Terms of Use

Last Updated: December 1, 2022 (the “Effective Date”)

Thank you for visiting the Platform. Please read these Terms of Use (the “Terms”) carefully. These Terms contain important information about your legal rights, remedies, and obligations. 

By accessing or using the Platform, you agree to comply with and be bound by these Terms, our Terms of Service and all Applicable Laws and regulations.

If you have any questions about these Terms, please email us at help@goodlawyer.ca.

These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you and Goodlawyer Inc. (“Goodlawyer”, the “Company”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) governing your access to, and use of the Platform. Your use of the Platform includes your use of the Website, any applicable web, mobile, tablet or other smart-device applications, and application program interfaces (collectively, the “Application”) and all associated services (collectively, the “Platform Services”). 

Our collection and use of personal information in connection with your access to, and use of, the Platform is described in our Privacy Policy. 

These Terms include and hereby incorporate by reference the following important documents, as they may be in effect and modified from time to time: our Privacy Policy, and the Retainer Agreement. Collectively, these Terms, our Privacy Policy and Retainer Agreement, are referred to as the “Terms of Service”.

IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THE TERMS OF SERVICE, YOU MUST NOT ACCESS OR USE THE PLATFORM. 

We reserve the right in our sole discretion to revise and update the Terms of Service from time to time. Any and all such modifications are effective immediately upon posting and apply to all access, and continued use of, the Platform. You agree to periodically review the Terms of Service to be aware of any such modifications. Your continued use of the Platform shall constitute your acceptance of the then-current Terms of Service.   

The Goodlawyer Content and the Platform may be changed, withdrawn or terminated at any time in our sole discretion without notice to you or any other User. We will not be liable if for any reason all or any part of the Platform is restricted to you or any other User or is unavailable at any time or for any period. Any revisions to the Terms of Service will take effect on the last noted Effective Date.

You are responsible for obtaining your own access to the Platform. You are required to ensure that all persons who access the Platform through your internet connection are aware of, and comply with, the Terms of Service. You are responsible for any security breaches or performance issues relating to your use of the Platform.

YOU UNDERSTAND THAT BY USING THE PLATFORM AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE, YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS OF SERVICE, INCLUDING THE ARBITRATION PROVISIONS OF THESE TERMS (SUBJECT TO YOUR RIGHT TO OPT OUT OF THE ARBITRATION PROVISION AS PROVIDED BELOW).

IF YOU USE THE PLATFORM ON BEHALF OF AN ORGANIZATION OR LAW FIRM YOU AGREE TO THE TERMS OF SERVICE ON BEHALF OF SUCH ORGANIZATION OR LAW FIRM AND IN DOING SO YOU REPRESENT AND WARRANT THAT YOU HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO BIND THAT ORGANIZATION OR LAW FIRM TO THE TERMS OF SERVICE AND AGREE THAT YOU ARE BINDING BOTH YOURSELF AND THAT ORGANIZATION OR LAW FIRM TO THE TERMS OF SERVICE. 

You may be permitted to access the Platform using your mobile device and the Platform may allow you to receive messages on your mobile device. Your mobile device carrier may prohibit or restrict certain Mobile Features and certain Mobile Features may be incompatible with your mobile device carrier or mobile device. In addition, your mobile device carrier may charge its standard messaging, data and other fees to enable you to use the Mobile Features. We have no responsibility or liability for any fees or charges you incur when using the Mobile Features. You should check with your mobile device carrier to find out whether any fees or charges will apply. You should also contact your mobile device carrier with any other questions regarding the Mobile Features.

You acknowledge that your use of the Mobile Features is subject to any terms set forth in the terms of service of the third party providing the mobile device on which the Platform operates. We shall not be liable to you if you do not have a compatible mobile device. The Company reserves the right to terminate your use of the Platform should you use the Platform with an incompatible or unauthorized device.

GOODLAWYER IS NOT A LAW FIRM, DOES NOT EMPLOY LAWYERS AND DOES NOT ENGAGE IN THE PRACTICE OF LAW OR THE PROVISION OF LEGAL SERVICES TO CLIENTS. GOODLAWYER DOES NOT GUARANTEE OR REVIEW THE QUALITY, SUITABILITY, SUFFICIENCY OR OUTCOME ANY LEGAL SERVICES BOOKED, CREATED OR DELIVERED USING THE PLATFORM SERVICES. YOU ARE AWARE THAT LEGAL SERVICES ARE SUBJECT TO INHERENT RISKS AND OTHER FACTORS BEYOND GOODLAWYER’S CONTROL. YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT GOODLAWYER DOES NOT DRAW LEGAL CONCLUSIONS, PROVIDE LEGAL ADVICE, OPINIONS OR RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT THE LEGAL RIGHTS, REMEDIES, DEFENCES, OPTIONS, OR STRATEGIES APPLICABLE TO CLIENTS, OR APPLY THE LAW TO THE FACTS OF ANY CLIENTS’ PARTICULAR SITUATION.

GOODLAWYER IS NOT AUTHORIZED UNDER APPLICABLE LAWS TO ENGAGE IN THE PRACTICE OF LAW OR THE PROVISION OF LEGAL SERVICES. 

Goodlawyer’s purpose is to enable Clients to identify and engage Lawyers for the affordable, transparent and convenient delivery of Legal Services.

In accordance with the Terms of Service, we provide the Platform Services, including hosting and maintaining the Website and the Application, which facilitate the booking, creation and delivery of Legal Services. At the request of a Client the Platform Services enable Goodlawyer to provide such Client with a selection of Lawyers that are available for booking in respect of the delivery of Legal Services; at all times, however, Clients are ultimately responsible for selecting and engaging a Lawyer for the delivery of Legal Services. 

Whenever a Client enters into a contract for Legal Services with a Lawyer by booking Legal Services on the Platform (“Legal Service Contract”) such Legal Service Contract, and the respective rights and obligations of the Client and the Lawyer shall be subject to these Terms and the terms of the Retainer Agreement. 

GOODLAWYER IS NOT A PARTY TO ANY LEGAL SERVICE CONTRACT FACILITATED BY THE PLATFORM SERVICES.

Without limitation, Clients have full discretion and autonomy to use the Platform Services and are solely responsible for their use of the Platform Services, including with respect to: (i) any Legal Service Contract or booking of Legal Services with any Lawyer; (ii) determining, negotiating and finalizing the nature and scope of Legal Services to be delivered by a Lawyer under a Legal Service Contract; and (iii) liability for any Aggregate Fee payable pursuant to a Legal Service Contract. 

Goodlawyer makes no representations about and does not guarantee, and you agree not to hold Goodlawyer responsible for: (i) the quality, safety, or legality of any Legal Services booked, created or delivered using the Platform Services; (ii) the qualifications, disciplinary background or practice status of any Lawyer; (iii) the competence or ability of any Lawyer to deliver Legal Services; or (iv) the willingness of any Lawyer to deliver Legal Services.

Without limitation, Lawyers have full discretion and autonomy to use the Platform Services and are solely responsible for their use of the Platform Services, including with respect to: (i) the acceptance of any Legal Service Contract or booking for Legal Services; (ii) determining, negotiating and creating the final scope of Legal Services to be delivered for a Client pursuant to a Legal Service Contract; (iii) delivering Legal Services for a Client pursuant to a Legal Service Contract; and (iv) invoicing and billing a Client the Aggregate Fee payable pursuant to the terms of a Legal Service Contract. 

Goodlawyer makes no representations about and does not guarantee, and you agree not to hold Goodlawyer responsible for: (i) the identity of any Client; (ii) the legal capacity of any Client to enter into a Legal Service Contract; (iii) the ability or willingness of any Client to pay any Aggregate Fee; or (iv) any Ratings, Reviews, statements or posts made by any Client.

Lawyers are obligated to keep all Client information confidential in accordance with Applicable Laws, as well as their ethical and professional obligations. The fact that the Company may maintain confidential information, directly or indirectly, in a database maintained by the Company or a third-party provider, or the ability of the Company to create aggregate information or composite information about Users shall not constitute the waiver of any privilege in a Lawyer-Client relationship.

AS GOODLAWYER DOES NOT ENGAGE IN THE PRACTICE OF LAW OR THE PROVISION OF LEGAL SERVICES, GOODLAWYER DOES NOT, AT ANY TIME, CREATE OR ESTABLISH A LAWYER-CLIENT RELATIONSHIP WITH ANY CLIENT NOR DOES GOODLAWYER OWE ANY CLIENT A SPECAIL DUTY OF CARE AS OTHERWISE REQUIRED BY SUCH A LAWYER-CLIENT RELATIONSHIP. 

Goodlawyer Content

Goodlawyer Content is provided for general information purposes only and should not be relied upon as legal advice. You should obtain specific or professional advice before taking, or refraining from taking, any action, legal or otherwise, on the basis of Goodlawyer Content. Many factors unknown to us may impact the applicability of any Goodlawyer Content to your particular circumstances and any use of such Goodlawyer Content is at your own risk. The Goodlawyer Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice. Always seek professional advice with any specific questions you may have. You should not disregard professional advice or delay in seeking it because of something contained in the Goodlawyer Content.

Although we make reasonable efforts to update and maintain the Goodlawyer Content, we make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether express or implied, that the Goodlawyer Content is accurate, complete, reliable or up to date.  Your use of the Platform and the Goodlawyer Content is at your own risk and the Company has no responsibility or liability whatsoever for such use.

The Website may include content provided by third parties, including from other Users and third-party licensors. All statements and/or opinions expressed in any such third-party content, other than the Goodlawyer Content, are solely the opinions and the responsibility of the individual or entity providing such content. Such content does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Company. The Company is not responsible, or liable to you or any other party, for the content or accuracy of any third-party content.

You acknowledge, agree, and understand that Goodlawyer has no responsibility to verify the truth or accuracy of any information pertaining to any Lawyers as may be contained in the Goodlawyer Content. Goodlawyer provides no representations or warranties regarding the truth, quality, efficacy or accuracy of any information or Goodlawyer Content pertaining to any Lawyer. 

Electronic Communications

You expressly consent and agree to accept and receive communications from us, including by email and via text (SMS) message, calls and push notifications to the cellular telephone number you provided to us. By consenting to being contacted by us, you understand and agree that you may receive communications, including marketing communications generated by automatic telephone dialing systems which may deliver pre-recorded messages, sent by or on behalf of the Company, its affiliated companies and/or other Users of the Platform, including but not limited to: operational communications concerning your Account or use of the Platform, updates concerning new and existing features on the Platform, communications concerning promotions run by us and news concerning the Company and industry developments (collectively, “Notices”). You acknowledge that you are not required to consent to receive promotional messages as a condition of using the Platform.

You agree that we generally can send you Notices by email, text (SMS) message, calls and push notifications to the cellular telephone number you provided to us or by posting Notices to the Platform. You acknowledge and agree that any such Notice shall satisfy any legal requirement that such communication be in writing. The delivery of any Notice from us is effective when sent by us, regardless of whether you read the Notice, when you receive it or whether you actually receive the Notice. Your only method of withdrawing consent to receive Notices is to terminate any registrations, subscriptions or services provided through the Platform.

You must register and activate an Account to access and use certain features of the Platform. You acknowledge that Goodlawyer reserves the right to refuse service to anyone and to cancel User access at any time, subject to any restrictions under Applicable Laws.

Registration and Acceptance

You understand that by using the Platform, including by creating a Client Account or Lawyer Account, you agree to be bound by and abide by the Terms of Service. If you use the Platform on behalf of an Organization or law firm, including by creating a Client Account or Lawyer Account as an agent on behalf of an Organization or law firm, you agree to the Terms of Service on behalf of such Organization or law firm and in doing so you represent and warrant that you have the authority to bind that Organization or law firm to the Terms of Service and agree that you are binding both yourself and that Organization or law firm to the Terms of Service.

To register and activate an Account for use of the Platform, you must complete the Account profile and provide all requisite information. You hereby agree to provide Goodlawyer with such proof of identity as we may reasonably request from time to time and agree to supply true, accurate, and complete information on your Account profile and all registration and other forms you access on the Platform or provide to us and to update your information to maintain its truthfulness, accuracy, and completeness. 

You hereby agree not to supply any false or misleading information about your identity, qualifications or location, your business or your skills and to correct any such information that is or becomes false or misleading.  If you do provide any false or misleading information, we reserve the right to remove and/or disable your Account without advance notice.

Your provision of registration information including in connection with the creation and activation of your Account and any submissions you make to the Platform through any functionality such as applications, orders, personal profiles, chat rooms, e-mail, message boards, personal or interest group web pages, forums, online forms, blogs, bulletin boards, reflections, online journals, forms filled out during one of our workshops or events, and other such functions constitute your consent to all actions we take with respect to the management, storage and use of such information in accordance with the Terms of Service. 

Account Security

Any Account username, password or any other piece of information chosen by you or provided to you by the Platform as part of our security procedures must be treated as confidential, and you must not disclose such information to any other individual or entity. You must exercise caution when accessing your Account from a public or shared device so that others are not able to view or record your password or other personal information. 

You understand and agree that your Account is personal to you and you agree not to provide any other individual or entity access to your Account, including by protecting your username, password or other security information. You agree to notify us immediately of any unauthorized access to, or use of, your Account, username or password or any other breach of security. You also agree to ensure that you logout from your Account at the end of your use of the Platform. You are responsible for any password misuse or any unauthorized access to your Account.  

Goodlawyer reserves the right at any time and from time to time, to disable or terminate your Account, any username, password or other identifier, whether chosen by you or provided by us, in our sole discretion for any or no reason, including, but not limited to, your violation of any provision of the Terms of Service. 

Upon termination or disablement of your Account, we will not provide you with any refunds or credits of any kind whatsoever. If we disable or terminate your Account for any reason, you are prohibited from registering and creating a new Account under your name or e-mail address, a fake or borrowed name or the name of any third party, even if you may be acting on behalf of the third party.

You are prohibited from attempting to circumvent and from violating the security of the Platform including without limitation: (i) accessing content and data that is not intended for you; (ii) attempting to breach or breaching the security and/or authentication measures which are not authorized; (iii) restricting, disrupting or disabling Platform Services; (iv) illicitly reproducing TCP/IP packet header; (v) disrupting network services and otherwise disrupting Goodlawyer’s ability to monitor the Platform; (vi) using any robot, data mining, spider or other automatic device, process or means to access the Platform for any purpose, including monitoring or copying any of Platform content or confidential information; (vii) introducing any viruses, trojan horses, worms, logic bombs or other material that is malicious or technologically harmful; (viii) attacking the Platform via a denial-of-service attack, distributed denial-of-service attack, flooding, mailbombing or crashing; (ix) attempting to decompile or reverse engineer any software contained on the Platform; and (x) otherwise attempting to interfere with the proper working of the Platform. You may not use any network monitoring or discovery software to determine the site architecture or extract information about usage or Users.    

Account Types

The Platform permits two different Account types: (i) a Client Account; or (ii) a Lawyer Account.

Once you register for one Account type, you will not be able to add the other Account type under the same email address. Lawyers are permitted to register for a Client Account: provided, however, that they use an alternative email registration for their Client Account. 

Client Account

An individual, on their own behalf or on behalf of and as an authorized representative of an Organization, may create and register an Account for use of the Platform as a Client (a “Client Account”). Only individual is permitted to use, access and manage a Client Account. 

By registering a Client Account on your own behalf, you hereby represent, warrant and covenant that:

1. you will use the Platform for your individual and legitimate legal affairs;

2. you will comply with the Terms of Service; and

3. you are 18 years or older (or have otherwise reached the age of majority in your jurisdiction of residence) and have the capacity to form legally binding contracts.

By registering a Client Account on behalf of an Organization you hereby represent that you:

1. are an authorized representative or agent of such Organization;

2. will use the Platform for such Organization’s legitimate legal affairs;

3. such Organization will comply with the Terms of Service; and

4. are 18 years or older (or have otherwise reached the age of majority in your jurisdiction of residence) and are authorized to form legally binding contracts on behalf of such Organization.

Lawyer Account

An individual, on their own behalf or on behalf of and as an authorized representative of a law firm, may create and register an Account for use of the Platform as a Lawyer (a “Lawyer Account”). Only the individual registered to the Lawyer Account is permitted to use, access and manage a Lawyer Account. 

By registering a Lawyer Account, you hereby represent, warrant and covenant that you:

1. are currently qualified, active and licensed as a lawyer in at least one jurisdiction of Canada under Applicable Laws and you will maintain such qualification, license and practice status for as long as your Lawyer Account remains active;

2. are a member in good standing of a provincial or territorial bar association or law society;

3. will follow any licensing, registration, or other requirements personally or with respect to the law firm for which you are acting as you provide Legal Services, including but not limited to compliance with the Code applicable to you in all material respects;

4. will comply with Applicable Laws; 

5. are a member of a law firm or authorised to deliver Legal Services and carry-on business as a sole proprietor; 

6. consent to your profile and likeness being made accessible to Users and the Public; and 

7. are covered under a policy of professional negligence and errors & omissions insurance, and have all required insurance coverage under Applicable Laws or as required by your law firm.

Goodlawyer reserves the right to remove and/or disable your Lawyer Account periodically or permanently from the Platform for any reason deemed necessary or appropriate by Goodlawyer, including (but not limited to) if you: use the Platform without a valid license to practice law; breach or fail to maintain and comply with the foregoing representations and warranties; breach the Terms of Service; or if, in Goodlawyer’s sole discretion, your Ratings or Reviews fall below a minimum acceptable standard.

