Membership Questions 0330 124 4350

LegalDefence - Our Agreement

  1. This Agreement

    1. What these terms cover. These terms and conditions are an agreement (this “Agreement”) between you (the Lead Member) and PPLSI Limited in respect of your LegalDefence Plan and the services we provide to you or give you access to as part of this the LegalDefence Plan. References to clauses and schedules in this Agreement are to clauses of and schedules to this Agreement. References to paragraphs are paragraphs of the Schedules. The Schedules to this Agreement form part of this Agreement.

    2. Why you should read this Agreement. By purchasing a LegalDefence Plan, you agree to be bound by this Agreement. Please read this Agreement carefully before you purchase a LegalDefence Plan. This Agreement tells you who we are, how we will provide the LegalDefence Plan to you, how you and we may change or end this Agreement, what to do if there is a problem and other important information.

    3. Other documents you should read. As well as this Agreement, other additional terms and policies may apply to the LegalDefence Plan, our relationship with you, and your use of the LegalDefence Plan and any other services we provide, as published by us on the Website or otherwise communicated to you from time to time, such as our privacy policy, our cookies policy, and our Website terms of use. These may be updated from time to time.

  2. Definitions

    1. This Agreement contains various words that start with a capital letter and have a defined meaning. We set out below what these defined words mean.

      • App: means the software application known as “LegalDefence” available for download onto a handheld or mobile device.
      • Business Day: means a day other than a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday in England when banks in London are open for business.
      • Charges: has the meaning given to it in clause 6.1.
      • Consultation Services: means the services set out in Part 1 of Schedule 2.
      • Consultation: has the meaning given to it in paragraph 1.3 of Schedule 2.
      • Discounted Further Services: means the service described at Part 2 of Schedule 2.
      • Excluded Matters: matters which are not covered by the LegalDefence Plan, as set out in Schedule 6.
      • Legal Advice Helpline: means the legal helpline as defined in paragraph 1.1 of Part 1 of Schedule 2.
      • Lead Member: means the member (a) who is designated as a Lead Member during the order process and (b) whose bank account is debited for payments owned to us relating to the LegalDefence Plan.
      • LegalDefence Plan: means your subscription to access and use the Services accessed via the Website, the App or any other medium.
      • LegalShield UK: means PPLSI Limited, a company incorporated and registered in England under number 11011302.
      • Linked Member: means an individual designated by the Lead Member, in accordance with the criteria in clause 5 of this Agreement, who is covered by the LegalDefence Plan.
      • Member: means the Lead Member or a Linked Member of the LegalDefence Plan.
      • Minimum Term: means the six month minimum fixed period (or other such period as agreed between you and LegalShield UK) for the subscription to the LegalDefence Plan which starts when your application for the subscription to the LegalDefence Plan is accepted by us in accordance with clause 4.1.
      • Notice Date: the date on which you give us notice of your intention to end this Agreement.
      • Online Legal Library: means the service described at Schedule 1.
      • Payment Dates: means the dates on which the Charges are debited from your payment account. The term “Payment Date” shall be construed accordingly.
      • Services: means the services described in clause 4.8 of this Agreement.
      • Service Provider: means the provider(s) who may be available to provide some or all of the Consultation Services and whose details are published on the Website and the App from time to time.
      • Subscription Day: means the day in the Subscription Month on which you became a Member.
      • Subscription Month: means the calendar month in which you become a Member.
      • User Access Device: means any identification code, username, password, digital certificate, web certificate or any other security device provided by LegalShield UK or the Service Provider and used by the Member to access the Services.
      • Website: means https://legaldefence.co.uk

  3. INFORMATION ABOUT US AND HOW TO CONTACT US

    1. Who we are. We are PPLSI Limited, a company registered in England and Wales. We trade as “LegalShield UK” and in this Agreement all references to “LegalShield UK” refer to PPLSI Limited. Our correspondence address is 4220 Nash Court, Oxford Business Park, Oxford, Oxfordshire OX4 2RU or such other address as notified to you from time to time. Our company registration number is 11011302 and our registered office is at Second Floor, 11 Pilgrim Street, London, United Kingdom, EC4V 6RN. Our registered VAT number is 294 2364 85.

    2. PPLSI Limited is neither a law firm nor a provider of legal services. We are not authorised or regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. We are not authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. None of our employees, consultants or agents are barristers or solicitors authorised to give legal advice or provide legal services. We only provide you access to Service Providers. Any Service Provider who provides you with legal services does so based on terms set out in this Agreement and such other terms and conditions that they notify to you from time to time.

    3. How to contact LegalShield UK. You can contact LegalShield UK by telephoning our customer service team at 0330 124 4354 or by writing to us at [email protected] or

      4220 Nash Court Oxford Business Park Garsington Road Oxford OX4 2RU

    4. How we may contact you. If we have to contact you, we will do so by telephone or by writing to you at the email address or postal address you provided to us in your order or such other electronic communications means that are available to us. When we use the words "writing" or "written" in this Agreement, this includes emails and other electronic means of communications.

  4. OUR CONTRACT WITH YOU

    1. How we will accept your order. By submitting your details via the order process on the Website or the App, you are making an offer to us to subscribe to the LegalDefence Plan. We reserve the right to reject any offer in our discretion, for any or no reason. Your offer will only be accepted by us and a contract formed when we have successfully verified your details and communicated (including by email) to you in writing the acceptance of your offer, at which point we will provide you with access to your LegalDefence Plan. We will try to process your offer promptly, but we do not guarantee that your LegalDefence Plan will be activated by any specified time.

    2. Lead Member: You must be at least 18 years of age to be a Lead Member and purchase a LegalDefence Plan. This Agreement is between LegalShield UK and the Lead Member.

    3. Linked Members: Although this Agreement is between LegalShield UK and the Lead Member, the Lead Member may designate Linked Members (see clause 5 of this Agreement) who may benefit from the LegalDefence Plan in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.

    4. You and your Linked Members will only be entitled to access and use the Services whilst you meet the criteria to be a Lead Member. Linked Members will only be entitled to access and use the Services whilst you meet the criteria to be a Lead Member and they meet the criteria to be Linked Members.

    5. Excluded Matters: Certain types of matters and services are excluded from the scope of the LegalDefence Plan. We call these the “Excluded Matters” and they are set out in Schedule 6 to this Agreement. A Service Provider will, in their sole discretion determine whether a matter is an Excluded Matter. You will not be able to seek assistance in relation to any Excluded Matter under your LegalDefence Plan.

    6. Availability: We will try to ensure that the Services are available to Members at all times. However, availability of the Services could be affected by factors outside of our control, such as the availability of a Service Provider, the ability of a Service Provider to provide any Consultation Services and technical and/or environmental factors. The Services may not be available during any maintenance undertaken by the Service Providers or their subcontractors. Such maintenance may be scheduled maintenance or to deal with emergencies.

    7. Service Provider(s): Service Providers are independent, third party law firms and do not in any way represent LegalShield UK. They are not LegalShield UK employees or agents. LegalShield UK will (if in its sole discretion it deems it appropriate) use reasonable endeavours to give you access to a Service Provider with whom you can initiate contact. However, LegalShield UK cannot guarantee access to a Service Provider or the provision of all or some of the Consultation Services by a Service Provider.

    8. Services: The services that you will have access to as part of your LegalDefence Plan are comprised of access to and the use of the Online Legal Library and, when available, access to a Service Provider who may provide you with the Consultation Services. The terms that apply specifically to a Member’s use of the Online Legal Library are set out at Schedule 3. The terms that apply specifically to a Member’s use of the Consultation Services are set out at Schedule 4.

    9. Use of the Services: In order to become a Member and access and use the Services you or the relevant Linked Member must:

    1. pass all necessary security and credit checks;
    2. comply with your obligations (including your payment obligations) as set out in this Agreement and any other terms notified to you from time to time that a Service Provider requires you to comply with in order to receive and benefit from the Services;
    3. not attempt to use the Services for anything illegal, immoral or improper;
    4. not share your details with any individual who is not a Linked Member under the same LegalDefence Plan or otherwise allow any individual who is not a Linked Member under the same LegalDefence Plan to access, use or benefit from the Services;
    5. give to LegalShield UK and, where applicable, the Service Provider the information LegalShield UK and/or the Service Provider reasonably ask for;
    6. not give false information to LegalShield UK and/or any Service Provider;
    7. follow all reasonable instructions LegalShield UK and, where applicable, the Service Provider gives you or the relevant Linked Member and any reasonable guidelines LegalShield UK and, where applicable, the Service Provider make available to you or the relevant Linked Member;
    8. not use the Website or the App or any other mode of communication to make or send abusive, offensive, indecent or nuisance calls or communications; and
    9. not access or use the Services in any way that is not in keeping with that reasonably expected of a private individual use, and in particular not access or use the Services for commercial or business purposes.

    1. The Member shall not copy, interfere with and/or use in any unauthorised way any User Access Device provided by LegalShield UK or the Service Provider.

    2. It is the Member’s (in particular the Lead Member’s) responsibility to inform LegalShield UK of any unauthorised use and/or disclosure of any User Access Device so that LegalShield UK and/or the Service Provider can suspend or disable that User Access Device as appropriate. The Lead Member shall remain liable for any and all fees for the Services incurred in connection with the use of any User Access Device, until the Member has informed LegalShield UK.

  5. LINKED MEMBERS

    1. As Lead Member, you may designate named individuals to become Linked Members under the LegalDefence Plan.

    2. The Lead Member may remove Linked Members or add new Linked Members (provided that they meet the conditions set out in clause 5.4 of this Agreement) at any time after subscribing to the LegalDefence Plan via the App or by contacting us on [email protected]

    3. Linked Members may make use of or benefit from the Services. Linked Members who are minors may only use or benefit from the Services via an adult who is either

    1. the Lead Member of the same plan or
    2. a Linked Member under the same plan.
    1. The following individuals may be designated by the Lead Member as Linked Members:
    1. The Lead Member’s spouse or cohabiting partner, providing that they reside at the same address as the Lead Member;
    2. Children who are under the age of 18, who are dependent on the Lead Member and who primarily reside at the same address as the Lead Member;
    3. Children who are over the age of 18 but under the age of 23, still in full-time education or training, and dependent on the Lead Member; and
    4. Any dependent relatives residing at the same address as the Lead Members.
    1. Each Linked Member to whom the Lead Member has extended cover under this Agreement is considered a Member and is bound by the terms of the Agreement. The Lead Member agrees to:
    1. ensure that each Linked Member is made aware of the terms of this Agreement; and
    2. procure that each Linked Member abides by the terms of this Agreement.
    1. The Lead Member is required to keep all account details, passwords and any other User Access Devices secure.

  6. CHARGES AND PAYMENT

    1. The price. The monthly price of the LegalDefence Plan (which includes VAT) payable by the Member will be the price indicated when you place your order or such other amounts as are communicated to you from time to time while you are a Member (the “Charges”). You agree to pay the Charges. The Charge for your LegalDefence Plan may increase each year after the expiry of the Minimum Term as provided in clause 11.2.

    2. We will pass on changes in the rate of VAT. If the rate of VAT changes between your order date and the date we accept your order or give you access to the Services, we will adjust the rate of VAT that you pay, unless you have already paid for the product in full before the change in the rate of VAT takes effect.

    3. When you must pay and how you must pay. You must pay the Charges by (i) direct debit from a suitable payment account that allows payment by direct debit or (ii) by credit card, or debit card. You must maintain sufficient funds or credit in the applicable payment account to pay the Charges when they fall due in accordance with the terms of this Agreement. The first Charge shall be debited from your payment account within 10 Business Days of the date on which you become a Member. All subsequent Charges shall be debited from your payment account on or within 3 Business Days of the Subscription Day in each following calendar month during the term of your subscription to the LegalDefence Plan.

    4. Late payment: If Charges are not paid in accordance with clause 6.3, due to insufficient funds or any other reason, and you have not terminated this Agreement in accordance with its terms, we may suspend your LegalDefence Plan until we have received full payment. If you do not pay the Charges by the due date in accordance with clause 6.3, we can charge you interest on what you owe at 4% above the base rate of Barclays Bank plc. We will use the base rate that was in force when the Charges were due and we can charge you interest until you pay. We may also charge you for any reasonable administration or collection costs which we incur if you do not pay the Charges on time and in full.

    5. Additional charges: In addition to the Charges due to us, you are responsible for paying any internet connection or other telecommunications charges that you may incur by accessing the Website, the App, the User Access Device, the Legal Advice Helpline, or the Services. For example, your mobile network operator may charge you for data or roaming services. You are also responsible for all fees and charges for services provided by a Services Provider which are not within the scope of the Consultation Services.

