Originally Posted By: gbeaumont
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Hi to all,
A very interesting article by Keith, and one which I whole heartedly agree with, we have long considered ourselves to be generalists, but the problem with this belief is that our clients and their agents believe that they are paying for specialists.
That is what causes us many problems , no matter what we put in our contracts in most states a Judge & Jury can decide what passes a test of reasonableness (Keith do you remember Lord Justice Denning?) Increasingly it seems that the legal system sees us as being specialists, with a considerable duty of care owed (rightfully IMHO) to our clients.
So what is the answer? I belief that as an industry we should fight to raise standards, and ensure that our members are well trained and well versed in our profession, that the roles and responsibilities are fully understood, and that we all strive to continually increase our knowledge and qualifications (IRC certifications for example).
If we are going to be held to be specialists then we need the training and testing that supports the premise.
There is an upside to this, as professional specialists we can charge much more than our average $ per hour, and be perceived as being worth the several Hundred $ per hour that professional engineers and the like earn.
Just my opinion, as Russel says' your mileage may vary 
Regards
Gerry