Terms of Service

These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you ("User", "Lawyer", or "you") and VakiliSNear ("we", "us", "our"). By accessing or using vakilisnear.com, creating an account, posting a requirement, or making any payment on the platform, you confirm that:

• You have read, understood, and agree to these Terms in full;
• You are at least 18 years of age;
• You have the legal capacity to enter into a binding agreement;
• You have expressly acknowledged these Terms by clicking "I Agree" during registration.

These Terms apply alongside our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated by reference. Your electronic acknowledgement at the time of signup constitutes a valid digital signature under the Information Technology Act, 2000.

VakiliSNear operates exclusively as an online marketplace and aggregator that enables Users with legal requirements to discover and connect with independent, self-employed advocates who are registered with Bar Councils in India. We do not provide legal advice, legal representation, legal opinions, drafting services, or any form of legal assistance whatsoever.

Our role is limited to:

• Displaying advocate profiles based on information submitted by the advocates themselves;
• Facilitating initial contact between Users and Lawyers via our unlock mechanism;
• Processing payments for platform services (unlocks, subscriptions);
• Sending notifications about new legal requirements to Lawyers who opt in.

Any legal services provided to Users are delivered solely and directly by the advocate they choose to engage. VakiliSNear is not a party to, does not supervise, does not control, does not endorse, and does not guarantee any legal engagement, agreement, or service that occurs between a User and a Lawyer after contact is established through our platform.

Advocates listed on VakiliSNear are independent professionals and are not employees, agents, partners, or representatives of VakiliSNear in any manner. Nothing in the use of this platform shall be construed to create an employer-employee, principal-agent, or partnership relationship between VakiliSNear and any Lawyer.

3.1 No Guarantee of Service Quality

VakiliSNear makes no representation, warranty, or guarantee — express or implied — regarding the competence, experience, conduct, ethics, response time, or quality of any legal services provided by any advocate listed on the platform. The display of an advocate's profile, rating, or verification badge does not constitute an endorsement or guarantee of their professional ability.

3.2 No Liability for Adverse Outcomes

You expressly acknowledge and agree that VakiliSNear shall bear no liability whatsoever for:

• Any unsatisfactory, negligent, or substandard legal service rendered by a Lawyer;
• Any loss, damage, financial harm, or emotional distress arising from the conduct of a Lawyer;
• Adverse outcomes in any legal case, proceeding, negotiation, or matter handled by a Lawyer discovered through our platform;
• A Lawyer's failure to respond, failure to appear, or failure to perform any agreed service;
• Any misrepresentation made by a Lawyer regarding their qualifications, experience, or fees;
• Disputes over fees, billing practices, or payment arrangements between Users and Lawyers;
• Any breach of professional ethics or Bar Council rules by a Lawyer;
• Loss of documents, evidence, or legal rights resulting from a Lawyer's actions or omissions.

3.3 User's Responsibility to Exercise Judgment

Users are solely responsible for evaluating and selecting a Lawyer. We strongly recommend that Users independently verify a Lawyer's Bar Council enrolment, review their profile carefully, discuss fees and scope of work upfront, and obtain any engagement agreement in writing directly with the Lawyer before engaging their services.

3.4 Third-Party Services

VakiliSNear is not responsible for the acts, omissions, or defaults of any third party, including Lawyers, courts, government bodies, opposing parties in legal proceedings, or payment processors. Any contract for legal services is strictly between the User and the Lawyer.

3.5 No Legal Advice from Platform

Nothing on this platform — including requirement templates, practice area descriptions, blog content, notifications, or any communication from VakiliSNear — constitutes legal advice. All such content is for informational purposes only. You should always consult a qualified advocate for advice specific to your situation.

You may use VakiliSNear only if:

• You are 18 years of age or older;
• You are located in India or are an Indian citizen seeking legal help;
• Your use complies with all applicable Indian laws;
• You have not been previously banned or suspended from the platform.

Advocates must additionally be enrolled with a recognised Bar Council of India or a State Bar Council, hold a valid Certificate of Practice, and maintain their eligibility to practise law in India throughout the period they are listed on the platform.

5.1 Registration

You must provide accurate, current, and complete information when creating an account. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account. Notify us immediately at legal@vakilisnear.com if you suspect unauthorised access.