  7. LENGTH OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP

    1. Your membership in respect of your LegalDefence Plan will begin on the day when we email you to confirm acceptance of your offer to subscribe to the LegalDefence Plan, in accordance with clause 4.1.

    2. Subject to clause 8.1(a), your subscription to LegalDefence Plan will run for the Minimum Term and will continue on a rolling basis for each calendar month thereafter until you give us notice of your intention to end your LegalDefence Plan.

    3. If you give us notice of your intention to end your LegalDefence Plan (such notice not to expire before the end of your Minimum Term), this Agreement shall terminate on the Payment Date that follows the Notice Date (the “Next Payment Date”) unless the Next Payment Date falls within 5 Business Days of the Notice Date, in which case, this Agreement shall terminate on the Payment Date that follows the Next Payment Date.

    4. Your notice to us must be given in accordance with clause 8.3.

  8. YOUR RIGHTS TO END THE CONTRACT

    1. You can always end your contract with us. Your rights when you end this Agreement will depend on when and why you decide to end this Agreement:
    1. You have 14 (fourteen) calendar days (the “Statutory Period”) from the date we confirm acceptance of your offer by email in accordance with clause 4.1 to cancel your membership for any or no reason and be eligible for a refund of any Charges you have paid. If you request a refund before the end of the Statutory Period, we reserve the right to refuse a refund if you have made use of the Services during the Statutory Period.
    2. After the expiry of the Minimum Term, you may cancel for any or no reason, but you must give us the appropriate notice as required by clause 7.3 by one of the methods set out in clause 8.3.
    3. If you cancel your membership after the expiry of the Statutory Period but before the expiry of the Minimum Term and there is more than one month of the Minimum Term remaining, you must pay on cancellation the Charges owed for each month through to the end of your Minimum Term (unless clauses 8.1(d) apply).
    4. You may cancel your membership if you do not accept any Significant Changes that we notify you about in accordance with clause 10.4 and you notify us in accordance with clause 10.5 that you do not accept such change.

    1. After that date on which this Agreement is terminated or cancelled, you will be unable to access or use any of the Services. This will not affect any legal services that the Service Provider has agreed to provide you with pursuant to a separate engagement agreement entered between you and the Service Provider except that your entitlement to receive a 25% reduction to the Service Provider’s hourly rates will cease to apply for any legal work undertaken by the Service Provider after you cease to be a Member.

    2. How to tell us you want to end this Agreement. To end the Agreement with us, please let us know by phone or email. Call customer support on 0330 124 4354 or email us at [email protected] Please provide your name, home address, details of the order and, where available, your phone number and email address.

    3. Any notice sent by first class post, email or electronically by you will be deemed to have been received by us two Business Days after it has been posted, emailed or sent electronically (as the case may be) by you to us.

  9. OUR RIGHTS TO END THIS AGREEMENT

    1. We may end this Agreement at any time by writing to you if:
    1. you breach this Agreement in any material way;
    2. you do not pay the Charges in full or on time in accordance with clause 6.4, or you become bankrupt or make any arrangement with your creditors;
    3. you do not provide LegalShield UK information that is necessary for LegalShield UK and/or the Service Provider to provide the Services;
    4. there are no Service Provider(s) who are prepared to provide the Consultation Services on terms acceptable to us; or
    5. in our reasonable opinion it is necessary to terminate this Agreement or the provision of the Services for legal, operational, security or technological reasons.
    1. We may withdraw the LegalDefence Plan. We may write to you to let you know that we are going to cease to provide the LegalDefence Plan. We will give you at least 30 days’ advance notice of our intention to cease providing the LegalDefence Plan and will refund any sums you have paid in advance (covering the period from the date that we cease to provide the Services until the date that covers your advance payment) for the subscription to the LegalDefence Plan.

  10. OUR RIGHTS TO MAKE CHANGES

    1. Reasonable changes. We may make reasonable changes to this Agreement, to the LegalDefence Plan, or to the Website or App or the User Access Device at any time:
    1. to reflect changes in relevant laws and regulatory requirements;
    2. to reflect any terms imposed on us by any Service Provider; and
    3. to implement minor technical adjustments and improvements, for example to address a security threat.

