partner at McCann FitzGerald
Stephen specialises in construction law and acts for both public and private sector clients. He has advised on many of the most significant construction and engineering projects undertaken in Ireland over the last ten years. Stephen is experienced in the construction, operation and maintenance of large-scale projects in areas such as agri-food and drink, data centres, transport, life science, water and energy. He also advises on contentious matters, representing clients in mediation, conciliation, adjudication, arbitration and court.
Sinead Martyn, Partner at McCann FitzGerald
Sinéad advises clients on a wide spectrum of environmental and planning law issues. She has particular experience advising clients on complex infrastructure projects from project inception; providing support at navigating an evolving consenting framework, right through to advising on post-consent judicial review challenges. She is an experienced litigator; advising clients on judicial reviews in the Superior Courts, as well as acting in the defence of environmental and planning criminal prosecutions at District Court level. Sinéad is the Chairperson of the Irish Environmental Law Association. She lectures on environmental and planning issues regularly, including to the Law Society and Trinity College Dublin.
Orlaith Sheehy, Partner at McCann FitzGerald
Orlaith advises primarily on public procurement law issues. Orlaith has experience in both contentious and non-contentious aspects of tender processes, together with invaluable insight into the political environment in which public sector and semi-state bodies operate. Orlaith regularly works with clients to run procurement processes from start to finish, from preparing the contract notice and prequalification documents, to assisting in post-award issues. Orlaith has a deep understanding of the pitfalls which can arise in public procurement processes, enabling her to guide public purchasers in avoiding these risks, as well as to assist tenderers in protecting their legal rights. Orlaith has also been involved in handling a number of legal challenges to procurement processes, and gives strategic and practical advice to clients in such situations such that positions adopted are afforded the greatest protection.
Sean Carr, Partner at McCann FitzGerald
Sean advises employers (both private and public sector), contractors and designers throughout numerous residential and commercial and state infrastructure developments. He advises on all aspects of construction contracts prior to and during the course of construction and on disputes especially on Alternative Dispute Resolution methods (arbitration, adjudication, mediation and conciliation). Sean also advises foreign direct investor clients in complex development funding arrangements for residential and commercial developments.
Barrett Chapman, Partner at McCann FitzGerald
Barrett is a partner in the Construction Group of McCann FitzGerald LLP and advises all stakeholders (developers (public and private), contractors, consultants, funders, forward purchasers, forward funders, professional indemnity insurers and bondsmen) on a wide variety of construction related issues included negotiation of contracts and resolution of disputes.
Jamie McGee, Partner at McCann FitzGerald
Jamie is a Partner in the Construction Group. His work involves a mix of dispute and transactional matters, including residential, commercial and industrial development, infrastructure, offshore gas facilities decommissioning, social housing, hotels, offices, pharma, energy and process facilities). He advises developers, contractors, lenders, purchasers, tenants and consultants. Jamie joined the Construction Group in July 2014, having worked in the construction industry prior to qualifying as a solicitor. In addition to the standard Irish contracts, Jamie has worked with contract forms such as JCT, FIDIC, LOGIC and NEC. He also practices in the area of health and safety law. He was elected to the Health and Safety Lawyers Association of Ireland Committee in 2017. Jamie lectures on Trinity College’s Diploma in Construction Law and the Law Society’s diploma in Construction Law.