User Acknowledgements

Client Acknowledgments

If you are a Client, by using the Platform you hereby acknowledge, agree, and understand that:

1. Goodlawyer is not a party to any Legal Service Contract and shall have no liability or obligations under or related to any Legal Service Contract;

2. Goodlawyer is unable to and does not, in any way, supervise, direct, or control any Lawyer, the creation of any Legal Service Contract or the booking, creation or delivery of any Legal Services; and

3. You are solely responsible for all Legal Fees, Service Fees, government fees disbursements and Indirect Taxes payable in respect of your requisition of Legal Services pursuant to the terms of any Legal Service Contract.

Lawyer Acknowledgements

If you are a Lawyer, by using the Platform you hereby acknowledge, agree, and understand that:

1. You are not an employee of Goodlawyer, and you are not eligible for any of the rights or benefits of employment (including unemployment and/or workers compensation insurance);

2. Goodlawyer is not a party to any Legal Service Contract and shall have no liability or obligations under or related to any Legal Service Contract;

3. Goodlawyer is unable to and does not, in any way, supervise, direct, or control any Lawyer, the creation of any Legal Service Contract or the booking, creation or delivery of any Legal Services; 

4. Goodlawyer does not dictate the method or process that you employ to provide Legal Services;

5. You are free to determine when and if to perform Legal Services, including the days and times periods that you elect to work, and Goodlawyer does not set or have any control over your, work product, work schedules, or work location, nor does Goodlawyer mandate the final Aggregate Fee that you bill to a Client pursuant to a Legal Service Contract;

6. You will be paid at such times and amounts as agreed with a Client pursuant to a Legal Service Contract, and Goodlawyer does not, in any way, provide or guarantee you a regular salary or any minimum, regular payment;

7. You are solely responsible for all tax liability, withholdings and required remittances associated with any Client payments received by you through the Platform;

8. You are solely responsible for identifying and making all required remittances to the proper taxing authorities for any value added tax or any other taxes or similar charges applicable to your use of the Platform;

9. In the event that Goodlawyer is audited, you shall promptly cooperate with Goodlawyer in respect of such audit and provide copies of your tax records and other documents as may be reasonably requested by Goodlawyer for the purposes of such audit;

10. Neither Goodlawyer nor any Goodlawyer Representative has made or makes any express or implied representation or warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of any reported Indirect Taxes in connection with the delivery of Legal Services pursuant to a Legal Service Contract.

11. You are solely responsible for all tax liability, withholdings and required remittances for Indirect Taxes associated with any Client payments received by you through the Platform;

12. You are solely responsible for identifying and making all required remittances to the proper taxing authorities for any value added tax or any other taxesIndirect Taxes or similar charges applicable to your use of the Platform;

13. You have not relied on any representation or warranty from Goodlawyer nor any Goodlawyer Representative in determining your liability for Indirect Taxes and neither Goodlawyer nor any Goodlawyer Representative shall have liability to you with respect to any Indirect Taxes.

14. Goodlawyer does not provide you with training or any equipment, labor, tools, or materials related to any Legal Service Contract;

15. Goodlawyer does not provide the premises at which you perform any Legal Services;

16. You are solely responsible for obtaining any liability, health, workers’ compensation, disability, unemployment, or other insurance needed, desired, or required by law, and you hereby acknowledge and agree that you are not covered by or eligible for any insurance of any kind maintained by Goodlawyer;

17. Whenever you enter into a Legal Service Contract with a Client such Legal Service Contract includes and you agree that in providing Legal Services you are subject to the terms of the Retainer Agreement; and

18. Your placement and ranking in a Client’s search results may vary and depend on a variety of factors, such as Client search parameters and preferences, service requirements, price, responsiveness to Client requests, cancellation history, service type, and/or ease of retaining.

Ownership

The Platform is owned and operated by Goodlawyer. All right, title and interest in and to the Platform, including but not limited to Goodlawyer Content and the information, documents, logos, graphics, sounds and images accessible or visible on the Platform (the “Proprietary Materials”) are owned either by Goodlawyer or by our respective third-party authors, developers or vendors (“Third Party Providers”).

Except as otherwise expressly provided by Goodlawyer, none of the Proprietary Materials may be copied, reproduced, republished, downloaded, uploaded, posted, displayed, transmitted or distributed in any way and nothing on the Platform shall be construed to confer any license under any of our intellectual property rights, whether by estoppel, implication or otherwise.

Any rights not expressly granted here are reserved by the Company.

Limited License

Goodlawyer hereby grants you a limited license to access the Platform. This license is subject to and conditioned on your compliance with the Terms of Service.

We strive to keep our Platform safe, secure, and functioning properly, but we cannot guarantee the continuous operation of, or access to, our Platform. In fact, we might even stop providing certain features without notice.

You may link to our homepage only, provided you do so in a way that is fair and legal and does not damage our reputation or take advantage of it.  You must not establish a link in such a way as to suggest any form of association, approval or endorsement on our part where none exists. The Platform must not be framed on any other website, nor may you create a link to any part of the Platform other than the homepage. We reserve the right to withdraw linking permission from you or any other User without notice. It is your responsibility to ensure that the website in which you are linking complies in all respects with the Terms of Service. You agree to cooperate with us in causing any unauthorized framing or linking to immediately stop.

Goodlawyer may terminate any license granted to any Platform visitor or User to access the Platform without notice.

Permitted Uses

GOODLAWYER IS NOT AUTHORIZED UNDER APPLICABLE LAWS TO ENGAGE IN THE PRACTICE OF LAW OR THE PROVISION OF LEGAL SERVICES. 

Goodlawyer’s purpose is to enable Clients to identify and engage Lawyers for the affordable, transparent and convenient delivery of Legal Services.

In accordance with the Terms of Service, we provide the Platform Services, including hosting and maintaining the Website and the Application, which facilitate the booking, creation and delivery of Legal Services. At the request of a Client the Platform Services enable Goodlawyer to provide such Client with a selection of Lawyers that are available for booking in respect of the delivery of Legal Services; at all times, however, Clients are ultimately responsible for selecting and engaging a Lawyer for the delivery of Legal Services. 

AS GOODLAWYER DOES NOT ENGAGE IN THE PRACTICE OF LAW OR THE PROVISION OF LEGAL SERVICES, GOODLAWYER DOES NOT, AT ANY TIME, CREATE OR ESTABLISH A LAWYER-CLIENT RELATIONSHIP WITH ANY CLIENT NOR DOES GOODLAWYER OWE ANY CLIENT A SPECAIL DUTY OF CARE AS OTHERWISE REQUIRED BY SUCH A LAWYER-CLIENT RELATIONSHIP. 

In addition, the Platform Services may be used to access the Goodlawyer Content.

Goodlawyer Content is provided for general information purposes only and should not be relied upon as legal advice. You should obtain specific or professional advice before taking, or refraining from taking, any action, legal or otherwise, on the basis of Goodlawyer Content. Many factors unknown to us may affect the applicability of any Goodlawyer Content to your particular circumstances and any use of such Goodlawyer Content is at your own risk. The Goodlawyer Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice. Always seek professional advice with any specific questions you may have. You should not disregard professional advice or delay in seeking it because of something contained in the Goodlawyer Content.

Although we make reasonable efforts to update and maintain the Goodlawyer Content, we make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether express or implied, that the Goodlawyer Content is accurate, complete, reliable or up to date.  Your use of the Platform and the Goodlawyer Content is at your own risk and the Company has no responsibility or liability whatsoever for such use.

Prohibited Uses

Users are not permitted to use, or encourage, promote, facilitate, instruct or induce others to use, the Platform for any activities that violate any Applicable Laws; for any other illegal or fraudulent purpose or any purpose that is harmful to others; or to transmit, store, display, distribute or otherwise make available content that is illegal.

Without limitation to the foregoing, the following uses of the Platform are prohibited:

1. seeking, offering, promoting, or endorsing any services, content, or activities that are fraudulent or misleading;

2. posting personal information concerning another person;

3. spamming other Lawyers with requests for legal services or posting the same job multiple times so that more than one version remains active at a given time;

4. demanding payment without the intention of providing services in exchange for the payment;

5. requesting or demanding free services, including requesting Lawyers to submit work as part of the proposal process for very little or no money;

6. attempting to or manipulating or misusing the feedback system;

7. duplicating or sharing Accounts;

8. selling, trading, or giving an Account;

9. sharing or soliciting personal contact information, such as email, phone number, or Skype ID, in connection with a Legal Services Contract or in a Lawyer Account;

10. directly or indirectly advertising or promoting a competitive platform, product, service or service provider;

11. directly or indirectly soliciting Clients and/or Lawyers for a competitive platform, product, service, or service provider, including advertising on the Platform to recruit Clients and/or Lawyers to join another platform or company; and

12. conduct or actions that could jeopardize the integrity of the Platform or Goodlawyer’s proprietary information, including: (a) reverse engineering (or attempting to reverse engineer), modifying, adapting, translating, preparing derivative works from, decompiling, interfering with the operation of, or otherwise attempting to derive source code from any part of the Platform; or (b) accessing or using the Platform to build a competitive platform, product, service or application or publish any performance or any benchmark test or analysis relating to the Platform.