5.2 One account per person

You may not create multiple accounts for the same person. You may not create an account on behalf of another person without their explicit consent.

5.3 Account accuracy

You agree to keep your profile information accurate and up to date. Providing false information — including fake credentials for lawyer verification — is grounds for immediate account termination and may constitute a criminal offence under the Indian Penal Code and the Advocates Act, 1961.

You agree not to use VakiliSNear to:

• Post false, misleading, or fraudulent legal requirements;
• Harass, abuse, or threaten advocates or other users;
• Attempt to circumvent our payment system (e.g., requesting contact details outside the platform to avoid paying for an unlock);
• Scrape, crawl, or harvest data from our platform using automated tools;
• Reverse-engineer, decompile, or attempt to extract the source code of our platform;
• Upload malware, viruses, or any harmful code;
• Impersonate any person or entity, or misrepresent your affiliation;
• Use the platform for any purpose that violates applicable Indian law.

We reserve the right to remove content and suspend or terminate accounts that violate these rules, without prior notice.

7.1 Verification

Advocates must submit valid Aadhaar, law degree, and Bar Council enrolment certificate for verification. Accounts are activated only after admin review and approval. Submitting forged or invalid documents is a serious offence and will result in permanent ban and potential reporting to the relevant Bar Council.

7.2 Accuracy of profile

You are solely responsible for the accuracy of your profile — including listed practice areas, experience, city, and contact details. Misleading profile information that results in a user paying for an unlock and receiving irrelevant services is a breach of these Terms.

7.3 Client interactions

Once a user unlocks your contact details, you agree to respond within a reasonable time and to conduct all client interactions with professional standards consistent with the Bar Council of India Rules. You must not demand upfront fees in excess of what was discussed or misrepresent your qualifications to a prospective client.

7.4 Professional Conduct

Lawyers listed on the platform remain bound by the Bar Council of India Rules of Professional Conduct and Etiquette at all times. Any complaint against a Lawyer for professional misconduct shall be addressed to the appropriate Bar Council. VakiliSNear cooperates fully with regulatory inquiries but is not itself the appropriate forum for adjudicating professional misconduct complaints.

7.5 Lead claims

Claiming a lead means you have reviewed the requirement and are genuinely able and willing to help the user. Repeatedly claiming leads without responding to the user is grounds for account restriction.

7.6 Subscription

The Pro plan (₹499/month) is a manually renewed monthly plan. Each payment provides 30 days of Pro access. There is no automatic recurring debit — you must renew each month. Downgrading to the Free plan (after expiry) limits you to 2 lead claims per month.

8.1 Nature of Disputes

Any dispute, complaint, or grievance arising from or related to legal services provided by a Lawyer — including but not limited to unsatisfactory work, fee disagreements, non-performance, or alleged negligence — is strictly a matter between the User and the Lawyer. VakiliSNear is not a party to such disputes and has no legal obligation to resolve them.

8.2 Platform Grievance Assistance

Notwithstanding Section 8.1, as a goodwill gesture and to maintain platform quality,VakiliSNear may, at its sole discretion, take the following non-binding actions upon receiving a written grievance at legal@vakilisnear.com:

• Temporarily suspend a Lawyer's account pending internal review;
• Investigate whether the Lawyer violated these Terms (e.g., profile misrepresentation);
• Permanently remove a Lawyer who is found to have violated these Terms;
• Share relevant platform-level information with the User to facilitate their own legal remedy.

These actions are taken at VakiliSNear's discretion and do not constitute an admission of liability or a guarantee of any outcome for the User.

8.3 User's Legal Remedies

Users who suffer loss due to a Lawyer's misconduct or negligence may seek remedies through:

• The relevant State Bar Council's disciplinary committee;
• The Bar Council of India;
• Consumer forums under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 (legal services have been held to fall within 'services' by the Supreme Court of India);
• Civil courts for negligence or breach of contract claims against the Lawyer directly.

VakiliSNear expressly does not accept any liability in the User's dispute with the Lawyer, and any judgment, award, or decree against a Lawyer cannot be enforced against VakiliSNear.

8.4 Misuse of Grievance Process

Filing false, vexatious, or malicious grievances against Lawyers with intent to damage their reputation is a violation of these Terms and may result in the User's account being suspended.