    1. Increasing our Charges. We may increase our Charges automatically each year by up to either 1% above the rate of inflation according to the Retail Prices Index (RPI) or by 3% overall, whichever is higher. If we do this, the new fees will come into force on 1 July each year. We use the RPI rate announced in April to adjust your payments (including direct debits) to us.

    2. Updates to digital content. We may also update or require you to update digital content, provided that the digital content shall always match the description of it that we provided to you before you bought it.

    3. Significant Changes. We will notify you at least one month in advance of any changes coming into effect if we make any changes to this Agreement which are likely to be of material detriment to you, such as changes to the Charges that exceed those provided for in clause 10.2 above, or changes to the Services (“Significant Changes”).

    4. Non-acceptance of Significant Changes: If you do not accept any Significant Changes notified to you in accordance with clause 10.4, you may cancel this Agreement before the date of change.

    5. Acceptance of Significant Changes: If we do not hear from you in accordance with clause 10.5 before the date of the Significant Change, the Significant Change will be deemed to be accepted by you.

  11. YOUR RIGHTS IF WE SUSPEND THE SUPPLY OF YOUR LEGALDEFENCE PLAN.

    1. We reserve the right to suspend supply of the LegalDefence Plan or any of the Services for any period of time if necessary. We will contact you in advance to tell you we will be suspending supply of the LegalDefence Plan or any of the Services, unless the problem is urgent or an emergency. You may contact us to end this Agreement for the LegalDefence Plan if we suspend it, or tell you we are going to suspend it, in each case for a period of more than 7 days and we will refund any sums you have paid in advance for the LegalDefence Plan in respect of the period after you end the Agreement.

    2. We may also suspend supply of Services (including your LegalDefence Plan) to you and your Linked Members if you do not pay. If you do not pay us for the subscription of the LegalDefence Plan and related services and products when you are supposed to (see clause 6.3) and you still do not make payment within 7 days of us reminding you that payment is due, we may suspend supply of any products and services until you have paid us the outstanding amounts. We will contact you to tell you we are suspending supply of any products or services under this Agreement (including access to your LegalDefence Plan and the Services). As well as suspending the services we can also charge you interest on your overdue payments. Please see clause 6.5.

  12. OUR RESPONSIBILITY FOR LOSS OR DAMAGE SUFFERED BY YOU

    1. We are responsible to you for foreseeable loss and damage caused by us. If we fail to comply with this Agreement, we are responsible for loss or damage you suffer that is a foreseeable result of our breaching this Agreement, but we are not responsible for:
    1. any loss or damage suffered or incurred by any Members as a result of the actions, advice and omissions of a Service Provider;
    2. any loss or damage that is not foreseeable (loss or damage is foreseeable if it is obvious that it will happen as a result of us breaching this Agreement);
    3. any losses where LegalShield UK is not at fault; or
    4. any loss of income, business or profits.

    1. Limited liability. Our liability to you to pay damages or losses shall not exceed 100% of the amount that you have paid to us in the preceding 12 months.

    2. We are not liable for business losses. The LegalDefence Plan is for domestic and private use only. If you use the LegalDefence Plan for any commercial, business or re-sale purpose we will have no liability to you for any loss of profit, loss of business, business interruption, or loss of business opportunity.

    3. We do not exclude or limit in any way our liability to you where it would be unlawful to do so. This includes liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence or the negligence of our employees, agents or subcontractors; for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; or for breach of your legal rights. If defective digital content which we have supplied damages a device or digital content belonging to you and this is caused by our failure to use reasonable care and skill we will either repair the damage or pay you compensation. However, we will not be liable for damage which you could have avoided by following our advice to apply an update offered to you free of charge or for damage which was caused by you failing to correctly follow installation instructions or to have in place the minimum system requirements advised by us.

    4. We are not responsible for a Service Provider’s advice, actions or omissions. LegalShield UK will use reasonable endeavours to ensure that the Service Provider is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (the “SRA”) and that it carries the professional indemnity insurance required by the SRA. However, LegalShield UK does not accept any liability or responsibility for any Service Provider’s actions, advice or omissions. Each Service Provider is independent third party contractor and it is solely responsible for the provision of any Consultation Services and/or any Discounted Further Services. No representation is made that the quality of the legal services provided by any Service Provider is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.

  13. DISCLAIMERS

    1. LegalShield UK is not an insurer. The LegalDefence Plan is not an insurance product and the Services to which a Member may have access to are not pre-paid legal services of any kind.

    2. LegalShield UK is not a law firm. LegalShield UK is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. The LegalDefence Plan, the provision of any of the Services and use of the Website and the App do not create a solicitor-client relationship between you and LegalShield UK. The Website and App enable you to initiate contact with a Service Provider. Any communications with LegalShield UK and the provision of Services are not subject to a solicitor’s duty of confidentiality or to legal professional privilege.

    3. LegalShield UK has no influence over a Service Provider’s advice or other judgments. Service Providers reserve the right to make independent professional judgments. LegalShield UK has no influence on or involvement in any Service Provider’s actions, advice or omissions.

    4. Members are not guaranteed legal representation or access to a Service Provider as a result of subscribing to a LegalDefence Plan. LegalShield UK does not guarantee that Members will secure legal representation or access to a Service Provider through the LegalDefence Plan. A Service Provider may, in their sole discretion, decline to provide the Discounted Further Services in relation to any matter.

    5. Certain types of matters are excluded from the scope of the LegalDefence Plan. These are set out at Schedule 6. A Service Provider may determine in their sole discretion whether a matter is an Excluded Matter. You will not be able to secure legal advice or assistance in relation to any Excluded Matter under the LegalDefence Plan.

  14. HOW WE MAY USE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

    1. How we may use your personal information. We will only use your personal information as set out in our Privacy Policy: http://legaldefence.co.uk/privacy-policy.

  15. OTHER IMPORTANT TERMS

    1. We may transfer this agreement to someone else. We may transfer our rights and obligations under this Agreement to another organisation or person.

    2. You need our consent to transfer your rights to someone else. You may only transfer your rights or your obligations under this Agreement to another person if we agree to this in writing.

    3. Nobody else has any rights under this Agreement. This Agreement is between the Lead Member and us. No other person shall have any rights to enforce any terms of this Agreement.

    4. If a court finds part of this Agreement illegal, the rest will continue in force. Each of the clauses and paragraphs of this Agreement operates separately. If any court or relevant authority decides that any of them are unlawful, the remaining clauses and paragraphs will remain in full force and effect.

    5. Even if we delay in enforcing this Agreement, we can still enforce it later. If we do not insist immediately that you do anything you are required to do under this Agreement, or if we delay in taking steps against you in respect of your breaching this Agreement, that will not mean that you do not have to do those things and it will not prevent us taking steps against you at a later date. For example, if you miss a payment and we do not chase you but we continue to provide the Services, we can still require you to make the payment at a later date.

    6. Which laws apply to this Agreement and where you may bring legal proceedings. This Agreement is governed by the laws of England and Wales and you can bring legal proceedings in respect of this Agreement in the English courts.

  16. IF THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH YOUR LEGALDEFENCE PLAN

    1. How to tell us about problems. If you have any questions or complaints about the LegalDefence Plan, the Services or any product or services we provide, please contact us. You can telephone our customer service team at 0330 124 4354 or write to us at [email protected] or

      4220 Nash Court Oxford Business Park Garsington Road Oxford OX4 2RU

Schedule 1 Legal Library

As part of their LegalDefence Plan, Members will have access to a selection of template legal documents, template letters, and legal factsheets, which will be available on the Website to be downloaded and customised by Members. The terms and conditions set out in Schedule 3 shall apply to any access and use of the Online Legal Library by Members.

Schedule 2
Part 1: Consultation Services

  1. The Consultation Services are made available to the Members on and subject to the terms and conditions set out in Schedule 4 and shall comprise of the following:

    1. Legal Advice Helpline: A telephone and email helpline (“Legal Advice Helpline”) available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at no cost other than the Member’s standard network charges in order for Members to speak or write to a Service Provider in relation to their legal queries or issues.

      As part of the Legal Advice Helpline support service, where the Service Provider considers appropriate, it may provide to the Member a template letter to assist with the matter and guide the Member as to how to complete and send the letter, or, where appropriate, help the Member to create a bespoke letter. Any such letter template will be recommended and provided to Members through dialogue with the relevant personnel at the Service Provider. They will be emailed to be completed and sent by the Member or completed by the Service Provider and posted/email to the Member for them to send. If the Service Provider deems it appropriate to create a bespoke letter on behalf of the Member, or complete one of the letter templates on behalf of the Member, such assistance will be provided by the Service Provider subject to and on the following terms and conditions:-

      1. Any bespoke letter created outside of letter templates, shall be limited to an A4 page in length.
      2. All information for the preparation of the draft letter must be supplied by the Member swiftly and promptly to the allocated person at the Service Provider after the initial request.
      3. The letter will be drafted in the Member’s name and will not carry the Service Provider’s or LegalShield UK’s brand or logo. It will be mailed by the Service Provider directly to the Member for their authorisation and issue.
      4. The Service Provider will not amend or add to the content of a letter once drafted aside from the rectification of any errors.
      5. Information provided by the Member following provision to such Member of the first draft letter may lead to an additional charge if further changes to the draft letter are required unless it is covered by the Consultation.
      6. The provision of, and assistance with, letter templates and bespoke letters which do not fall within the scope of the Consultation is not legal advice upon the content or its accuracy.
      7. The letter will be drafted utilising the information provided by the Member.
      8. The Service Provider shall not be liable for the exclusion of any potential claim not detailed within the letter.
      9. At the discretion of the Service Provider, perceived false, misleading or inaccurate information provided by the Member shall not be included within the draft letter.

    2. Call back: If a legal matter raised by a Member cannot be adequately dealt with via the Legal Advice Helpline, an individual from the Service Provider with appropriate knowledge and expertise may call the applicable Member to provide appropriate legal advice and if necessary take further details in relation to such matter and, if the Service Provider deems necessary, arrange a Consultation.

    3. Consultation: If the Member’s legal issue cannot be adequately dealt with via the Legal Advice Helpline, a solicitor with appropriate experience will provide the Member with a consultation that will be carried out by telephone (or face-to-face if deemed appropriate) a (“Consultation”).

    4. Service Provider will provide up to a maximum of three such Consultations per month per LegalDefence Plan each of which must relate to a separate matter. Each Consultation will be up to an hour in duration and at each Consultation a solicitor from the Service Provider will:

      1. consider the legal issues in relation to the matter;

      2. answer the Member’s questions in relation to the matter to the best of the solicitor’s ability; and

      3. advise the Member as to the best course of action in relation to such matter.

    5. Letter writing: If a matter or the Member’s position discussed during any Consultation may, in the Service Provider’s view, be resolved or improved by the Service Provider communicating with a third party by way of one short written letter or email, the Service Provider will write and send a letter or email to such third party on behalf of the Member on the Service Provider’s letterhead/email (carrying the Service Provider’s logo).

Part 2: Discounted Further Services

If, following the use of the Consultation Services, the legal matter is not resolved, then, subject to the terms and conditions set out in Schedule 5, the Member will have the option to negotiate with the Service Provider the provision of further legal services by the Service Provider at a discount of 25% to the Service Provider’s standard hourly rates and otherwise on such other terms and conditions as agreed between the Member and the Service Provider. The discount of 25% to the Service Provider’s standard hourly rates will not be available for any work undertaken by the Service Provider after you cease to be a Member.
The Service Provider may also offer fixed discounts to Members on services they normally provide at a standard fixed fee from time to time.

Schedule 3 Terms applying to the Online Legal Library

  1. The Online Legal Library is to be used by Members for self-help purposes. This library content is provided for Members’ private use and does not constitute legal advice from qualified lawyers. The online legal library is not a substitute for legal advice from a suitably qualified lawyer.

  2. LegalShield UK does not guarantee that the information and templates available at or on the Online Legal Library are correct, current or up-to-date, or suitable for every situation.

  3. The templates have been prepared in accordance with the laws of England and are only suitable for use in jurisdictions which are subject to the laws of England. They are only intended to be adapted by Members to meet their individual requirements.

  4. If a Member needs qualified legal advice for his specific problem, or if the Member’s specific problem is too complex to be addressed by the templates, the Member should consult a Service Provider to make use of the Consultation Services, or instruct another law firm.

Schedule 4 Terms applying to Consultation Services

Until a Service Provider has issued to a Member its letter of engagement or contract, the following limited terms of engagement shall apply to the provision of the Consultation Services:

  1. The Service Provider will use reasonable skill and care when providing the Consultation Services.

  2. In any Consultation forming part of the Consultation Services, the Service Provider’s responsibility will be limited to:

    1. considering the legal issues in relation to the matter;
    2. answering the Member’s questions in relation to the matter to the best of the solicitor’s ability; and
    3. advising the Member as to the best course of action in relation to such matter.

  3. Since the Service Provider will only have access to limited information about a Member’s situation; the recommendations made in the Consultation Services will be provided on the basis of that information. If a Member needs definitive legal advice, he will need to separately engage the Service Provider or another lawyer/law firm to act for him. Where a Member engages the Service Provider for such further legal advice, the discounted rates referred to in Part 2 of Schedule 2 above may apply.

  4. The Service Provider will respond to your enquiries as soon as is reasonably practicable but will not be liable for failing to meet any particular deadline or respond within any particular time scale.

  5. The Service Provider will not be responsible for (and shall have no liability to the Member in respect of):

    1. use outside of England and Wales of any document or information provided by the Service Provider (for the purposes of the LegalDefence Plans, a Service Provider will only provide legal advice in respect of the laws of England);
    2. use by any person other than the Member being advised of any document or information provided by the Service Provider;
    3. verifying, researching or investigating the information the Member provides to the Service Provider;
    4. managing or carrying out any transaction on the Member’s behalf; and
    5. updating any information provided to the Member after the date of provision or notifying the Member of any changes to the law which may be applicable to any situation or document about which the Member has consulted a Service Provider in the past.

  6. The Service Provider will only write a letter on a Member’s behalf if it appears to the Service Provider, in its sole discretion, that this step will benefit the Member in question.

  7. The Service Provider will not handle client money as part of the Consultation Services.

Schedule 5 Terms applying to the Discounted Further Services

  1. In the event that the legal matter is not resolved via the Consultation Services, the Member will have the option to separately engage the Service Provider, at his own cost to take further steps and provider further legal advice. Such engagement will not involve LegalShield UK.

  2. A Member is not obliged to instruct the Service Provider in relation to any further legal work required on a matter. If the Member chooses, he may instruct another law firm.

  3. The Service Provider may decline a Member’s instruction if it considers, in its sole discretion, that the matter is unmeritorious. If the Service Provider does accept the Member’s instruction, it will be obliged to offer the Member a 25% discount on its then applicable normal hourly rates.

Schedule 6 Excluded Matters

A Service Provider may decline to provide the Consultation Services or the Discounted Further Services in relation to:

  1. Any matter on which a Service Provider reasonably considers that it lacks the necessary expertise to advise.
  2. Legal matters involving the laws of jurisdictions other than England and Wales.
  3. Any matter in relation to which a Service Provider, in its sole discretion, considers that it would be placed in a position of conflict with any existing or previous client or matter or is otherwise unable to provide due to any laws, regulations or codes of conduct that apply to it.
  4. Any matter in which another Member of a LegalDefence Plan may have an adverse interest.
  5. Legal matters where a Member under that LegalDefence Plan has already retained the Service Provider at its usual rates or at discounted hourly rates.
  6. Any action involving a Service Provider or LegalShield UK or LegalShield UK’s affiliates, directors, officers, employees or agents in which they have interests adverse to the relevant Member’s interests.
  7. Legal or other matters reasonably determined by the Service Provider or LegalShield UK to be frivolous or an abuse of the Services.

 

Schedule 7 Essential Documents

LegalDefence Members are entitled to access a range of online essential documents sold by Slater and Gordon.

These documents can be purchased by LegalDefence Members for free.

The Member will be required to use a discount code, which will be the email address they signed up as a Member with, to claim any of the available documents in the online Slater and Gordon Essential Documents portal, that will then be discounted to ‘free’.

New Member discount codes will be Activated within the first 14 days of purchasing the membership plan.

An email will be sent by LegalShield to the Member to notify them when the discount code is activated.

If a Member cancels their membership, they will no longer be eligible to the documents in the Slater and Gordon Essential Documents range.

If further legal services are required following the completion of an online essential document, these services will be charged at the LegalDefence Members discount of 25% off the Providers’ standard fixed fees.

This service is subject to change at any time without prior notice.