1. About our terms

1.1 These terms and conditions of use (Terms) explain how you may use this website and any of its content (Site). References in these terms and conditions to the Site mean www.asklegalsolicitors.co.uk and all associated web pages.

1.2 These Terms apply between Ask Legal Solicitors (we, us, or our) and you, the person accessing or using the Site (you or your).

1.3 You should read these Terms carefully before using the Site. By using the Site or otherwise indicating your consent, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree with any of these Terms, you should stop using the Site immediately.

1.4 Please note that no sale of products or services takes place on this website. Any agreement to provide legal services will be governed by separate terms and conditions in addition to these terms and will be provided to you separately.

1.5 If you would like these Terms in another format (for example: audio, large print, braille), please contact us using the contact details set out below.

2. About us

2.1 Ask Legal Solicitors is a limited company incorporated in England & Wales with company number: 08840386.

2.2 We are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (ID number 611808) and as such are bound by the SRA’s associated professional rules, which can be viewed at www.sra.org.uk.

2.3 Our address is Suite 8 Southgate Two, 321 Wilmslow Road, Cheadle, Cheshire, SK8 3PW.

2.4 Our VAT number is: 100 9906 38.

2.5 We maintain professional indemnity insurance in accordance with our regulatory obligations as imposed by the SRA. Details of our professional indemnity insurance are available for inspection at our offices and/or on request.

2.6 If you have any questions about the Site, please contact us by:

1. 2.6.1 Sending an email to [email protected]
2. 2.6.2 Calling us on 0161 436 0000 during normal business hours

3. Using the site

3.1 The Site is for your personal use only.

3.2 You agree that you are solely responsible for all costs and expenses you may incur in relation to your use of the Site.

3.3 We make no promise that the Site is appropriate or available for use in locations outside of the UK. If you choose to access the Site from locations outside the UK, you acknowledge you do so at your own initiative and are responsible for compliance with local laws where they apply.

3.4 We try to make the Site as accessible as possible. If you have any difficulties using the Site, please contact us using the contact details at the top of this page.

3.5 As a condition of your use of the Site, you agree not to:

1. 3.5.1 Misuse or attack our Site by knowingly introducing viruses, trojans, worms, logic bombs or any other material which is malicious or technologically harmful (such as by way of a denial-of-service attack).
2. 3.5.2 Attempt to gain unauthorised access to our Site, the server on which our Site is stored, or any server, computer, or database connected to our Site.

3.6 We may prevent or suspend your access to the Site if you do not comply with these Terms or any applicable law.

4. Your privacy and personal information

4.1 Your privacy and personal information are important to us. Any personal information that you provide to us will be dealt with in line with our Privacy Policy, which explains what personal information we collect from you, how and why we collect, store, use, and share such information, your rights in relation to your personal information, and how to contact us and supervisory authorities in the event you have a query or complaint about the use of your personal information.

4.2 We are registered as a Data Controller with the Information Commissioner (ICO). The types of personal data that we process are listed under our registration records. All information that we hold concerning you as an individual will be held and processed by us strictly in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Regulations. You may raise any query that you have with regard to your confidentiality, privacy, and data protection with our Data Protection Officer at the address noted above. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the ICO in the event that you believe we have mishandled your personal data. Please see the ICO’s website for details of their complaints handling process: https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/.

5. Cookies and other information-gathering technologies

5.1 A cookie is a small text file which is placed onto your device (e.g., computer, smartphone, or other electronic device) when you use our website. We use cookies on our website.

6. Different types of Cookies

Performance Cookies – These are cookies which collect information about how you use our website, e.g., which pages you go to most often. These cookies do not collect personally identifiable information about you. All information collected by these cookies is aggregated and anonymous, and it is only used to improve how our website works.

Functionality Cookies – These cookies allow our website to remember the choices that you make (such as your username, language, last action, and search preferences) and provide enhanced, more personal features. The information collected by these cookies is anonymous and cannot track your browsing activity on other websites.

Targeting and Advertising Cookies – These cookies are used to deliver adverts more relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement on our website and help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. We do not use these types of cookies on our website.

External social networks such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn – Use of buttons and widgets on our website allows interaction with the relevant social network. The information obtained through this Website is always subject to your privacy settings for each social network.

