The Legal Risks Licensed PEs Don’t Prep for (But Should) With Matthew Fornaro

The Legal Risks Licensed PEs Don’t Prep for (But Should) With Matthew Fornaro

March 19, 2026 · 33 min · Episode 330

About this episode

The episode discusses the legal risks that licensed civil engineers face and the responsibilities that come with their PE license.

Most licensed civil engineers don’t think about the legal risks in their career…until something goes wrong. But according to attorney Matthew Fornaro, when it does go sideways, it’s usually too late. 👇 Matthew works right in the intersection of construction and business law. He’s seen it all in the AEC industry — from small contract disputes and ethical violations…all the way to full-blown, million-dollar litigation cases. In this episode, we dive into the legal risks licensed PEs like you face every day — and that will follow you for years after any project you touch is done. Why?! Once you’ve got that PE stamp, you’re not just approving projects. You’re taking on real responsibility that lasts through the lifetime of the building you signed off on. Everything you do now can be traced back to you years down the road if anything happens to the building you approved. (I know. Wild! 😟) So, if you’re a licensed PE — or on your way there — this is one of those conversations you’ll not want to skip. It’ll open your eyes to the legal side of engineering nobody really teaches, but everyone should understand. Otherwise, it’ll come back to bite you in the butt. Go check it out to learn…

People in this episode

Host: Isaac Oakeson

Guest: Matthew Fornaro

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: AEC

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