Lawyers Diary — Terms & Conditions

Version 1.0 · Dated 7 July 2026 · Version code v1.0-2026-07-07 · DRAFT — not yet in force

Language of these Terms. These Terms are drafted, agreed and governed in English. Any translation, including the Hindi summary above, is provided for convenience only and has no legal effect.

1. Parties and Definitions

1.1 These Terms & Conditions (the "Terms") are a binding contract between:

(a) [OPERATOR LEGAL NAME], an individual carrying on business as the operator of the Lawyers Diary platform (the "Operator", "we", "us"). The Operator presently operates as a sole proprietor; if the business is transferred to a company or LLP, Clause 17.3 applies; and

(b) the law firm, chamber or individual advocate that registers an account (the "Firm", "you"), acting through its Firm Admin.

1.2 Defined terms:

• "Platform" or "Lawyers Diary" — the Lawyers Diary web application, its progressive web app, and associated services made available by the Operator.
• "Service" — the diary, hearing-reminder, team-access, court-data-sync (where offered), export and related features of the Platform.
• "Firm Admin" — the User designated as administrator of the Firm's account.
• "User" — any individual given login credentials under the Firm's account.
• "Firm Data" — all case, client, hearing, diary, contact and document data entered into or synced to the Firm's account.
• "Account Metadata" — data about the account itself: identity and contact details of Users, plan and payment records, login and usage logs, and aggregate counts (for example, number of cases or reminders), excluding the content of Firm Data.
• "Reminder" — any hearing or task notification the Platform attempts to send by WhatsApp, email, in-app notification, or such other channels as the Platform offers from time to time, to an advocate or (where enabled) a client.
• "Court Data" — case status, cause-list or order information obtained from courts or third-party data providers, where that feature is offered.
• "Plan" — a subscription tier (currently Free, Solo, Chamber) as published on the Platform.
• "Suspension" — the state described in Clause 7.
• "DPDP Act" — the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and rules made under it.
• "Privacy Policy" — the privacy policy published on the Platform, as amended under Clause 16.
• "Working day" — Monday to Friday, excluding gazetted holidays notified for Chandigarh (UT). All references to "working days" in these Terms and the Refund Policy carry this meaning.

2. Acceptance

2.1 You accept these Terms by ticking the acceptance checkbox at signup. The Platform records the Terms version accepted, the accepting User, and a timestamp. That record is presumptive evidence of acceptance.

2.2 If you do not accept these Terms, do not register or use the Platform.

2.3 Use of the Platform is restricted to persons competent to contract under the Indian Contract Act, 1872.

3. The Account Is the Firm

3.1 Every account belongs to a Firm, even a Firm of one advocate. The Firm Admin represents and warrants that they have authority to bind the Firm to these Terms. Acceptance by the Firm Admin binds the Firm and every User under the account.

3.2 The Firm is responsible for the acts and omissions of its Users on the Platform as if they were the Firm's own.

3.3 The Firm Admin controls User access. Adding, removing and permissioning Users is the Firm's responsibility, not the Operator's.

4. Nature of the Service — Assistive Tool Only

This Clause 4 is the heart of these Terms. Read it before relying on the Platform.

4.1 Assistive, not substitutive. The Platform is an assistive diary and reminder tool. It does not provide legal advice, does not practise law, and does not replace, reduce or share any professional obligation of an advocate — including obligations under the Advocates Act, 1961 and the Bar Council of India Rules.

4.2 The advocate remains solely responsible. Sole and entire responsibility for (a) verifying every date, cause-list entry and case detail against official court records, (b) attending hearings, and (c) computing and meeting limitation periods and other deadlines, remains at all times with the advocate and the Firm. Entry of a date into the Platform is not verification of that date.

4.3 Reminders are best-effort. Reminders depend on third-party channels — WhatsApp (Meta), email providers, and such other channels as the Platform offers from time to time — and on recipient device settings, network availability, opt-in status and message-blocking, none of which the Operator controls. The Operator will make commercially reasonable efforts to dispatch Reminders on schedule. Dispatch is not delivery, and neither dispatch nor delivery is guaranteed. A Reminder that is delayed, undelivered, blocked or unread is an accepted risk of using the Service.

4.4 Court Data is reproduced "as available". Where court-data sync is offered, the Platform reproduces information from court systems and third-party providers as received, without verification. Court systems publish data with errors, gaps and delays. The Operator gives no warranty of the accuracy, completeness or timeliness of Court Data. Official court records alone are authoritative.

4.5 No liability for professional consequences. To the maximum extent permitted by law, the Operator is not liable for any missed hearing, dismissal for default, ex-parte or other adverse order, lapse of limitation, professional-misconduct exposure, or any other professional or client consequence, whether or not connected to a failed, delayed or erroneous Reminder or to inaccurate Court Data. This clause does not exclude liability, subject to Clause 10, where the Operator failed to make the commercially reasonable dispatch efforts promised in Clause 4.3.

