Engineering Ethics

JEFFREY W. COLEMAN, PE, FACI

Engineering is an important and learned profession. As members of this profession, engineers are expected to exhibit the highest standards of honesty and integrity. Engineering has a direct and vital impact on the quality of life for all people. Accordingly, the services provided by engineers require honesty, impartiality, fairness, and equity, and must be dedicated to the protection of the public health, safety and welfare. Engineers are faced with different situations on a daily basis while practicing engineering. This presentation will review Rule 1805, the Minnesota Rules of Professional Conduct. It will also provide moral and ethical guidance to engineers in their decision making process. Most importantly, it will provide engineers with Insight on how to respect and protect their profession with utmost professionalism.

Attorney Jeffrey W. Coleman, P.E., FACI, focuses his practice on construction law, professional liability defense, concrete construction, and general business law, including insurance and coverage. A licensed structural engineer with more than 35 years of experience as a practicing attorney, Coleman provides clients with a single go-to resource for both legal and risk management issues. He has represented design professionals in all matters of their business, including defense of multi-million dollar design defect and negligent construction administration claims. Mr. Coleman represents numerous engineers, architects, building owners and concrete contractors and suppliers. His architect/engineer clients include some of the largest firms in the United States. He represented an international contractor in a series of multi-million dollar claims arising out of the construction of three cable-stayed bridges, defended an architect on a 350 million dollar claim on a casino, and defended the engineer on claims arising out of the expansion of the Notre Dame Football stadium. He successfully defended an engineer in an 8 week jury trial arising out of the construction of the Duluth Aquarium. He represented clients in both the I-35W bridge collapse and the Florida FIU pedestrian bridge collapse. He has handled or defended claims on the I-74 Bridge (Quad Cities, Iowa), St. Croix River Bridge, Wakota Bridge and the Hastings, MN Bridge.

A highly sought after lecturer, he frequently participates in national programs sponsored by organizations such as the American Bar Association and American Concrete Institute. Mr. Coleman has served on the Board of Directors of the ACEC of Minnesota, and is a frequent lecturer at their programs. He is a past President and Board Member of the Minnesota Concrete Council. Mr. Coleman has acted as national claims counsel and loss reserve specialist for both London and off-shore insurance companies.

He has served six terms on the American Council of Consulting Engineers (ACEC) of Minnesota Board and is a past President and Board member of the Minnesota Concrete Counsel (MCC). Nationally known for his knowledge and experience in the area of concrete construction, Coleman is the author of “Legal Issues in Concrete Construction,” and is the only attorney ever to be named a Fellow of the American Concrete Institute (FACI) and to have served as its President in 2020-2021.

Mr. Coleman received a bachelor's degree in civil engineering and a master's degree in structural engineering from Iowa State University and is a cum laude graduate of the William Mitchell College of Law. He is a Licensed Professional Engineer in Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, He practices law in MN, WI, ND, IA, US District Court, and the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. He is a member of the American Bar Association, ABA Forum Committee on Construction, Hennepin County Bar Association, ACEC of Minnesota, American Concrete Institute, National Society of Professional Engineers , and the American Institute of Architects