7. The Duration of Cookies

7.1 Different types of cookies last for varying lengths of time:

7.1.1 Session Cookies – These allow our website to link your actions during a particular browser session. These expire each time you close your browser and do not remain on your device afterwards.

7.1.2 Persistent Cookies – These are stored on your device in between browser sessions. These allow your preferences or actions across our website to be remembered. These will remain on your device until you delete them from your cache.

8. Consent to Use Cookies and How to Turn Off Cookies

8.1 We will ask for your consent to place cookies or other similar technologies on your device, except where they are essential for us to provide you with a service that you have requested.

8.2 You can withdraw any consent to the use of cookies or manage any other cookie preferences on our website.

8.3 If you do not want to accept any cookies, you may be able to change your browser settings so that cookies (including those which are essential to the services requested) are not accepted. If you do this, please be aware that you may lose some of the functionality of our website.

8.4 For further information on cookies generally, including how to control and manage them, visit the guidance on cookies published by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office, www.aboutcookies.org or www.allaboutcookies.org.

9. Ownership, Use, and Intellectual Property Rights

9.1 The intellectual property rights in the Site and in any text, images, video, audio, or other multimedia content, software, or other information or material submitted to or accessible from the Site (Content) are owned by us and our licensors.

9.2 We and our licensors reserve all our intellectual property rights (including, but not limited to, all copyright, trademarks, domain names, design rights, database rights, patents, and all other intellectual property rights of any kind) whether registered or unregistered anywhere in the world. This means, for example, that we remain owners of them and are free to use them as we see fit.

9.3 Nothing in these Terms grants you any legal rights in the Site or the Content other than as necessary for you to access it. You agree not to adjust, try to circumvent, or delete any notices contained on the Site or the Content (including any intellectual property notices) and in any digital rights or other security technology embedded or contained within the Site or the Content.

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10. Software

10.1 Where software is made available for you to download for the Site to work better, you will be granted a limited, non-exclusive licence to use any such software, subject to you agreeing to the terms and conditions that apply to such software (sometimes known as an ‘end user licence agreement’ or ‘EULA’).

10.2 You will be made aware of any terms and conditions that apply to the software when you try to download it. If you do not accept such terms and conditions, you will not be able to download the software.

10.3 You should read any terms and conditions carefully. They may contain provisions that set out your legal rights (for example, under the Consumer Rights Act 2015), your legal responsibilities when using the software, the software provider’s legal responsibilities, and any limitations on the software provider’s legal responsibilities to you.

10.4 Using the software in an unlawful way (such as reproducing or redistributing it in a way that breaches these Terms and any other terms and conditions that apply to it) is expressly prohibited and may result in civil and criminal penalties.

11. Submitting information to the site

11.1 While we try to make sure that the Site is secure, we do not actively monitor or check whether information supplied to us through the Site is confidential, commercially sensitive, or valuable.

11.2 Other than any personal information which will be dealt with in accordance with our Privacy Policy, we do not guarantee that information supplied to us through the Site will be kept confidential and we may use it on an unrestricted and free-of-charge basis as we see fit.

12. Accuracy of information and availability of the site

12.1 We try to make sure that the Site is accurate, up-to-date, and free from bugs, but we cannot promise that it will be. Furthermore, we cannot promise that the Site will be fit or suitable for any purpose. Any reliance that you may place on the information on the Site is at your own risk.

12.2 We may suspend or terminate access or operation of the Site at any time as we see fit.

12.3 Any Content is provided for your general information purposes only and to inform you about us and our products and news, features, services, and other websites that may be of interest, but has not been tailored to your specific requirements or circumstances. It does not constitute technical, financial, or legal advice or any other type of advice and should not be relied on for any purposes. You should always use your own independent judgment when using our Site and its Content.

12.4 While we try to make sure that the Site is available for your use, we do not promise that the Site will always be available or that your use of the Site will be uninterrupted.

13. Hyperlinks and third-party sites

13.1 The Site may contain hyperlinks or references to third-party advertising and websites other than the Site. Any such hyperlinks or references are provided for your convenience only. We have no control over third-party advertising or websites and accept no legal responsibility for any content, material, or information contained in them.

13.2 The display of any hyperlink and reference to any third-party advertising or website does not mean that we endorse that third party’s website, products, or services. Your use of a third-party site may be governed by the terms and conditions of that third-party site and is at your own risk.

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14. Our Responsibility to You

14.1 If we breach these Terms or are negligent, we are liable to you for foreseeable loss or damage that you suffer as a result. By ‘foreseeable’ we mean that, at the time these Terms were formed, it was either clear that such loss or damage would occur or you and we both knew that it might occur, because of something we did (or failed to do).

14.2 We are not liable to you for any loss or damage that was not foreseeable, any loss or damage not caused by our breach or negligence, or any business loss or damage.

14.3 Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits our liability for any death or personal injury caused by our negligence, liability for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability that the law does not allow us to exclude or limit.

15. Financial Services and Insurance Mediation

15.1 Marketing

15.1.1 Where the Website or any other of our promotional literature or materials refer to the provision of financial services by the Firm (such as our ability to help clients arrange after the event legal expenses insurance or title indemnity insurance), such references do not indicate and should not be understood as indicating that the Firm is a person to whom the general prohibition does not apply. The general prohibition against providing financial services which are regulated activities does apply to the Firm and its regulated principals and employees. The Firm is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority nor is it exempt from authorisation under sections 38 – 39A of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.

15.2 Insurance Mediation Activity

15.2.1 We are not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. However, we are included on the register maintained by the Financial Conduct Authority so that we can carry on insurance mediation distribution activity, which is broadly the advising on, selling, and administration of insurance contracts. This part of our business, including arrangements for complaints or redress if something goes wrong, is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. The register can be accessed via the Financial Conduct Authority website at www.fca.org.uk/firms/financial-services-register.

15.3 Investment Transactions

15.3.1 The firm is also not authorised by the FCA to provide investment advice services. If you need advice on investments, we may refer you to someone who is authorised by the FCA to provide the necessary advice. However, because we are regulated by the SRA, we may be able to provide certain limited investment advice services where these are closely linked to the legal work we are doing for you. Nothing we say or do should be construed as an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activities, nor as advice on the investment merits of acquiring or disposing of particular investments.

16. Events Beyond Our Control

We are not liable to you if we fail to comply with these Terms because of circumstances beyond our reasonable control.

17. No Third-Party Rights

No one other than us or you has any right to enforce any of these Terms.

18. Variation

18.1 No changes to these Terms are valid or have any effect unless agreed by us in writing or made in accordance with this clause eighteen.

18.2 We reserve the right to vary these Terms from time to time. Our updated Terms will be displayed on the Site and by continuing to use and access the Site following such changes, you agree to be bound by any variation made by us. It is your responsibility to check these Terms from time to time to verify such variations.

19. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These terms and conditions are governed and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales and you consent to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

20. Complaints

20.1

We want to give you the best possible service. However, if at any point you become unhappy or concerned about the service we have provided, you should inform us immediately so we can do our best to resolve the problem.

20.2

In the first instance, it may be helpful to contact the person who is working on your matter to discuss your concerns, and we will do our best to resolve any issues. If you would like to make a formal complaint, you can read our full complaints procedure at Complaints Policy – Ask Legal Solicitors. Making a complaint will not affect how we handle your matter.

20.3 What to Do If We Cannot Resolve Your Complaint

20.3.1 We have eight weeks to consider your complaint. If we have not resolved it within this time, you may be able to complain to the Legal Ombudsman. This applies if you are an individual, a business with fewer than 10 employees and turnover or assets not exceeding a certain threshold, a charity or trust with a net income of less than £1m, or if you fall within other categories (you can find out more from the Legal Ombudsman).

20.3.2 The Legal Ombudsman will look at your complaint independently, and it will not affect how we handle your matter.

20.3.3 Before accepting a complaint for investigation, the Legal Ombudsman will check that you have tried to resolve your complaint with us first. If you have, then you must take your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman:

• within six months of receiving a final response to your complaint; and
• no more than 1 year from the date of the act or omission; or
• no more than 1 year from when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint.

20.3.4 If you would like more information about the Legal Ombudsman, please contact them:

• Visit: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
• Call: 0300 555 0333 (between 9.00 to 17.00)
• Email: [email protected]
• Post: Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH

20.4 What to Do If You Are Unhappy With Our Behaviour

20.4.1 The Solicitors Regulation Authority can help if you are concerned about our behaviour. This could be for things like dishonesty, taking or losing your money, or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability, or other characteristic.

20.4.2 Visit their website to see how you can raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority.