Platform Name: Bharat Legal Chambers
CRITICAL NOTICE: THIS IS A LEGALLY BINDING CONTRACT.
“By clicking ‘I Agree’ or by using the Services, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms. You further acknowledge that these Terms limit Bharat Legal Chambers’s liability and require you to indemnify Bharat Legal Chambers for losses arising from your misconduct, and mandate binding arbitration for most commercial disputes.”
This User Agreement and Terms of Service (hereinafter referred as “Agreement” or “TOS”) governs your access and use of the services (“Services”) provided by Bharat Legal Chambers (referred to herein as “Platform,” “we,” “us,” or “our”). The Services include the professional social networking features, the Workstation and the Case Management System (CMS), and all the associated features, websites and future mobile applications. By clicking “Accept” during registration, you enter into a binding contract. You confirm that you are at least 18 years of age and a licensed professional (an “User”).
Our platform is created with a sincere intention to support young professionals in accessing genuine professional opportunities and connecting with environments where their abilities can develop meaningfully. We aim to assist in the smooth coordination of day-to-day professional work by offering digital tools that enhance efficiency and communication, while ensuring that all professional work, responsibilities, and professional decisions will remain solely with the individuals involved. In a world moving rapidly through digital transformation, we strive to provide a digital space where physical distance or geographical limitations do not restrict professional growth. Our focus is only to provide a platform where the appropriate skill-set align with suitable professional opportunities, while remaining entirely uninvolved in the professional practice or its outcomes. The results of any engagement rest exclusively between the professionals themselves. Our role is simply to offer a responsible, transparent platform where opportunity can meet talent, ensuring that capable professionals are not held back by logistical or regional barriers.
You acknowledge and agree that the Platform functions strictly as an “Intermediary” under the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the rules framed thereunder. The Platform does not initiate, solicit, influence, direct, evaluate, authenticate, modify, or curate any legal advice, content, communication, contract, or professional engagement exchanged between Professionals. Our role is limited to providing a secure technological interface that enables discovery, communication, workflow tools, and collaboration between verified Professionals. All legal opinions, professional decisions, drafting, representation, fee arrangements, and outcomes arising from engagements remain exclusively between the Professionals concerned. The Platform neither participates in nor interferes with the substance, strategy, merit, advice, consultation, or conduct of legal work and shall not be held liable for any professional acts, errors, omissions, negligence, misconduct, malpractice, or statutory non-compliance committed by any Professional. All Professionals using the Platform act in an independent professional capacity and are not employees, agents, consultants, representatives, partners, or associates of this Platform.
You acknowledge and agree that the policies listed below form an integral and legally binding part of this Agreement. By accepting this TOS and accessing the Services, you automatically accept and agree to comply with each of the following documents, to the extent they apply to your use of the Platform:
Professional/User: Any individual who is using the Services of this platform and who is a licensed legal practitioner enrolled as per concerned Bar Council of India Rules and Advocates Act, 1961.
Upon strict and continuous compliance with these Terms, Bharat Legal Chambers grants you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable and revocable right to access and use the Services solely through the official web platform and authorized mobile application. This permission relates only to the right of access and does not constitute a sale or transfer of any intellectual property rights in the Platform or its contents. Use of the mobile application may require certain device permissions and may involve the processing of unique device identifiers for authentication, security enhancement, and service optimisation. All such processing will be carried out strictly in accordance with the Platform’s Privacy Policy and applicable laws.
All intellectual property rights in the Platform and Services, including the software, source code, databases, algorithms, user interface elements, design elements, trade names, trademarks, logos, graphics, and all related proprietary materials, are and shall remain the exclusive property of Bharat Legal Chambers and its licensors, wherever applicable. Nothing in these Terms conveys or shall be interpreted as conveying any ownership interest, title, or proprietary right to you. Your access is limited to a usage right strictly for the purpose of interacting with the Services in accordance with this Agreement.