Reporting Violations

If you become aware of any violation of the Terms of Service, you must at once report it at help@goodlawyer.ca. You further agree to aid us with any investigation we undertake and to take any remedial steps we require in order to correct a violation of the Terms of Service.

Responsibilities with Respect to Record Keeping

You are responsible for the creation, storage, and backup of any and all records pertaining to your use of the Platform, including maintaining a record of any Legal Service Contract executed through the Platform and records of any Legal Services delivered or received through the Platform.

Goodlawyer shall: (i) store, backup and retain records of all Legal Service Contracts and, where applicable, grant access such information or data to an applicable Lawyer or Client; and (ii) comply with any Applicable Laws with respect to our data security, data privacy and data storage obligations.

Governing Law

The Terms of Service will be interpreted following the laws of the Province of Alberta and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein, without regard to conflict-of-law provisions. 

Any legal proceedings not captured and governed by the Arbitration Provisions must be brought in the courts of Calgary, Alberta, Canada unless Goodlawyer agrees to some other location in its sole discretion. 

You and consent to venue and personal jurisdiction in Calgary, Alberta.

Severability

If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid or unenforceable, such provision will be struck and will not affect the validity and enforceability of the remaining provisions.

Non-Assignability

You may not assign, transfer, or delegate your obligations pursuant to the Terms of Service and your rights and obligations hereunder without our prior written consent. Goodlawyer may without restriction assign, transfer or delegate any of its rights and obligations hereunder, at its sole discretion, without notice to you. 

No Waiver

Our failure to enforce any right or provision in these Terms will not constitute a waiver of such right or provision unless acknowledged and agreed to by us in writing. Except as expressly stated in these Terms, the exercise by either party of any of its remedies under these Terms will be without prejudice to its other remedies under these Terms or otherwise permitted under Applicable Laws.

Access Outside of Canada

The Platform should not be accessed outside of Canada and cannot be used for the provision of Legal Services in any country other than Canada.

Entire Agreement

Except as they may be supplemented by additional terms and conditions, policies, guidelines or standards, the Terms of Service constitute the entire agreement between Goodlawyer and the User pertaining to the subject matter thereof, and supersede any and all prior oral or written understandings or agreements between Goodlawyer and you in relation to your access to, and use of, the Platform.

Defined Terms

Any capitalized terms used in these Terms that are not defined herein shall have the meanings ascribed thereto in our Privacy Policy.

“Account” means a Client Account or a Lawyer Account;

“Aggregate Fee” means, as applicable, the sum of the Legal Fee, Service Fee, government fees, disbursements and applicable Indirect Taxes payable by a Client in respect of the delivery of Legal Services pursuant to the terms of a particular Legal Service Contract;

“Applicable Laws” means any applicable statute, law, regulation, rule, court order, common law, judgment, decree, other requirement or rule of law of any Governmental Authority having appropriate jurisdiction over the Company and the Platform; 

“Application” means the Website and any applicable web, mobile, tablet or other smart-device applications, and application program interfaces:

“Arbitration Provisions” has the meaning given to such term under the heading User Claims and Dispute Resolution (Arbitration Provisions);

“Claim” has the meaning given to such term under the heading User Claims and Dispute Resolution (Arbitration Provisions);

“Claim Notice” has the meaning given to such term under the heading User Claims and Dispute Resolution (Arbitration Provisions);

“Class Action Waiver” has the meaning given to such term under the heading User Claims and Dispute Resolution (Arbitration Provisions) – Class Action Waiver;

“Client” means a User, being an individual or Organization, that creates a Client Account to request Legal Services. Where a User creates a Client Account to request Legal Services for him or herself, as an individual, then Client means that individual. Where a User creates a Client Account on behalf of and as an authorized representative or as an agent of an Organization, then the Client means that Organization. 

“Client Account” has the meaning given to such term under the heading Goodlawyer Accounts – Account Types – Client Account;

“Company” means Goodlawyer Inc.; 

“Custom Quote” or “Custom Job” means a unique scope of legal work that is not otherwise available or appropriate for selection and delivery through the Platform as a Fixed-Fee Service, and which includes a corresponding price estimate for the completion of such customized legal or advisory services;

“Default” has the meaning given to such term under the heading Fees and Payments – Default and Non-Payment of Fees

“Fixed-Fee Service” means the legal services listed on the Platform for which a fixed price is directly associated and which are available for a Client to engage a Lawyer to complete through the Platform pursuant to a Legal Service Contract;

“Goodlawyer Content” means documents and information, such as text, photos, audio, video, articles, blog posts, forms, templates, documents, or other materials and information created by Goodlawyer or otherwise made available by Goodlawyer through on or through the Platform, but excludes User Content;

"Goodlawyer Representatives” has the meaning given to such term under the heading Limitation of Liability;

“Government Authority” means any Canadian federal, provincial, territorial or municipal government or political subdivision thereof, or any agency of such government or political subdivision, or any self-regulated organization or other non-governmental regulatory authority or quasi-governmental authority (to the extent that the rules, regulations or orders of such organization or authority have the force of Law), or any arbitrator, court or tribunal of competent jurisdiction.

“Indirect Taxes” means any harmonized sales tax (HST), provincial sales tax (PST), goods and services tax (GST), value-added tax, use and excise taxes, and any other similar taxes, duties, and charges of any kind imposed by any governmental authority in connection with the requisition and delivery of Legal Services pursuant to a Legal Service Contract.

“Lawyer” means a User, being an individual licensed to practice law in a province or territory of Canada that is in good standing with the governing body of the legal profession to which they are subject, that creates a Lawyer Account to offer, provide, deliver and bill Legal Services through the Platform. 

“Lawyer Account” has the meaning given to such term under the heading Goodlawyer Accounts – Account Types – Lawyer Account;

“Legal Service Contract“ has the meaning given to such term under the heading Goodlawyer Overview;

“Legal Services“ means any Fixed-Fee Services or any Custom Quote or Custom Job, as applicable, including any amendments or supplements thereto, that may be requested by a Client for delivery by a Lawyer over the Platform pursuant to a Legal Service Contract;

“Mobile Features” means Platform features that enable Users to access the Platform using a mobile device, including by sending and receiving messages on your mobile device that relate to Goodlawyer, the Platform or your Account;

“Notices” has the meaning given to such term under the heading Goodlawyer Overview – Electronic Communications;

“Organization” means any person other than a natural person, including a corporation, association (whether incorporated or unincorporated), society, partnership, limited partnership, trust, mutual fund, charity, or not-for-profit other than any governmental entity;

“Payment Method” has the meaning given to such term under the heading Fees and Payments – User Payment Methods and Authorizations;

“Payment Services” has the meaning given to such term under the heading Fees and Payments;

“Payments Data Controller” means Stripe, Inc. and its affiliates, including Stripe Payments Canada, Ltd.

“Platform” means the Website, Application and Platform Services;

“Platform Services” means all associated services facilitated by the Website and the Application

“Pre-Authorization” has the meaning given to such term under the heading Fees and Payments – User Payment Methods and Authorizations;

“Privacy Policy” means the most recent version of the Privacy Policy posted at the following link: https://www.goodlawyer.ca/policy/privacy;

“Proprietary Materials” has the meaning given to such term under the heading The Platform – Ownership;

“Rating” means publicly available score, measured on a 5-point scale, that is provided by a Client following the delivery of Legal Services pursuant to a Legal Service Contract and in respect of the Lawyer that delivered such Legal Services. Ratings reflect the opinions and experiences of individual Clients and do not reflect the opinion of Goodlawyer;

“Retainer Agreement” means the most recent version of the Retainer Agreement posted at the following link: https://www.goodlawyer.ca/policy/goodlawyer-retainer;

“Review” means a publicly available narrative review that is provided by a Client following the delivery of Legal Services pursuant to a Legal Service Contract and in respect of the Lawyer that delivered such Legal Services. Reviews reflect the opinions and experiences of individual Clients and do not reflect the opinion of Goodlawyer;

“Service Fee” means the transaction-based service fee payable by the Client to Goodlawyer in consideration of the Client’s use of the Platform enter into a Legal Service Contract, as well as for the advanced search functionality and the Payment Services; 

“Terms” means these Terms of Use;

“Terms of Service” means the Terms together with the Privacy Policy and Retainer Agreement

“User” means any visitor to or user of the Platform, including a Client or a Lawyer; 

“User Content” has the meaning given to such term under the heading User Generated Content;

“Website” means Goodlawyer.ca and any subdomains thereof, and any other websites through which Goodlawyer makes its services available.