Website Terms

The website can be accessed at www.laylaw.co.za (“the Website”) and is owned and operated by Richard Thompson t/a Lay Law (“Lay Law”, “we”, “us” and “our”).

These Website Terms of Use (“Terms and Conditions”) govern the use of the Website and regulate the relationship between Lay Law and each user (or visitor) to the Website. If you choose to engage our services, such engagement will be subject to our separate Terms of Service or other contractual arrangement, which apply in addition to these Terms and Conditions and regulate the provision of services to our clients.

Any reference to “agents” within these Terms and Conditions includes our employees, contractors, representatives, and any other persons acting on our behalf.

These Terms and Conditions are binding and enforceable against every person that accesses or uses the Website (“you”, “your” or “user”). By using the Website in any capacity, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions.

Information contained on the Website is presented “as is” and:

1. 2.1.1

   may be based on our interpretation of current principles of law, which may be subject to change occasioned by future legislative enactments and court decisions;

2. 2.1.2

   is intended for general information purposes only;

3. 2.1.3

   may include technical or legislative inaccuracies, typographical errors or errors pertaining to any applicable industry related requirements; and

4. 2.1.4

   should in no way be construed as legal or other professional advice.

We take all reasonable steps to ensure that the information regarding our services (including descriptions of services, availability, and any applicable pricing) is accurate and up to date on the Website. However, we do not warrant that the content regarding our services on the Website is free from errors or omissions.

Lay Law shall not be bound by any incorrect information regarding our services displayed on any third-party websites.

Lay Law commits to respect your privacy and ensure the lawful processing of all of your personal information as defined in and in line with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 4 of 2013 (“POPIA”) and any other national data protection legislation, as applicable.

By using the Website, you also undertake to comply with all of the applicable prescripts and requirements of POPIA and/or any other national data protection legislation, as may be relevant to you.

Lay Law’s Privacy Policy is incorporated, by reference, into these Terms and Conditions and, by using the Website, you are deemed to have read and accepted our Privacy Policy.

You may not use the Website in any way that causes, or may cause, damage to the Website or impairment of the availability or accessibility of the Website; or in any way which is unlawful, illegal, fraudulent or harmful, or in connection with any unlawful, illegal, fraudulent or harmful purpose or activity.

You may not use our Website to copy, store, host, transmit, send, use, publish or distribute any material which consists of (or is linked to) any spyware, computer virus, Trojan horse, worm, keystroke logger, rootkit or other malicious or destructive computer software or code.

You may not conduct any systematic or automated data collection activities (including without limitation scraping, data mining, data extraction and data harvesting) on or in relation to our Website without our express written consent.

You may not use our Website or any information appearing thereon in connection with any surveys, contests, competitions and/or pyramid schemes, nor to transmit or send chain letters, junk email, spam, or any other unsolicited commercial communications.

You may not use data collected from our Website for any direct marketing activity (including without limitation email marketing, SMS marketing, telemarketing and direct mailing).

You may not remove, obscure or alter any legal notices displayed on our Website.

In the event that you provide a rating, testimonial or review of a service, you consent to us using the rating, testimonial or review as we deem fit, including without limitation, on the Website, in newsletters or any other marketing material. The details that may appear next to that rating, testimonial or review may be your first and last name, your business, your designation and the date of your rating / review / testimonial, as applicable. If you do not agree to this, please inform us immediately. We do, however, encourage all our clients to share their reviews, testimonials and ratings of our services. Your feedback helps us improve and keep up with your changing needs. Please note that we will never show your contact details alongside your review, testimonial or rating.

Lay Law may, in its sole discretion, change any of these Terms and Conditions at any time. It is your responsibility to regularly check these Terms and Conditions and make sure that you are satisfied with the changes. Should you not be satisfied, you must not in any other way use the Website.

Any such change will only apply to your use of the Website AFTER the change is displayed on the Website. If you use the Website after such amended Terms and Conditions have been displayed on the Website, you will be deemed to have read and accepted such changes.

The contents of the Website including, but not necessarily limited to, any material, information, data, software, icons, text, graphics, layouts, images, sound clips, advertisements, video clips, trade names, logos, trade-marks, designs and service marks which are displayed on or incorporated in the Website (“Website Content”) are protected by law, including but not limited to copyright and trademark law. The Website content is the property of Lay Law, its advertisers, sponsors, partners and/or is licensed to Lay Law.

You will not acquire any right, title or interest in or to the Website or the Website Content.

Any use, distribution or reproduction of the Website Content is prohibited unless expressly authorised with our prior written consent or as provided for in law.

Where any of the Website Content has been licensed to Lay Law or belongs to any third party, your rights of use will also be subject to any terms and conditions which that licensor or third party imposes from time to time, and you agree to comply with such third party terms and conditions.

We may maintain official accounts or pages on third-party social media platforms (such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube or any other social media channel we may use from time to time). While we may publish content or interact with users on those platforms, such platforms are governed by their own terms and privacy policies. Where applicable, we may refer users on those platforms to these Terms and Conditions, which will apply only if and when users access the Website or services directly.

We have made available, on the Website, an artificial intelligence (“AI”) chatbot (known as “Layla”) for the purpose of providing general guidance, information and support. You acknowledge and agree that:

1. 9.1.1

   Layla is a support tool and does not constitute legal advice;

2. 9.1.2

   Outputs generated by Layla are automated, generalised and not tailored to the specific facts or circumstances of any user or matter;

3. 9.1.3

   Lay Law does not accept any liability for reliance on Layla’s responses, inclusive of direct service promises, and encourages users to engage us directly for all legal matters; and

4. 9.1.4

   Due to the nature of AI and machine learning, Layla’s responses may be subject to error, omission, and contextual misunderstanding, and should be treated accordingly.

In the event that Lay Law develops or provides access to any other AI-generated tools, platforms, or products:

1. 9.2.1

   Such tools will be made available solely for convenience and general assistance, and not as a substitute for professional advice, whether legal, compliance-related, or otherwise;

2. 9.2.2

   Your use of any such tools will be at your own risk, and Lay Law makes no warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability of the outputs;

3. 9.2.3

   All final decisions, reliance, or implementation of any information derived from such tools shall remain your sole responsibility; and

4. 9.2.4

   Where any such tools are accompanied by specific terms of use or disclaimers, such additional terms shall apply in conjunction with these Terms and Conditions.

Use of Layla or any other AI tool provided by Lay Law does not create an attorney-client or consultant-client relationship, nor does it constitute the provision of legal services.

We may use AI to help us create content on the Website. When we do, we take reasonable steps to review and edit the content for accuracy and clarity. However, we cannot guarantee that AI-generated content is accurate or complete, and we are not responsible for any errors or omissions.

The use of the Website is entirely at your own risk, and you assume full responsibility for any risk or loss resulting from use of the Website or reliance on any information on the Website.

Whilst Lay Law takes reasonable measures to ensure that the content of the Website is accurate and complete, Lay Law makes no representations or warranties, whether express or implied, as to the quality, timeliness, operation, integrity, availability or functionality of the Website or as to the accuracy, completeness or reliability of any information on the Website. If any such representations or warranties are made by Lay Law agents, Lay Law shall not be bound thereby.

Lay Law rejects liability for any damage, loss or expenses, whether direct, indirect or consequential in nature, arising out of or in connection with your access to or use of the Website and/or any of its content, unless otherwise provided by law.

Any views or statements made or expressed on the Website are not necessarily the views of Lay Law and you expressly acknowledge and agree that Lay Law is not liable for or responsible for any defamatory, offensive or illegal conduct of other users or third parties.