4.6 What we do commit to. In fairness, the Operator commits that it will:

(a) show the Firm a delivery audit trail for each Reminder — what was attempted, on which channel, when, and the delivery status reported by the channel — so the Firm can see for itself what happened;

(b) provide one-click CSV export of all Firm Data at any time (Clause 5.7); and

(c) give advance notice of material changes to the Service or these Terms (Clause 16), and 30 days' notice of price changes (Clause 8.6).

4.7 The disclaimers in this Clause 4 are a fundamental basis of the bargain. The Plan prices are set in reliance on them.

5. Firm Data, Confidentiality and Privacy

5.1 Ownership. Firm Data is and remains the property of the Firm. The Operator claims no ownership of it. The Operator has a limited licence to store and process Firm Data solely to provide, secure and support the Service, and for no other purpose.

5.2 Privileged material. The Operator acknowledges that Firm Data may contain material protected by professional privilege (including under sections 132–134 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023, and its predecessor, sections 126–129 of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872). The Operator will treat all Firm Data as confidential and will not use, disclose or exploit it except as required to provide the Service or as compelled by law.

5.3 No access to case content. The Operator's personnel do not access the content of Firm Data in the ordinary course. Operational visibility is limited to Account Metadata. Access to Firm Data content occurs only (a) at the Firm's written request for support, (b) as strictly necessary to investigate a security incident, or (c) under legal compulsion — in which case, unless prohibited by law, the Operator will notify the Firm.

5.4 Firm-level isolation. Firm Data is logically isolated per Firm. No other firm can access your Firm Data through the Platform.

5.5 DPDP alignment. For Firm Data, the Firm is the data fiduciary and the Operator acts as its data processor under the DPDP Act; the Operator will process Firm Data only on the Firm's instructions as embodied in these Terms. For Account Metadata, the Operator is the data fiduciary, and the notice, purposes, data-principal rights and grievance mechanism required of a fiduciary are set out in the Privacy Policy, which the Operator publishes alongside these Terms. The Operator will maintain reasonable security safeguards — encryption in transit; at-rest encryption provided by the managed database/disk encryption of the Operator's hosting environment (enabled at production deployment); access controls; and audit logs — and will align its practices with the DPDP Act and rules as they come into force.

5.6 Hosting. The Operator intends to host all Firm Data in data centres located in India (currently planned: AWS ap-south-1, Mumbai). The Operator will give at least 30 days' notice before any change that would move Firm Data outside India.

5.7 Export. The Firm may export its complete Firm Data as CSV at any time through the Platform, without charge and without needing the Operator's assistance.

5.8 Breach notification. On becoming aware of a personal-data breach affecting Firm Data, the Operator will notify the Firm Admin without undue delay, describing the nature of the breach, the data affected, and remedial steps, and will make any reports required of it under the CERT-In Directions, 2022 and the DPDP Act. Where a breach affects Account Metadata — for which the Operator is the data fiduciary — the Operator will, in addition, notify each affected User and the Data Protection Board of India in the form and within the time the DPDP Act and rules require.

5.9 Retention and deletion. After termination or expiry of the account for any reason, Firm Data remains available for export for 30 days — through the Platform where the Firm can still log in, and in any case on written request to the grievance contact (Clause 15), fulfilled within 7 working days of the request. After that window the Operator will delete Firm Data from production systems within a further 30 days, except minimal records the Operator must retain by law (for example, payment and tax records, and logs required under the CERT-In Directions).

6. Accounts and Acceptable Use

6.1 Registration information must be true, complete and kept current.

6.2 Each User must keep credentials confidential. Everything done under a User's login is attributed to that User and the Firm. Notify the Operator immediately of suspected compromise.

6.3 The Firm and its Users must not:

(a) scrape, crawl, bulk-download or extract data from the Platform by automated means, or probe or test its security, except through features the Platform provides;

(b) resell, sublicense, white-label or provide the Service to any third party, or share one Firm account across unrelated firms;

(c) upload or transmit unlawful content, malware, or material that infringes another person's rights;

(d) use the Platform to send spam or messages to persons who have not consented to receive them (client Reminders require the Firm to have the client's consent — Clause 6.4); or

(e) impersonate another person or misrepresent an affiliation.

6.4 Client reminders. Where the Firm enables Reminders to its clients, the Firm warrants that it has each client's consent to receive them on the channel used, and that the contact details supplied are correct. The Firm is the data fiduciary for that client data; the Operator acts only on the Firm's instruction.

6.5 The Operator may set fair-use limits (for example, on message volume) to protect the Platform, and will publish any such limits.

7. Suspension and Termination

7.1 Suspension for cause. The Operator may suspend the Firm's account for: (a) non-payment after plan expiry; (b) material breach of Clause 6; (c) a genuine security or legal necessity. Every Suspension carries the notice required by Clause 7.2, and the Operator will state the reason when it suspends.

7.2 Effect of suspension — read this. During Suspension the Service is paused, including ALL Reminders. No Reminder will be dispatched to any advocate or client while the account is suspended. Because stopping Reminders is serious, a Suspension takes effect only after the Operator has given notice of it to the Firm Admin by email and by in-app notice, stating the reason and (for non-payment) how to reactivate — except where an immediate security or legal necessity under Clause 7.1(c) requires suspension first, in which case the notice is given at the time of suspension. Firm Data is preserved and remains exportable under Clause 5.7 throughout Suspension. Suspension does not extend a paid period.

7.3 Reactivation. A suspension for non-payment lifts on verified payment (Clause 8). A suspension for breach lifts when the breach is cured to the Operator's reasonable satisfaction.

7.4 Termination by the Firm. The Firm may terminate at any time from account settings or by written notice. Termination does not entitle the Firm to a refund except as stated in the Refund Policy.

7.5 Termination by the Operator. The Operator may terminate (a) for material breach not cured within 15 days of notice, (b) for unlawful use, immediately, or (c) without cause on 60 days' written notice — in which case the Refund Policy provides a full refund of the unused period.

7.6 Survival. Clauses 4, 5.2, 5.9, 10, 11, 13, 14 and 17, payment obligations accrued under Clause 8 before termination, and the export right in Clause 5.7 (for the 30-day window) survive termination.

8. Fees and Payment — Manual UPI Flow

8.1 Plans. Current Plans and prices are published on the Platform. The Free plan is provided as-is and may be changed or withdrawn with 30 days' notice.

8.2 How payment works. Payment is by manual UPI transfer, as follows:

(a) the Platform displays the Operator's UPI ID and QR code with the amount payable;

(b) the Firm pays from its own UPI account and submits the UTR (transaction reference number) through the Platform;

(c) the Operator manually verifies the payment against bank records, normally within 1 working day and in any case within 3 working days;

(d) on verification, the Plan activates (or extends) and the Platform issues a numbered receipt stating the amount, UTR, Plan and the exact service period covered.

8.3 Activation on approval. A Plan is active only from verification, not from payment. Two protections apply to verification lag: (a) a payment reported through the Platform before a Suspension takes effect keeps the account active — including Reminders — pending verification of that payment; and (b) if verification of a correctly reported, genuine payment is delayed beyond 1 working day, the service period is back-dated to the payment date, so no paid days are lost to verification lag. If a payment kept the account active under (a) and then fails verification (Clause 8.4), the account moves to Suspension under Clause 7.2, with the notice that clause requires.

8.4 Failed verification. If a reported UTR cannot be matched, the Operator will say so and ask for proof (payment screenshot). No Plan activates on an unverifiable payment.

8.5 Expiry model. Plans are prepaid for a fixed period and expire at its end. There is no auto-debit and no auto-renewal; nothing is ever pulled from the Firm's account. After expiry the account moves to Suspension for non-payment (Clause 7.2) only after a grace period of 7 days. During the grace period the Service, including Reminders, continues in full, and the Platform will warn conspicuously. A payment reported during the grace period keeps the account active pending verification (Clause 8.3(a)).

8.6 Price changes. Prices may change on 30 days' notice. A price change never applies retroactively: any period already paid for continues at the price paid, to its expiry.

8.7 Taxes. Published prices are exclusive of taxes. Any tax that becomes applicable (including GST, if and when the Operator registers) will be shown separately on receipts and introduced only prospectively, with the notice under Clause 8.6. No GST is charged while the Operator is unregistered.

9. Third-Party Services

9.1 The Service depends on third parties: messaging (WhatsApp Business/Meta), email providers, hosting infrastructure, and court-data providers. Their availability, pricing and policies are outside the Operator's control, and Clause 4.3 and 4.4 apply to anything they carry or supply.

9.2 If a third party withdraws or materially restricts a channel (for example, WhatsApp messaging policy changes), the Operator will make reasonable efforts to provide an alternative channel and will notify affected Firms.

10. Limitation of Liability

10.1 Cap. The Operator's total aggregate liability to the Firm arising out of or in connection with the Platform, whether in contract, tort (including negligence) or otherwise, is limited to the total fees actually paid by the Firm to the Operator for the three (3) months of service immediately preceding the event giving rise to the claim. Where the Firm paid no fees for that period (including a Firm on the Free plan), the Operator's total liability is limited to ₹1,000 or the minimum liability that applicable law permits, whichever is higher.

10.2 Excluded losses. The Operator is not liable for indirect or consequential loss, loss of profits, loss of business or professional reputation, loss of clients or briefs, or the professional consequences described in Clause 4.5.

