The services available on this site (the "Site") are operated by
UKLA Direct, a trading style of TLA Direct Limited, a company registered in England
(Company Number: 06643412), whose registered office is at Pegasus House, 463A Glossop
Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S10 2QD (the "Company"), and are provided to the
consumer (the "User") and the solicitor (the "Solicitor").
The Company is regulated by the Ministry of Justice in respect of regulated claims
management activities; its registration is recorded on the website www.claimsregulation.gov.uk
CRM14556.
In consideration of the covenants specified below and on any official attachments,
the parties for themselves, their successors, and assigns mutually agree hereto:
- SERVICES. The Company offers a service to the User in providing access to the User
to the appropriate member of the UK Legal Alliance. The Site provides those seeking
legal services with the opportunity to locate Solicitors who are interested in providing
legal services to the User (the "Service").
- USER ASSUMES REPONSIBILITY. The Company does not warrant the validity and accuracy
of information submitted by the User or the Solicitor. The Company does not guarantee
the quality of any work product by the Solicitor. Further, various information may
be provided on the site such as legal knowledge and news services. All material
posted on the Site is intended for information purposes only and does not represent
legal advice on which reliance should be placed. Users are hereby placed under notice
that they should take appropriate steps to verify such information. No user should
act or refrain from acting on the information contained in the Site without first
verifying the information and as necessary obtaining legal and/or professional advice.
- CONDUCT. The User agrees to provide true and accurate information when using the
Site. The User may use another person's email address or the name of another individual
when using the Site. The User agrees to notify the Company immediately of any unauthorised
use of the User’s email or any other breach of security. The Company will not be
liable for any loss or damage arising from the User’s failure to comply with these
terms and conditions.
- DISCLAIMER OF USER-SOLICITOR RELATIONSHIP AND LEGAL REPRESENTATION. Use of the Service
is not intended to and does not create a solicitor/client relationship between the
Solicitor and the User. Establishment of a solicitor/client relationship must occur
outside the scope of the Service. The Service offers no legal advice, legal recommendations,
legal endorsements, or legal representation of any sort. The Service offers the
User a means to obtain guidance on appropriate legal advisors. The Company does
not practice law, nor does it provide legal services. The User is solely responsible
for making his, her or its own selection of the Solicitor. The Company does not
charge the User a fee to use the Service. The Company allows the User to find a
Solicitor for free. The Company is aware that legal services will not be free of
charge. Legal fees may be incurred by the Solicitor and the Solicitor hereby releases
the Company from the responsibility of those legal fees.
- DISCLOSURE. Because of the nature of the Internet, any and all information provided
through the Service is subject to interception by third parties. By continuing to
use the Service both the User and the Solicitor hereby acknowledge that disclosure
of electronic communications sent through the Service may occur. Therefore, the
User should avoid disclosing any privileged and/or specific information regarding
matters for which legal representation is sought. Specific information would include,
by way of example only, names of persons, businesses, and facts that would readily
identify the parties involved in the legal issue or dispute. The User should describe
their issue or dispute in the general terms only. Specific information should only
be revealed after the User has selected a Solicitor and made contact outside the
Service (e.g. via telephone or personal appointment).
- DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION. The User hereby agrees that by releasing their name and
telephone number to the Solicitor, they acknowledge that they are wilfully providing
their name and telephone number in an attempt to initiate contact with one or more
of the Solicitors. The User understands that by accepting these terms and conditions,
the User agrees that the Company and the Site are not responsible for any legal
advice or information given by a Solicitor who elects to contact the User. The User
further understands that releasing their name and telephone number hereby forfeits
the User’s privacy and anonymity under these terms and conditions. The User also
accepts that the Company has the irrevocable right to seek and obtain information
regarding the fee charged by the Solicitor to the User from the Solicitor solely
for the purpose of calculating a referral fee, as set out in clause 11.
- SOLE DISCRETION WITH USER AND SOLICITOR. The Solicitor acknowledges that the User
has discretion whether to instruct any Solicitor who responds to a request. The
Company does not and will not direct the User in the selection of the Solicitor
or limit the ability of the Solicitor to use his or her own judgment in the practice
of law.
- CONFLICTS CHECKS. The Solicitor bears sole responsibility for checking for conflicts
of interest between the User and other clients of the Solicitor. Conflict checks
require the User to provide their name and contact information and the identity
of any affiliated entities, opposing individuals and entities and such other information
as the Solicitor may require.
- COLLECTION OF PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION. The Company only collects the
User's personally identifiable information ("PII") that is provided by the User
while posting a case, for the purpose of seeking legal services. Examples of PII
that may be requested include: first and last name, address, email address and telephone
number. In order to allow the Company to comply with applicable legal requirements,
the User will never be asked for payment or credit card information.
- RELEASE. Both the Solicitor and the User release, acquit and forever discharge the
Company, its directors, officers, employees and shareholders from any and all claims,
demands, losses, injuries, liability, or damages of any kind and nature, whether
known or unknown, suspected or unsuspected, disclosed or undisclosed, arising out
of or in any way contacted with the Service, any disclosure resulting from the User’s
or the Solicitor’s use of the Service, any conflict of interest, ethical violation
or any alleged malpractice arising out of the User’s or the Solicitor’s use of the
Service.
- SOLICITORS CODE OF CONDUCT 2007. The Company will comply at all times with the Solicitors
Code of Conduct 2007 as published and amended by the Solicitors Regulation Authority
(the "Code") and in particular with the provisions of Rule 9 of the Code. The Service
is free to the User. In the event that you instruct a solicitor following introduction
through this Service, the solicitor may pay a fee, dependant on the type of work,
to TLA Direct for marketing and administration services. This fee may either be
a fixed amount, a percentage of up to 15% of the fees billed by the solicitor or
nothing. In no circumstances will this fee be added to your quote/bill. Your solicitor
will advise you of any such fee in their letter of instruction. The Solicitor will
not charge these fees to the User.
- AMENDMENTS TO THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS. The Company may amend these terms and
conditions at any time by posting the amended terms and conditions on the Site.
- COMPENSATION ACT 2006 – COMPLAINTS. If the User’s case is a claim under the terms
of the Compensation Act 2006, and the User is unhappy with the Service, then the
User has the right to make a complaint. The Company’s complaints procedure is as
follows:
- Complaints may be made in writing, by e-mail, by telephone or in any other form
in respect of a claims management service that the Company has provided and that
is regulated under the Compensation Act 2006.
- The Company reserves the right to decline to consider a complaint that is made more
than six months after the User became aware of the cause of the complaint. There
may be instances where the Company will waive this requirement at the Company’s
discretion. The Company will confirm to the User in writing or by email if a complaint
has been made outside the time limit that the Company is prepared to consider.
- The Company will send the User a written or electronic acknowledgement of a complaint
within five business days of receipt of the complaint, identifying the person who
will be handling the complaint for the Company. Wherever possible, that person will
not have been directly involved in the matter which is the subject of the complaint
and will have authority to settle the complaint.
- Within four weeks of receiving a complaint, the Company will send the User either:
- a final response which adequately addresses the complaint; or
- a holding response, which explains why the Company is not yet in a position to resolve
the complaint and indicates when the Company will make further contact with the
User.
- Within eight weeks of receiving a complaint the Company will send the User either:
- a final response which adequately addresses the complaint; or
- a response which explains why the Company is still not in a position to make a final
response: giving reasons for the further delay and indicating when the Company expects
to be able to provide a final response; and informs the User that the User may refer
the handling of the complaint to the Claims Management Regulator if the User is
dissatisfied with the delay.
- Where the Company decides that redress is appropriate, the Company will provide
the User with fair compensation for any acts or omissions for which the Company
is responsible and will comply with any offer of redress which the User accepts.
Appropriate redress will not always involve financial redress.
- If the User is not satisfied with the Company’s response, or if a complaint is not
resolved after eight weeks, the User may refer the complaint to - Claims Management
Regulator PO Box 7824 Burton on Trent Staffordshire DE14
9DP email: info@claimsregulation.gov.uk
Tel: 0845 4506858
- The Regulator can review the handling of the complaint and can give a direction
on further handling of the complaint. However, he cannot determine a complaint or
award compensation.
- SEVERENCE: If any of these terms should be determined to be illegal, invalid or
otherwise unenforceable, it shall be severed and deleted from these terms and the
remaining terms shall survive, remain in full force and effect and continue to be
binding and enforceable.
- ACCEPTANCE: Use of the Site constitutes acceptance of these terms and conditions.
- QUALITY GUARANTEE: The Company accepts no responsibility for the service provided
by the Solicitor to the Users. The Company is expressly excluded from any legal
action from either the Users or the Solicitors in respect of the service provided
by the Solicitor generally and specifically for any action in respect of professional
negligence.