TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE

Welcome to Find My Lawyer (“Find My Lawyer”, “we”, “us” or “our”), available at findlawyer.co.za (the “Website”).

These Terms and Conditions of Use (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of the Website, including the lawyer and law firm directory, search functions, profiles, legal information, articles, enquiries and other services made available through the Website.

By accessing or using the Website, you acknowledge that you have read, understood and agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree with these Terms, you must discontinue your use of the Website.

1. PURPOSE OF FIND MY LAWYER

Find My Lawyer is an online legal directory and information platform designed to assist members of the public in finding legal practitioners and law firms in South Africa.

The Website allows users to search for legal practitioners and law firms based on information such as:

• Legal practice area;

• Legal service;

• Location;

• Province, city or town;

• Language; and

• Other information contained in practitioner or firm profiles.

The purpose of Find My Lawyer is to make it easier for members of the public to discover potential legal service providers.

Find My Lawyer is not a law firm and does not itself provide legal advice or legal representation.

2. NO LEGAL ADVICE

Information appearing on the Website, including articles, legal guides, descriptions, explanations and other content, is provided for general informational purposes only.

Nothing contained on the Website constitutes legal advice or creates an attorney-client or other professional relationship between Find My Lawyer and a Website user.

Legal information may become outdated as legislation, regulations, case law and legal practice develop.

You should obtain independent legal advice from an appropriately qualified legal practitioner regarding your particular circumstances before taking or refraining from any legal action.

3. LAWYER AND LAW FIRM LISTINGS

Information contained in lawyer and law firm profiles may be supplied by the relevant legal practitioner, law firm or an authorised representative.

Although Find My Lawyer may take reasonable steps to maintain the quality and integrity of the directory, we do not guarantee that information contained in any listing is:

• Accurate;

• Complete;

• Current;

• Error-free;

• Suitable for a particular purpose; or

• Representative of the practitioner’s current practice.

Find My Lawyer may update, amend, suspend or remove a listing where we consider this necessary or appropriate.

Users should independently verify the information relating to any lawyer or law firm before making an appointment or entering into a legal mandate.

4. NO ENDORSEMENT OR RECOMMENDATION

A lawyer or law firm appearing on Find My Lawyer is not thereby endorsed, recommended, certified or guaranteed by Find My Lawyer.

Search results, categories, profiles and other directory information are provided to assist users in identifying potential legal service providers.

Find My Lawyer does not determine which lawyer is suitable for a particular user or legal matter.

The decision to contact, consult or appoint a lawyer or law firm rests solely with the user.

5. VERIFYING A LEGAL PRACTITIONER

Find My Lawyer is an independent legal directory. It is not the Legal Practice Council (“LPC”) and does not regulate legal practitioners.

The LPC is the statutory body responsible for regulating legal practitioners in South Africa. The LPC provides a public search facility through which members of the public can search for legal practitioners.

Users are encouraged to independently verify the practising status and other relevant credentials of a legal practitioner before appointment.

Where applicable, users should also check whether the practitioner is required to hold a valid Fidelity Fund Certificate (“FFC”). The LPC advises members of the public to check FFC status where an FFC is required.

A listing on Find My Lawyer must not be interpreted as confirmation that a practitioner is currently entitled to practise or that the practitioner has complied with every applicable professional or regulatory requirement.

6. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN USERS AND LEGAL PRACTITIONERS

Find My Lawyer is not a party to any legal mandate, consultation, agreement or other relationship established between a user and a lawyer or law firm.

Any:

• Consultation;

• Legal mandate;

• Fee agreement;

• Retainer;

• Legal representation;

• Payment arrangement; or

• Other agreement

entered into between a user and a legal practitioner is strictly between those parties.

Find My Lawyer does not control the terms of the relationship between users and legal practitioners and is not responsible for the performance of any legal services provided by a practitioner.

7. LEGAL FEES

Find My Lawyer does not determine or guarantee the fees charged by lawyers or law firms.

Users should discuss and confirm fees, billing arrangements, disbursements and the scope of the legal mandate directly with the relevant legal practitioner before instructing them.

Any dispute concerning fees or payment must be addressed between the user and the relevant legal practitioner, subject to applicable law and professional rules.

8. USER ENQUIRIES AND COMMUNICATIONS

The Website may allow users to submit enquiries or requests for contact to lawyers or law firms.

