One of the unfortunate realities of the construction process is the prevalence of claims and disputes among owners, design professional, contractors and subcontractors. To aid in the understanding of the fundamentals of claims against construction professionals and contractors, and helping to achieve a favorable outcome if litigation becomes necessary, we offer a two-part primer on construction litigation for owners. This first part deals with claims against architects and engineers (collectively, "A/E"). The second part, to be published this September, will deal with contractors.