Effectively managing legal risk is a recognized best practice of Control System Integrators Association (CSIA) members — and is essential to sustained success for companies generally. For control system integrators, such risks extend through nearly every business decision — from the hiring of key employees, to the signing of contracts, to the identification, preservation and development of intellectual property.

Since 2003, legal advice from the automation lawyers of Faegre Drinker has been available to CSIA members in the form of presentations on legal topics at the annual conference and regular articles in the CSIA newsletter. In addition, many integrators have come to rely upon Faegre Drinker lawyers as their company attorneys.

Every CSIA member is automatically enrolled in the CSIA Legal Plan. The object is to ensure that each CSIA member, whether certified or not, has access to quality legal advice from lawyers who understand their industry.

Automatic Enrollment

All CSIA members are automatically enrolled in the CSIA Legal Plan at no charge.

Free Consultation

All participants in the CSIA Legal Plan are entitled to participate at no charge in short, simple questions and answer sessions with one of the Faegre Drinker automation lawyers.

Terms and Conditions Update

All participants in the CSIA Legal Plan are entitled to have one version of their standard company terms and conditions reviewed and updated at the following flat fee price:

• There is no charge to certified CSIA members
• There is a $500 charge to non-certified CSIA members

Due to demand, a 14-day turnaround is typical for this work.

Discounted and Menu Services

Many legal services provided under the CSIA Legal Plan are now being offered at a 10 percent discount below Faegre Drinker's standard rates for the applicable year. Discounted services include the preparation of contract templates, revising and negotiation automation-related contracts, and dispute resolution services.

In addition, a number of services are available under the CSIA Legal Plan on a "menu" or "flat fee" basis. For instance, a basic risk assessment (general assessment of major contract terms without revision) would be available for a flat fee of $850 per review. For even greater cost certainty, there is also an annual flat fee alternative that eliminates individual transaction charges for basic risk assessments and/or contract revision services. In certain circumstances, certified CSIA members are entitled to additional discounts on such flat fee charges.

Other services that may be available on a flat fee basis include U.S. patent filings, U.S. trademark filings, preparation of employee handbooks and employee non-compete agreements, and training webinars with a Faegre Drinker automation lawyer.

For additional information regarding the CSIA Legal Plan pricing, please contact Faegre Drinker at CSIALegal@faegredrinker.com.

Limitations and Procedure

The pricing information above is for services provided for the various jurisdictions within the United States in the English language. In addition to its 20 offices across the United States, Faegre has offices in London and Shanghai, and the firm is a founding member of Lex Mundi – a network of 21,000 legal advisors in more than 100 countries. Pricing information for services provided for non-U.S. jurisdictions, and/or utilizing non-English languages or translations, is available upon request by contacting Faegre Drinker at CSIALegal@FaegreDrinker.com.

Generally speaking, a lawyer licensed in the United States cannot render advice to one client that might be adverse to the interest of another client unless the lawyer concludes that his or her ability to provide quality advice would not be constrained and both clients consent to the arrangement. Faegre Drinker is a large law firm with hundreds of lawyers and thousands of clients; therefore, all new matters are carefully checked for potential conflicts. If a conflict is discovered, either consents are procured from the clients or the advice is not provided. Please note that the terms of Faegre Drinker’s standard engagement letter includes the CSIA member’s consent to such potential conflicts with respect to all matters that are not substantially related to the services Faegre Drinker has provided to the CSIA member.

It should also be noted that the pricing detailed above covers the fees for indicated legal services, but may not include certain expenses or “out of pocket” costs. These costs may include travel, international long-distance telephone charges, certain copying and printing costs, filing fees, an allocation of our costs for certain computerized research, and translation services and/or non-U.S. counsel charges. The amounts charged generally reflect our actual direct and indirect costs, but some amounts may be more or less.

If we have not yet established a business relationship with a particular CSIA member, Faegre Drinker reserves the right to request an upfront “retainer” or pre-payment before commencing work.