By submitting an enquiry, you acknowledge that the information you provide may be shared with the relevant lawyer or law firm for the purpose of responding to your enquiry.

You are responsible for ensuring that information submitted through the Website is accurate and that you have the necessary authority to provide any information relating to another person.

Users should avoid submitting unnecessary sensitive or confidential information through a general enquiry form.

Where detailed or confidential information is required, users should discuss the appropriate method of communication directly with the relevant legal practitioner.

9. USER CONDUCT

You agree to use the Website lawfully and responsibly.

You must not use the Website to:

• Provide false, misleading or fraudulent information;

• Impersonate another person or organisation;

• Harass or abuse another person;

• Submit unlawful, defamatory or offensive material;

• Infringe another person’s intellectual property or privacy rights;

• Attempt to gain unauthorised access to the Website;

• Introduce viruses, malware or other harmful code;

• Scrape, harvest or systematically collect directory information without permission;

• Use automated systems to interfere with the Website;

• Send unsolicited communications or spam; or

• Use the Website for any unlawful purpose.

Find My Lawyer reserves the right to restrict or terminate access to the Website where we reasonably believe that these Terms have been breached.

10. USER-SUBMITTED CONTENT

Where the Website permits users or practitioners to submit content, including reviews, comments, biographies, photographs, articles or other information, the person submitting the content remains responsible for that content.

You represent that any content you submit:

• Is accurate to the best of your knowledge;

• Does not unlawfully infringe another person’s rights;

• Does not contain unlawful or defamatory material;

• Does not violate applicable legislation; and

• Does not contain malicious software or harmful code.

You grant Find My Lawyer a non-exclusive right to use, reproduce, display, format and publish submitted content for the operation and promotion of the Website, subject to applicable law and our Privacy Policy.

Find My Lawyer may remove or refuse to publish content where we reasonably consider that it breaches these Terms or applicable law.

11. REVIEWS AND COMMENTS

Where reviews or comments are permitted, they must reflect the genuine experience of the person submitting them.

Users must not:

• Submit fraudulent or fabricated reviews;

• Review a practitioner where they have no genuine experience with that practitioner;

• Submit reviews in exchange for improper payment or incentives;

• Publish confidential information;

• Make unlawful or defamatory allegations; or

• Use reviews to harass or threaten another person.

Find My Lawyer may remove or moderate content that breaches these requirements.

A review published on the Website represents the views of the person who submitted it and does not necessarily represent the views of Find My Lawyer.

12. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Unless otherwise stated, the Website and its content, including its design, layout, branding, logos, graphics, text, software, database structure and other materials, are owned by or licensed to Find My Lawyer and are protected by applicable intellectual property laws.

You may access and use the Website for lawful personal and informational purposes.

Except where permitted by law or with our prior written permission, you may not:

• Reproduce substantial portions of the Website;

• Republish Website content;

• Copy or commercially exploit the directory;

• Systematically extract directory information;

• Sell or redistribute Website data;

• Modify or create derivative works from Website content;

• Copy Website designs or branding; or

• Use Find My Lawyer’s intellectual property in a manner that suggests endorsement or affiliation.

The names, logos and branding of lawyers and law firms remain the property of their respective owners.

13. THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES AND LINKS

The Website may contain links to websites, social-media profiles or other online services operated by third parties.

These links may be provided for convenience or informational purposes.

Find My Lawyer does not control third-party websites and does not necessarily endorse their content, services, products, policies or practices.

We are not responsible for the availability, accuracy, security, privacy practices or content of third-party websites.

Your use of any third-party website is subject to that website’s own terms and policies.

14. WEBSITE AVAILABILITY

We endeavour to maintain the availability and functionality of the Website.

However, we do not guarantee that the Website will:

• Always be available;

• Operate without interruption;

• Be free from errors;

• Be free from security vulnerabilities;

• Always contain current information; or

• Be compatible with every device or software environment.

We may modify, suspend or discontinue any part of the Website at any time for operational, technical, security or other legitimate reasons.

15. DISCLAIMER

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the Website and its content are provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis.

Find My Lawyer does not warrant or guarantee that:

• All information is accurate or complete;

• Lawyer and law firm listings are current;

• A particular lawyer is suitable for a user’s legal matter;

• A legal practitioner will accept a user’s matter;

• A particular legal outcome will be achieved;

• The Website will be uninterrupted or error-free; or

• Information obtained through the Website will meet a user’s particular requirements.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits any right, warranty or protection that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited under South African law.

16. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Find My Lawyer, its owners, directors, employees, contractors, affiliates, agents and service providers will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from or connected with:

• Your use of the Website;

• Your inability to access or use the Website;

• Reliance on information published on the Website;

• Information supplied by lawyers, law firms or other third parties;

• Your interaction with a lawyer or law firm;

• Legal services provided by a practitioner;

• A dispute between a user and a legal practitioner;

• Third-party websites or services; or

• Unauthorised access to or alteration of information.

This includes, to the extent permitted by law, direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, special or economic loss.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability where such exclusion or limitation is prohibited by applicable law.

17. INDEMNITY

To the extent permitted by law, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless Find My Lawyer, its owners, directors, employees, contractors, affiliates, agents and service providers from claims, losses, liabilities, costs and expenses arising from:

• Your breach of these Terms;

• Your unlawful use of the Website;

• Content submitted by you;

• Your infringement of another person’s rights; or

• Your dealings with a lawyer or law firm through or following use of the Website.

18. PERSONAL INFORMATION AND PRIVACY

Find My Lawyer may collect and process personal information when you use the Website, create an account, submit an enquiry, create a lawyer or law firm profile, contact us or otherwise interact with the platform.

Personal information will be processed in accordance with our Privacy Policy and applicable South African law, including the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (“POPIA”).

The Information Regulator of South Africa identifies POPIA as legislation governing the protection and lawful processing of personal information by public and private bodies.

Our Privacy Policy explains how personal information is collected, used, stored, disclosed and protected and sets out applicable rights and choices.

By using the Website, you acknowledge that your personal information may be processed in accordance with the Privacy Policy and applicable law.

19. CHILDREN

The Website is intended primarily for adults seeking legal information or legal services.

If you provide personal information relating to a child, you should ensure that you are legally entitled to provide that information and that you comply with applicable privacy laws.

20. CHANGES TO THE WEBSITE

Find My Lawyer may add, remove, modify or update features, services, content, listings or functionality on the Website from time to time.

We may also change these Terms when reasonably necessary.

The latest version will be published on this page and will indicate the applicable update date.

Your continued use of the Website after amended Terms have been published constitutes acceptance of the amended Terms, to the extent permitted by law.

21. TERMINATION OR RESTRICTION OF ACCESS

We may suspend, restrict or terminate your access to the Website where we reasonably believe that you:

• Have breached these Terms;

• Have used the Website unlawfully;

• Have attempted to compromise the Website;

• Have submitted fraudulent or misleading information; or

• Have otherwise misused the Website.

We may also restrict access where reasonably necessary for security, technical or operational reasons.

22. GOVERNING LAW

These Terms and your use of the Website are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa.

Subject to any mandatory legal requirements, disputes arising from or relating to these Terms or your use of the Website shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the appropriate courts of South Africa.

23. SEVERABILITY

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unlawful, invalid or unenforceable, that provision shall be severed or limited to the extent necessary.

The remaining provisions will continue to operate and remain enforceable to the extent permitted by law.

24. NO WAIVER

If Find My Lawyer does not immediately enforce any provision of these Terms, this does not constitute a waiver of our right to enforce that provision at a later time.

25. ENTIRE AGREEMENT

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, Disclaimer, Cookie Policy and any other policies expressly incorporated into these Terms, constitute the agreement between you and Find My Lawyer regarding your use of the Website, subject to any additional terms that may apply to specific services.

26. CONTACT US

If you have questions, concerns or complaints relating to these Terms and Conditions or the Website, please contact Find My Lawyer through the contact details provided on our Contact Us page.

Find My Lawyer
Website: findlawyer.co.za
South Africa

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Find My Lawyer is an independent legal directory and information platform.

Find My Lawyer is not the Legal Practice Council, is not a regulatory authority and does not itself provide legal representation or legal advice.

A listing on Find My Lawyer does not constitute an endorsement, recommendation or guarantee of a lawyer or law firm.

Users should independently verify the credentials and practising status of a legal practitioner before appointing them. The Legal Practice Council provides an official public practitioner-search facility and information concerning Fidelity Fund Certificates where applicable.

If you do not agree with these Terms and Conditions, please discontinue your use of the Website.