PROFESSIONAL

PRACTICE

BY- ANCHAL
What is PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE?

The term 'professional practice' refers to the conduct and work of

someone from a particular profession.
Professions are occupations that require a prolonged period of education
and training. They are often overseen by professional bodies who may
accredit educational establishments and qualified professionals.
Qualification may be recognised by the designation 'member of...',
'certified', 'chartered member', 'fellow', and so on.
For example, a professional member of the Chartered Institute of
Architectural Technologists may use the letters MCIAT after their
name (member of).

Professional bodies may set standards of ethics, performance,

competence, insurance, training and so on that must be met to
remain within the profession. These are typically set out in a code
of conduct.
Some professional designations are protected by law.

For example, the term ‘architect’ is protected by the Architects

Act 1997 which established the Architects Registration Board
(ARB). Only qualified individuals that are registered with the ARB
can offer their services as architects. However, rather peculiarly,
the public tend to recognise the designation RIBA, denoting an
architect who is also a member of the Royal Institute of British
Architects. This is not a legal requirement.
Professions will have specific practices and standards that they
value, but in construction there are some general principles
common to most professionals:

Act with integrity.

Adopt an ethical approach.
Provide a high standard of service.
Only undertake work for which there is appropriate competence.
Have appropriate insurance.
Ensure that terms of appointment are clear.
Act in a way that promotes trust in the profession.
Do not bring the profession into disrepute.
Do not discriminate against parties on any grounds.
Demonstrate a commitment to continuing professional
development.
Offer a dispute resolution service.

An architect offering services in a specialist field might be

expected to demonstrate a higher level of skill and care, of
a competent specialist. The more skilled a person, the more
the care that can be expected of them. For more
information see: Reasonable skill and care.
Contracts may include terms requiring that the contracted
party exercise 'reasonable skill and care', and in interpreting
this, the courts may take into account the professional
standard that might be expected. That is, a party advertising
services as a professional architect would be expected to
demonstrate the level of skill and care of a competent
architect.
THANK YOU