Lay Law also makes no warranty or representation, whether express or implied, that the information or files available on the Website are free of viruses, spyware, malware, trojans, destructive materials or any other data or code which is able to corrupt, destroy, compromise, disrupt, disable, harm, jeopardise or otherwise impede in any manner the operation, stability, security functionality or content of your computer system, computer network, hardware or software in any way. You accept all risk associated with the existence of such viruses, destructive materials or any other data or code which is able to corrupt, compromise, jeopardise, disrupt, disable, harm or otherwise impede in any manner the operation or content of a computer system, computer network, any handset or mobile device, or your hardware or software, save where such risks arise due to the gross negligence or wilful misconduct of Lay Law. Lay Law thus disclaims all liability for any damage, loss or liability of any nature whatsoever arising out of or in connection with your access to or use of our Website.

The Website may contain links or references to other websites (“Third Party Websites”) which are outside of our control. These Terms and Conditions do not apply to those Third-Party Websites and Lay Law is not responsible for the practices and/or privacy policies of those Third-Party Websites or the “cookies” that those sites may use.

Regardless of the fact that the Website may refer to or provide links to Third Party Websites, your use of such Third-Party Websites is entirely at your own risk and we are not responsible for any loss, expense, claim or damage, whether direct, indirect or consequential, arising from your use of such Third Party Websites or your reliance on any information contained therein.

Lay Law cannot be held liable for any inaccurate information published on the Website, save where such liability arises from our gross negligence or wilful misconduct. You are encouraged to contact us to report any possible malfunctions or errors.

Lay Law shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special or consequential loss or damages which might arise from your use of, or reliance upon, the Website, the content contained on the Website, your inability to use the Website, any unlawful activity on the Website and/or any linked third-party website.

You hereby indemnify Lay Law and its agents against any loss, claim or damage which may be suffered by yourself or any third party arising in any way from your use of the Website and/or any linked third-party website.

Your sole and exclusive remedy relating to your use of the site shall be to discontinue using the Website.

We will use reasonable endeavours to maintain the availability of the Website, except during scheduled maintenance periods or website revamps, and are entitled to discontinue providing the Website or any part thereof with or without notice to you.

Lay Law may, in its sole discretion, terminate, suspend and modify the Website, with or without notice to you. You agree that Lay Law will not be liable to you in the event that we choose to suspend, modify or terminate the Website.

If you fail to comply with your obligations under these Terms and Conditions, Lay Law may (in our sole discretion with or without notice to you) suspend and/or terminate your access to the Website without any prejudice to any claims for damages or otherwise that we may have against you.

Lay Law is entitled, for purposes of preventing suspected fraud and/or where it suspects that you are abusing our Website, to blacklist you on its database, suspend or terminate your access to the Website, refuse to accept or process payment on any engagement for services, and/or to cancel any engagement for services concluded between you and Lay Law, in whole or in part, on notice to you.

These Terms and Conditions will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of South Africa. Any disputes arising from or in connection with these Terms and Conditions shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of a court of competent jurisdiction in Cape Town, South Africa.

Any notice or other communication given by one of us to the other in connection with these Terms and Conditions must be in writing via email to the email addresses used by the Parties in correspondence, or another email address as notified by one Party to the other.

Any notice or communication successfully sent by email shall be deemed to have been received 1 (one) day after dispatch, or, if this time falls outside business hours, 1 (one) day after business hours resume. “Business hours” means 9 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday on a day that is not a public holiday.

Please email info@laylaw.co.za with any questions or concerns arising from these Terms and Conditions or the Website.

You may not cede, assign or otherwise transfer your rights and obligations in terms of these Terms and Conditions to any third party. We may transfer, sub-contract or otherwise deal with our rights and/or obligations under these Terms and Conditions without notifying you or obtaining your consent.

Any failure on the part of you or Lay Law to enforce any right contained herein shall not constitute a waiver of that right.

If any term or condition contained herein is declared invalid, the remaining terms and conditions will remain in full force and effect.

These Terms and Conditions, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and us in relation to your use of the Website, and supersede all previous agreements in respect of your use of the Website.