Website Terms & Conditions

Terms and Conditions of Use and General Information

 Use of this Website is subject to the terms and conditions (“Terms”) set out below.  Access to and use of this Website is an acknowledgement that these Terms, as amended from time to time, have been read and accepted.   If you purchase a service from the Website it will be governed by these Terms, together with any additional terms that we agree in writing.

Online Bookings

Please note that our provision of any telephone/video advice to you is only a general discussion to assist you in determining your next steps, including if you would like to instruct us or someone else.  An online booking (and subsequent consultation) is not intended to create, and may not create, a lawyer-client relationship between you and Lodestar Legal.  Everyone’s situation is unique, and small details (however insignificant they may seem) can vary things.  If we are providing assistance in a limited capacity, or in response to a specific query or part, and not all, of your legal matter, you rely on the assistance we give to you at your own risk. Legal advice upon which you can rely can only be properly provided by us to you following a detailed review of your matter. We are not responsible for any action you may take or fail to take based upon the provision of our limited telephone/video advice to you. Discussions may be recorded for quality, accuracy and training purposes.

We agree to:

  • Spend at least 15 minutes reading the material you have sent us.  If you have uploaded and paid for additional documents, we will also similarly read those;
  • Use our experience to provide you with information about your query, which may involve assisting you to engage the appropriate solicitor for you and your matter;
  • Limit the assistance we provide to you, to only those matters you request of us;
  • Charge you at the rates indicated on the Website; and
  • Pay the fees & charges charged by third party payment providers used by our Website.

 What you promise to do:

  • Provide us with clear, complete and accurate information;
  • Be courteous and polite to our lawyers, and not engage in threatening or abusive conduct;
  • Seek information on only the documents and information given by you at the time of booking, recognising that you may only be asking assistance in respect of a particular or discreet matter, which may be part of a broader issue;
  • Upload only one document per upload link;
  • Pay us upon booking your appointment. You authorise us to receive directly into our trust account the money paid to us for the work we do for you, and to use those monies to pay our professional fees, internal expenses and disbursements in accordance with the provisions of Rule 42 of the Uniform General Rules; and
  • Attend your meeting, or promptly reschedule it.

Refund Policy for Online Bookings for Consultations

We understand that life is busy, and things don’t always go to plan, so if you:

  1. cannot attend your meeting, and cannot reschedule; or
  2. no longer require your meeting;

we will refund your booking fee in full, provided you contact us at least 48 hours prior to the meeting to tell us this. 

Because we need to prepare for our meetings, there are no refunds for any reasons other than the above.  If, for whatever reason, we are unable to attend the consultation as planned, we shall contact you to reschedule to a mutually convenient time.

If, after reading your material, we feel that we are unable to assist you, we shall let you know. In these circumstances, we’ll refund your money less our reasonable expenses for reviewing the material and, if we can, give you the name of someone who might be able to assist.

All Consultation times specified on the Website are estimates only. They indicate the maximum amount of time allocated for a particular chat. You are not entitled to a refund if the call doesn’t last for the entirety of the time specified.

If we consider (in our sole opinion) that you are not being truthful or you breach any of your other promises to us, we may terminate the consultation immediately. There will be no refunds in these circumstances.

Information on this Website 

The information on this Website is for general information purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice, legal opinion or any other advice on any specific facts or circumstances. You should not act or refrain from acting upon this information without seeking professional advice.

Sending information on or through this Website is not intended to create, and does not create, a lawyer-client relationship between the sender and Lodestar Legal. Such communications will not be treated as confidential. 

Photographs and other graphics on this Website may be for dramatic or illustrative purposes only and may include models. Any likeness to a real person does not necessarily imply partnership or employee status.

No Assurances  

The information on this Website may change without notice. Although we try to keep our Website current and accurate, you should not rely on this information or its applicability to any specific circumstances without first seeking professional advice. The information on this Website should not be taken as an indication of a future event. Lodestar Legal makes no warranties, representations, or claims of any kind concerning the information available from, or the operation of, this Website.

Lodestar Legal expressly disclaims all liability to any person in respect of the consequences of anything done or omitted to be done wholly or partly in reliance upon the use or contents of this Website. We cannot guarantee that the Website is free of malicious code and we do not accept any responsibility for any damage or loss caused by any such code.

Third Party Information and Links to Other Websites 

This Website may provide links to a variety of other Internet resources and may provide access to third-party information. Lodestar Legal is not responsible for any third party content, products or services that may be accessed through the Website and the availability of links on this Website to such third party content, products or services should not be taken to be a referral to or endorsement of the linked third parties or the content, products or services. Without our prior written consent, you may not link material on this Website with another website.

Contacting Us 

If you have a specific legal question, please book an appointment, upload your material for a Quote or provide details in the Contact Section of how we can contact you.  Where possible, please include the general nature of your inquiry, without providing any confidential specifics. If the matter is urgent, please phone us.

Quotes

If we provide you with a Quote, the Quote will not be binding on us until you have formally accepted it in writing within any time period specified in the Quote.  If additional work is required outside the scope of the agreed work, we shall agree the further cost for that work. 

Use of Logo

We may ask you if we can use your corporate name / logo on our website and/or in promotional material for our services. You may decline but if you agree, you agree to us using it for these purposes.

Privacy 

We recognise that privacy is an important issue. Please refer to our Privacy Policy and HR Privacy Statement for details on how we treat personal information.

Limitation of Liability 

Lodestar Legal, its officers, employees and agents will not be liable for any loss, injury, damages, or otherwise, whether based on breach of contract, tort (including negligence), product liability or otherwise, resulting from or as a result of your access to or use of this Website and/or a breach by you of these Terms.

In the provision of legal services Lodestar Legal’s liability is limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation and all legal practitioners employed by Lodestar Legal are members of the Scheme.

We reserve the right to vary or amend these terms and conditions from time to time. Any changes shall take effect upon posting to this Website.