10.3 Carve-outs. Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability for (a) fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, (b) death or personal injury caused by negligence, (c) gross negligence or wilful misconduct, or (d) any liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable Indian law, including any non-excludable rights of the Firm under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 where it applies.

10.4 Each limitation in this Clause 10 is separate and severable.

11. Indemnity

11.1 The Firm will indemnify the Operator against third-party claims, penalties and reasonable costs arising from (a) the Firm's unlawful use of the Platform, (b) breach of Clause 6 (including messaging clients without consent), or (c) Firm Data that the Firm had no right to upload — except to the extent caused by the Operator's own breach of these Terms.

12. Force Majeure

12.1 Neither party is liable for delay or failure caused by events beyond its reasonable control — including natural disaster, epidemic, war, civil disturbance, government order, internet or telecom backbone failure, and outages of third-party providers — provided the affected party resumes performance as soon as reasonably possible. Force majeure does not excuse payment for service already delivered, and does not shorten the Firm's rights under the Refund Policy for total service failure.

13. Intellectual Property

13.1 The Platform — its software, design, name, logo and documentation — is and remains the Operator's property. The Firm gets a non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to use the Platform for its own practice during the subscription.

13.2 Firm Data is the Firm's (Clause 5.1). Feedback and suggestions may be used by the Operator to improve the Platform without obligation, but never in a way that discloses Firm Data.

14. Governing Law, Jurisdiction and Dispute Resolution

14.1 These Terms are governed by the laws of India.

14.2 Good-faith resolution first. Before commencing any proceedings, a party must give the other written notice of the dispute, and both parties must attempt in good faith to resolve it for 30 days from that notice. Nothing in this clause prevents either party from seeking urgent interim relief or from instituting proceedings necessary to preserve a limitation period.

14.3 Subject to Clause 14.2, the courts at Chandigarh have exclusive jurisdiction over all disputes arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Platform. Nothing in this clause displaces a forum that a consumer-protection statute makes non-excludable.

15. Grievance Officer and Contact

15.1 In keeping with the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020, the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 where they apply, and the DPDP Act's grievance requirements, the Operator designates a named grievance officer:

• Grievance Officer: [GRIEVANCE OFFICER NAME], Grievance Officer
• Email: [CONTACT EMAIL]
• Postal address: [POSTAL ADDRESS]
• WhatsApp: [WHATSAPP NUMBER]

15.2 Grievances will be acknowledged within 48 hours and resolved within 30 days of receipt; where the IT Rules, 2021 apply to a complaint, it will be acknowledged within 24 hours and resolved within 15 days. Include your Firm ID and, for payment issues, the UTR and receipt number.

16. Changes to These Terms

16.1 The Operator may amend these Terms. For material changes, the Operator will give at least 15 days' notice by email to the Firm Admin and by in-app notice before the change takes effect. Non-material changes (typographical, clarificatory) may take effect on posting.

16.2 Continued use of the Platform after the effective date of a notified change is acceptance of it. A Firm that does not accept a material change may terminate before the effective date and receives a pro-rata refund, by days, of the unused paid period — on any Plan (Refund Policy, Clause 4.3).

16.3 Every version of these Terms is archived and the version accepted by each Firm is recorded (Clause 2.1).

17. General

17.1 Severability. If a clause is held unenforceable, the rest of these Terms survive, and the clause is enforced to the maximum extent permitted.

17.2 No waiver. A failure to enforce a clause is not a waiver of it.

17.3 Assignment. The Firm may not assign these Terms without consent. The Operator may assign them to a successor entity that assumes them in full (including on incorporation of the business), with notice to the Firm; the Firm's rights are not reduced by any such assignment.

17.4 Notices. Notices to the Firm go to the Firm Admin's registered email and/or in-app; notices to the Operator go to the grievance contact in Clause 15. An email notice is deemed received 24 hours after sending, absent a bounce or delivery failure.

17.5 Entire agreement. These Terms, the Privacy Policy, the Refund Policy and the plan/price page published on the Platform are the entire agreement between the parties concerning the Platform, and supersede prior discussions.

17.6 Relationship. Nothing in these Terms creates a partnership, agency or employment relationship, and nothing makes the Operator a party to any advocate–client relationship of the Firm.

17.7 Operator continuity. Because the Operator is presently an individual, the Operator maintains a continuity arrangement for the event of the Operator's death or prolonged incapacity: (a) a designated alternate contact — [CONTINUITY CONTACT] — holds standing instructions and the access needed to honour the export rights in Clauses 5.7 and 5.9 (including the 30-day post-termination export window); and (b) the wind-down protections of Clause 7.5(c) — 60 days' written notice, or the fullest notice the circumstances allow, with the Refund Policy's full refund of the unused period — apply to any resulting discontinuation of the Service. This clause survives termination.

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