You agree that you shall not, under any circumstances, directly or indirectly:
You agree to fully comply with all identity-verification and professional-verification procedures prescribed by the Platform, including but not limited to Know Your Customer (KYC) checks, submission of government-issued identity documents, professional registration certificates, and any other documents or declarations requested for due-diligence purposes. You acknowledge and agree that: (i) Access to certain features including Workstation, wallet usage, escrow payments, job posting, and job acceptance is conditional upon successful completion of the verification process; (ii) You shall ensure that all documents and information submitted for verification are true, accurate, current, and authentic; (iii) The Platform disclaims all liability for any loss, damage, malpractice, misconduct, or professional dispute arising from any Professional submitting false, forged, misleading, outdated, or fraudulent information or credentials; (iv) The Platform reserves the absolute right to suspend, restrict, or permanently terminate access, disable accounts, withhold wallet/escrow balances, or report the matter to law-enforcement or regulatory authorities if submitted documents are found to be false or unverifiable; (v) You authorize the Platform to conduct verification directly or through third-party verification partners and to share relevant data with competent authorities when legally required.
You warrant that your conduct on the Platform will, at all times, strictly adhere to the ethical standards, duties, and professional dignity expected from legal professionals, including compliance with the Bar Council of India (BCI) rules and the Platform’s Professional Code of Conduct & Community Guidelines. The Platform must not be used to advertise legal services, solicit clients, or promote oneself in a manner prohibited under BCI Rule 36 or any equivalent ethical rules. Professionals may share factual and professional information such as experience, areas of practice, work highlights, publications, and academic/professional achievements provided such content is strictly informational, not promotional or misleading, and upholds the dignity of the profession. Any conduct amounting to advertising, solicitation, client procurement, case touting, unauthorized legal practice, or any other activity inconsistent with applicable professional ethics may result in suspension, removal, or reporting to relevant authorities.
For any content that you voluntarily share in sections of the Platform visible to the wider professional community (such as the newsfeed, discussion threads, status updates, comments, and non-confidential educational resources), you grant the Platform a limited, non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, transferable, and sublicensable license to host, store, format, display, and make such Content accessible to other registered Professionals and to use the Content for enhancing or promoting the Platform and its professional ecosystem. This license does not transfer ownership—you retain full rights in your Content. Case materials, privileged information, client details, drafts, briefs, legal opinions, or any other confidential Workstation content are excluded from this clause and must not be posted in public-facing areas of the Platform.
All documents, files, drafts, notes, communications, and any other material uploaded, exchanged, or generated within the private areas of the Platform including the Workstation, case rooms, document CMS, messaging tools, and escrow rooms, will remain your exclusive property at all times. The Platform expressly confirms that it does not and will never claim ownership, authorship, copyright, or any proprietary rights over Private Content. The Platform does not access, review, monitor, or analyse Private Content except where strictly necessary for routine technical maintenance or where compliance with a valid legal order is legally mandatory. The Platform will not reproduce, publish, distribute, display, license, sell, commercialize, train data systems on, or otherwise make use of Private Content for any purpose whatsoever. Nothing in this Agreement affects or modifies the protections arising from Attorney–Client Privilege, the Work Product Doctrine, or any equivalent professional confidentiality obligations. Except where a statutory retention requirement applies, the Platform will permanently delete Private Content upon expiry of a data retention period elected by the User, or upon receipt of a reasonable and authenticated deletion request from the User.
The Platform follows a structured and fair IPR-takedown mechanism. Upon receiving a bona fide written IPR infringement notice supported with appropriate evidence, the Platform will review the allegation and notify the user who posted or uploaded the allegedly infringing Content, allowing them the opportunity to respond with a counter-notice and supporting documents. During this process, the Platform may temporarily restrict access to the disputed Content. If the user fails to submit a valid counter-notice within the prescribed period, or if the original notice is verified as legitimate, the Platform will permanently disable access to or remove the Content. You acknowledge that, pursuant to the Information Technology Act and the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, the Platform is obligated to act on valid takedown notices within the statutory timeframes (including within thirty-six (36) or seventy-two (72) hours depending on the nature and urgency of the infringement).
You are strictly prohibited from soliciting, offering, accepting, or performing legal services or making or receiving payments with any User you became connected to through Bharat Legal Chambers outside the Platform for a period of twelve (12) months from the date of first introduction, unless you complete the formal opt-out procedure and pay the applicable opt-out fee prescribed by Bharat Legal Chambers.
You shall not share personal contact details (including but not limited to phone numbers, WhatsApp numbers, personal email IDs, social media profiles, or physical addresses) with any other User before a Service Contract is executed through the Workstation. Any direct or indirect suggestion to move work or payment off-platform shall constitute a material breach of this TOS.
Any act of circumvention, attempted circumvention, or facilitation of circumvention shall entitle Bharat Legal Chambers to take one or more of the following actions, without limitation: (i) immediate suspension or termination of the User’s account; (ii) withholding or forfeiture of any pending payouts, wallet balances, commissions, or bonuses; (iii) recovery of the full commission or service fee that would have been payable had the engagement occurred through the Platform; (iv) imposition of a liquidated penalty as notified by Bharat Legal Chambers from time to time; and/or (v) initiation of legal proceedings and/or reporting of severe professional misconduct to the relevant Bar Council where required by law or ethics.
Nothing in this Section restricts Users from working with users with whom they had a pre-existing personal or professional relationship prior to joining the Platform, provided such engagements are not initiated, negotiated, or facilitated through Bharat Legal Chambers.
You acknowledge and agree that your use of the Workstation and your engagements with other Users through Bharat Legal Chambers are conducted strictly in the capacity of an Independent Professional / Independent Contractor. Nothing in this TOS, nor in any Service Contract executed through the Platform, shall be interpreted as creating or implying: an employer–employee relationship; a principal employer–contractor relationship under labour laws; a partnership, joint venture, agency, or association; or any relationship that places Bharat Legal Chambers in the position of a supervisor or controller of professional services.
Bharat Legal Chambers does not and shall not supervise, direct, evaluate, control, or guarantee the manner, method, or quality of professional services performed by Users. All professional obligations, quality standards, statutory duties, and ethical duties arising from the services provided are exclusively the responsibility of the User performing the engagement. Users shall remain solely responsible for their individual tax liabilities (including income tax and GST if applicable), professional dues and licensing requirements, and compliance with all statutory, fiscal, and ethical obligations arising out of services rendered.
The Platform acts solely as a technological Intermediary. Bharat Legal Chambers expressly disclaims all liability for any failure, acts, omissions, misconduct, professional negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, or breach of professional ethics (including any violation of BCI Rules) committed by any users. You assume all risk associated with collaborating with any other User on the Platform. The Platform is not liable for any advice, legal opinion, or document drafted by any User.
In no event shall Bharat Legal Chambers’s total cumulative liability exceed the total amount of Service Fees paid by the User to Bharat Legal Chambers in the twelve (12) months immediately preceding the claim.
All statements, comments, reviews, posts, discussions, feedback, or other content made by Users on the Platform (“User-Generated Content”) reflect the personal opinions of the Users posting them and do not represent the views, beliefs, advice, or endorsements of Bharat Legal Chambers. Bharat Legal Chambers shall not be liable for any User-Generated Content that may be defamatory, abusive, harassing, misleading, retaliatory, factually incorrect, promotional, offensive, discriminatory, unethical, or otherwise unlawful. Users agree to indemnify and hold Bharat Legal Chambers harmless from any claim, loss, penalty, cost, damages, or litigation arising from the User’s posting of such content. The Platform reserves the right to moderate, restrict, or remove User-Generated Content that appears to breach applicable law, professional ethics, or Platform policies; contains confidential, sensitive, or privileged information; or threatens the trust, safety, or dignity of the professional community.
The Platform employs commercially reasonable and industry-standard technical and organizational security measures in compliance with the DPDP Act and applicable BIS standards. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Bharat Legal Chambers makes no representation or warranty that the Platform is completely immune from security risks. You acknowledge that the security of your devices, operating systems, internet network, and login credentials is solely your responsibility, and Bharat Legal Chambers shall not be liable for any loss, damage, or unauthorized activity arising due to your negligence or failure to maintain adequate security precautions.
You hereby agree to indemnify, defend and hold harmless Bharat Legal Chambers, its affiliates, directors, officers, employees and licensors from and against any and all claims, demands, actions, suits, damages, liabilities, penalties, losses, costs and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of or related to: your breach of these Terms, the BCI Rules, or the Professional Code of Conduct; your professional negligence, malpractice, misconduct, or breach of any duty owed to a client/user(s) or third party; your Content, including any alleged or actual infringement of any IPR, confidentiality obligations, or privacy rights; your use or misuse of the Platform, including any unauthorized or unlawful activity conducted through your account; any violation of applicable laws, regulations, or court orders; any dispute, disagreement, or transaction between you and any client, advocate, student, or third party whether arising online or offline; any act or omission by any person using your account, whether or not authorized by you. Bharat Legal Chambers reserves the right, at your expense, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter subject to indemnification, and you agree to fully cooperate with such defense.
All transactions, Escrow settlements, subscription plans, and Service Fees on the Platform are governed by the Payment, Escrow & Tax Policy. The Platform relies on third-party payment gateways and banking infrastructure. Accordingly, Bharat Legal Chambers shall not be responsible for bank delays, UPI failures, technical errors, chargebacks, refund latency, downtime, or any infrastructure failure attributable to third-party payment systems. All payments made toward digital Service Fees and subscription-based features are non-refundable, except where the User is completely unable to access Premium Services due to a technical failure directly attributable to the Platform. Where auto-renewal is enabled for any premium feature, the pricing, renewal cycle, and cancellation rights shall be clearly disclosed at the point of purchase.
All professional engagements, settlements, and payments between Users constitute independent contractual dealings between Users, and Bharat Legal Chambers is not a party to any such contract. Bharat Legal Chambers shall not be liable for any failure, delay, withholding, underpayment, partial payment, cancellation, dispute, or refusal of payment by any User. Bharat Legal Chambers has no obligation to reimburse, compensate, recover, enforce, or guarantee any payment owed by one User to another. Where Escrow is used, settlements shall be released strictly in accordance with the Payment, Escrow & Tax Policy.
If the Platform introduces a proprietary token, reward, point, badge, or credit system, such instruments shall constitute a limited, non-transferable, revocable license to access specific platform features. These instruments shall not represent currency, securities, deposits, or prepaid instruments and shall have no monetary, cash, or convertible value whatsoever. All Tokens/Credits are non-refundable. The Platform reserves the right to expire, revoke, modify, restrict, or reassign such instruments at any time without liability to the User.
The Platform reserves the unrestricted right to suspend or place limitations on an Account or its features; downgrade subscription status or disable premium features during a compliance check; freeze Escrow, Wallet, or pending withdrawals in cases of suspected Non-Circumvention, fraud, chargeback risk, legal complaint, or commercial dispute; or suspend or disable access to the Platform entirely for serious breaches of the Professional Code of Conduct, legal violations, harassment, or threats to community safety. Such suspension, restriction, or fund freeze shall not constitute a service failure, and no refund, compensation, damages, or loss claims shall arise against Bharat Legal Chambers for exercising these rights.
You grant Bharat Legal Chambers and its authorized compliance agents the right to audit, monitor, and investigate any Account activity, Content, or Service Contract where there is suspicion or reasonable indication of fraud, false representation, document forgery, off-platform payments or solicitation (Non-Circumvention breach), professional misconduct or violation of BCI Rules, identity misrepresentation or KYC discrepancies, or unethical, harmful, or malicious conduct toward another User. Users shall cooperate fully with such investigations. Failure to cooperate shall constitute independent grounds for suspension, membership termination, and fund freeze.
This Agreement shall be exclusively governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of India.
The Platform has appointed a Grievance Officer in accordance with the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. Any complaint relating to content, platform usage, user conduct, or violation of these Terms shall be submitted through the Platform’s Grievance Redressal Mechanism to the designated Grievance Officer, whose name and contact details are published in the Grievance Redressal and Dispute Resolution Policy and on the Platform. The Grievance Officer shall acknowledge complaints within 24 (twenty-four) hours and resolve them within 15 (fifteen) days, or such extended period as may be permitted under applicable law. If the complainant is dissatisfied with the decision, the complainant shall have the right to appeal before the Grievance Appellate Committee (GAC) in accordance with the IT Rules, 2021.
Any commercial dispute arising out of or related to this TOS, the MSA, or any Service Contract shall be settled by binding arbitration under the provisions of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, as amended. The seat and venue of the arbitration shall be Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, India, but all hearings shall be held virtually unless the parties mutually agree otherwise.
For any matters excluded from arbitration under this TOS, or brought solely for the enforcement, confirmation, or challenge of an arbitration award, the parties hereby irrevocably submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts at Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, India, to the absolute exclusion of all other courts, forums, and jurisdictions.
In the event that any legal action, arbitration, investigation, summons, notice, or other proceeding seeks to compel the involvement of Bharat Legal Chambers, you agree to: (i) Notify Bharat Legal Chambers in writing at least thirty (30) business days in advance; and (ii) Fully compensate and indemnify Bharat Legal Chambers for all direct and indirect costs incurred in connection with the proceeding, including legal fees, internal administrative costs, manpower and technical extraction costs, data processing and preservation costs, and travel or appearance costs. Any attempt to involve the Platform in a dispute without meeting the above requirements constitutes a material breach of this TOS.
You acknowledge and consent that your personal data and professional information may be processed, transferred, and stored on servers located within or outside India, provided that such transfer complies with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and other applicable data-protection frameworks. Data retention and deletion shall be governed by the Data Retention & Deletion Policy. The Platform shall not retain personal data beyond one hundred eighty (180) days after account deletion, except where a longer retention period is required for compliance with statutory or regulatory obligations, preservation of transaction records or case-related documentation, or defense against legal claims or dispute resolution.
The Platform shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performance of its obligations arising from circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including but not limited to acts of God, natural disasters, war, civil unrest, terrorism, cyberattacks or security breaches, pandemics, government or regulatory orders, power supply disruption, or major telecom/network outages.
All notices, communications, or legal notifications under this TOS shall be deemed properly delivered when sent electronically through the registered email address associated with your Account or in-app notification or dashboard alert. Electronic notice shall constitute full and sufficient service of notice.
Bharat Legal Chambers reserves the unrestricted right to assign, transfer, or delegate any or all of its rights or obligations under this TOS to any affiliate, group entity, or lawful successor. You shall not assign, transfer, or delegate any rights or obligations arising under this TOS without the prior written consent of Bharat Legal Chambers.
This TOS, together with all policies and documents incorporated by reference, constitutes the complete and exclusive agreement between you and Bharat Legal Chambers regarding the use of the Services and supersedes all prior discussions, negotiations, understandings, representations, or proposals, whether written or oral.
Bharat Legal Chambers is an online technology platform and a statutory “Intermediary” under the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. Bharat Legal Chambers is not a law firm, does not provide legal advice, does not solicit clients, does not provide referrals of legal work, and is not involved in the formation or supervision of any Advocate-Client relationship.
Bharat Legal Chambers does not initiate, select, modify, interpret, supervise, evaluate, audit, direct, influence, or control any assignment, legal strategy, advice, drafting, consultation, filing, appearance, or professional work between users. Bharat Legal Chambers does not monitor the quality, accuracy, ethical compliance, diligence, or professional outcomes of any legal services exchanged between users.
All fee negotiations, invoices, payments, refunds, cancellations, defaults, and commercial disagreements are strictly between the concerned users. Bharat Legal Chambers is not liable for any unpaid amount, delayed payment, incorrect bank details, fraud, non-performance, dissatisfaction with work, or refusal of payment by any user.
Any user who, directly or indirectly, (i) alleges liability on Bharat Legal Chambers for professional acts or omissions of another user; (ii) seeks to compel Bharat Legal Chambers to intervene in a private dispute; (iii) files a legal complaint, demand, notice, or proceeding against Bharat Legal Chambers in violation of Clauses 10.1 to 10.3; or (iv) attempts to misuse legal process to circumvent this Safe-Harbour protection, shall indemnify and compensate Bharat Legal Chambers for all losses, damages, legal fees, litigation costs, and professional charges incurred; reimburse Bharat Legal Chambers for all payouts, settlements, or penalties (if any) imposed due to such user’s breach; and be subject to immediate suspension or permanent termination of account, without prejudice to Bharat Legal Chambers’s right to initiate civil and/or criminal action for misuse of legal process.
This completes the full User Agreement & Terms of Service.