9.1 Payments

All payments on VakiliSNear are processed by Razorpay. By making a payment, you also agree to Razorpay's Terms of Service. We accept UPI, credit/debit cards, and net banking.

Current platform charges:

• Contact Unlock (Users): ₹99 per lawyer, valid for 7 days.
• Pro Subscription (Lawyers): ₹499 per month, manually renewed.

9.2 Refunds

Contact Unlock (₹99): Refunds are not provided once a contact has been successfully unlocked and the lawyer's details have been revealed, except in cases where the lawyer's account was suspended by us after your payment.

Important: The ₹99 unlock fee covers access to the Lawyer's contact details — it does not constitute payment for any legal service. Dissatisfaction with the Lawyer's services after you engage them independently is not grounds for a refund of the unlock fee from VakiliSNear.

Pro Subscription (₹499): Refunds are not provided for partially used subscription periods. If you believe you were charged in error, contact us at legal@vakilisnear.com within 48 hours of the charge.

9.3 Taxes

All amounts shown are inclusive of applicable GST. You are responsible for any other taxes that may apply to your transactions.

All content on VakiliSNear — including the logo, design, platform code, feature names, and written content — is owned by or licensed to VakiliSNear and is protected under Indian intellectual property law, including the Copyright Act, 1957 and the Trade Marks Act, 1999.

You may not reproduce, distribute, modify, or create derivative works from any part of the platform without prior written permission from us.

By uploading content to the platform (profile text, requirement descriptions, documents), you grant VakiliSNear a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to use, store, and display that content solely for the purpose of operating the platform. You retain ownership of your content.

The platform is provided "as is" and "as available". We do not warrant that the platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of viruses.

Without limiting the foregoing, VakiliSNear shall not be liable for:

• Any legal advice, representation, or services provided — or not provided — by any Lawyer on the platform;
• The outcome of any legal case, proceeding, or matter handled by a Lawyer found via the platform;
• Any unsatisfactory, negligent, delayed, or incomplete performance of legal services by a Lawyer;
• Disputes, disagreements, or claims between Users and Lawyers;
• Loss of data, profits, business, goodwill, or reputation;
• Indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages of any kind;
• Unauthorised access to your account resulting from your failure to secure your credentials.

Our maximum aggregate liability to you for any claim related to the platform itself (not Lawyer services) shall not exceed the total amount you paid to VakiliSNearin the 3 months preceding the event giving rise to the claim.

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless VakiliSNear, its directors, officers, employees, contractors, and partners from and against any and all claims, damages, losses, expenses, and liabilities (including reasonable legal fees) arising from:

• Your use of the platform;
• Your violation of these Terms;
• Your violation of any third party's rights;
• Any content you submit to the platform;
• Any legal services engagement you enter into with a Lawyer through the platform;
• Any false or misleading information you provide on the platform.

By you: You may close your account at any time by contacting us at legal@vakilisnear.com. Unused paid subscription time is not refunded upon voluntary closure.

By us: We may suspend or terminate your account immediately if you breach these Terms, engage in fraudulent activity, or if continued access poses a risk to other users or the platform. We will notify you via email where reasonably possible.

Upon termination, your right to use the platform ceases immediately. Sections covering intellectual property, disclaimers, no-liability, indemnification, and governing law survive termination indefinitely.

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of India, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

Any dispute arising out of or in connection with these Terms — including any question regarding their existence, validity, or termination — shall first be attempted to be resolved through good-faith negotiation between the parties for a period of 30 days.

If negotiation fails, disputes shall be submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts at Gurgaon, Haryana, India. You irrevocably waive any objection to proceedings in such courts on grounds of venue, inconvenience, or otherwise.

Nothing in this clause prevents either party from seeking interim or emergency injunctive relief from any court of competent jurisdiction.

We may update these Terms at any time. When material changes are made, we will:

• Update the Effective Date at the top of this page;
• Send a notification email to all registered users;
• Display a banner on the platform for at least 7 days.

Continued use of the platform after changes become effective constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms. If you do not agree to the new Terms, please discontinue use and close your account.

For any questions about these Terms, please contact our legal team: