1. About these terms
These terms govern use of the WK Legal website, enquiries, bookings, ILA, contract drafting and review, Companies House ACSP verification and other expressly agreed services. Read them with the applicable engagement letter, client-care letter, quotation, scope and fee agreement. If they conflict, the matter-specific documentation prevails for professional services.
2. Service provider
WK Legal is operated by Mary Wambui Kimani, trading as WK Legal, of 10 Silas Court, Lockhart Road, Watford, England, WD17 4BQ. Legal services are provided by Mary Wambui Kimani under the model described in the Regulatory Information & Legal Notice. Companies House verification is provided by Mary Wambui Kimani, authorised agent number APO21367.
3. Website information and formation of retainer
Website content is general information, not advice for your circumstances. Visiting, enquiring, uploading, receiving an automated response or requesting an appointment does not create a solicitor-client relationship. We accept professional responsibility only when we expressly confirm acceptance of your instructions.
Before acceptance we may review documents, define scope, check conflicts, verify identity, meet regulatory requirements and obtain payment. We may decline work without giving a reason where lawful.
4. Your responsibilities
You must provide complete, accurate and timely information; disclose relevant deadlines, parties and circumstances; supply legible authentic documents; follow security instructions; attend appointments personally; and promptly notify us of changes. You must not impersonate anyone, submit altered or misleading material, misuse the website or ask us to facilitate unlawful conduct.
We may rely on information and documents you supply unless we agree otherwise. Delay or inaccuracy may prevent completion, lead to additional fees or require us to stop acting.
5. Independent Legal Advice
The ILA scope is limited to the documents and issues identified in the engagement terms. It may include identity checks, document review, an independent meeting, explanation of nature and legal effect, discussion of material risks and alternatives, questions to assess understanding and voluntariness, and a certificate or confirmation where appropriate.
Unless expressly agreed, ILA does not include negotiating the transaction; advising another party; valuing property or a business; tax, investment, accounting, immigration, foreign-law or commercial advice; investigating underlying facts; confirming lender suitability; or advising on documents outside scope.
You must meet us privately unless we approve another arrangement. We may refuse to advise or certify where identity, capacity, understanding, voluntariness, interpretation, time, documentation, conflict, fraud or professional concerns are not satisfactorily resolved.
6. Lenders and third parties
We act for the client identified in the engagement documents, not automatically for a lender, broker, spouse, company, conveyancer or referrer. A third party may impose requirements or reject the form of certificate. We do not guarantee that a lender or other person will accept our work, and we are not responsible for their decisions or delays.
7. Certificates
Payment or attendance does not guarantee that a certificate will be signed. A certificate is issued only if the advising solicitor is professionally satisfied that it is proper to do so. If it cannot be issued, fees remain payable for work reasonably performed, subject to consumer rights and the applicable engagement terms.
8. Contract drafting and review
Our scope is confined to the stated document, governing law, purpose and review level. We rely on your commercial instructions. Unless agreed, we do not conduct due diligence, verify factual assumptions, negotiate, advise on tax/accounting/regulatory matters, monitor performance or update a completed document for later legal changes.
9. ACSP identity-verification services
ACSP work is an identity-verification service for Companies House and is not, by itself, legal advice. You must provide genuine current documents and cooperate with live, likeness, electronic or documentary checks. We may request further evidence, repeat checks, pause, refuse or report concerns where required.
Successful checking does not guarantee acceptance by Companies House, completion of a filing or satisfaction of any separate AML, bank or third-party requirement. We retain required verification records for the statutory period and may disclose them to Companies House or authorities where required. Your obligations to use any personal code or complete later filings remain your responsibility unless separately agreed.
10. Identity, AML, sanctions and fraud controls
We may carry out identity, source-of-funds/source-of-wealth, sanctions, politically exposed person, fraud and other compliance checks where applicable. We may use third-party databases. Law or professional duties may require us to stop work, retain information, make a report or refrain from explaining our actions.
11. Fees, VAT and payment
Fees and any VAT or disbursements are stated in the quotation or engagement documents. Fixed fees cover only the stated scope and assumptions. Additional work, urgent work, repeated appointments, extra documents, translation, enhanced checks or changes in instructions may cost more, but we will explain the basis where practicable.
Payment is due in advance unless the engagement documentation states otherwise. We may suspend work for non-payment. Payment services may be supplied by an independent processor. We do not accept cash or client money unless expressly confirmed and permitted under the applicable practice model.
12. Consumer cancellation rights
If you are a consumer contracting at a distance, you may have a 14-day cancellation right. Details and a model cancellation method will be provided where legally required. If you expressly request work during that period, you may have to pay a proportionate amount for work completed before cancellation. Once a service has been fully performed after your express request and acknowledgement, the right may be lost to the extent permitted by law.
Nothing in these terms limits mandatory consumer rights. Cancellation may be communicated through the enquiry form on the Contact page, by email, or in writing to our postal address.
13. Appointments, rescheduling and delay
Appointments are subject to confirmation, satisfactory documents and payment. Cancellation and rescheduling of appointments are as set out in the engagement documentation. We may reschedule for professional, technical or compliance reasons. Timescales are estimates unless expressly guaranteed; we are not responsible for delay caused by missing information, third parties, Companies House, events beyond reasonable control or necessary compliance work.
14. Electronic communications and signatures
You consent to ordinary electronic communication unless another method is agreed. Email and online systems carry risks despite reasonable security. Verify unexpected payment instructions through a known contact route. Electronic signatures and video appointments may be used where appropriate, but original documents or additional formalities may still be required.
15. Confidentiality, data and files
We protect confidential information subject to disclosures authorised by you or required/permitted by law, regulation, insurers or professional duties. Personal information is handled under our Privacy Policy. File ownership, storage and destruction follow the engagement terms and retention policy. We may keep copies even if originals are returned.
16. Intellectual property
We or our licensors retain intellectual property in the website, templates, know-how and materials. After full payment, you may use bespoke work product for the purpose for which it was prepared. You may not resell, publish, adapt for unrelated transactions or allow third-party reliance without written permission. You retain rights in materials you supply and grant us permission to use them to perform the services.
17. Third-party services and links
Booking, identity, payment, video, signature, cloud or Companies House services may be provided by third parties under their own terms. Links do not imply endorsement. We are not responsible for third-party availability, content or decisions, except to the extent the law makes us responsible.
18. Liability
Our duty is owed only to the client and for the agreed purpose. No third party may rely on our work without written agreement. We are not liable for losses caused by inaccurate or late instructions, unauthorised alterations, use outside scope, third-party decisions or matters expressly excluded.
Subject to liabilities that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited, our aggregate liability is limited to the cap stated in the engagement documentation for the matter. Nothing excludes liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability that cannot legally be limited.
19. Ending the engagement
You may end instructions in writing, subject to payment for work performed. We may stop acting for good reason, including conflict, non-payment, misleading information, inability to obtain instructions, abusive conduct, unlawful requests, compliance concerns or breakdown of trust, and will give reasonable notice where permitted. On termination we may retain documents where a lawful lien or retention duty applies.
20. Complaints
Use our Complaints Procedure. Complaints may be raised through the enquiry form on the Contact page, marking the message as a complaint. Eligible complainants may subsequently contact the Legal Ombudsman within its applicable time limits. Service complaints do not remove your obligation to pay undisputed sums.
21. General provisions
If a provision is invalid, the remainder continues. Delay in enforcing a right is not a waiver. We may transfer the agreement only where lawful and without reducing your rights; you may not transfer it without consent. These terms and engagement documents form the entire agreement, subject to liability that cannot be excluded for misrepresentation.
22. Governing law and courts
These terms and non-contractual obligations are governed by the law of England and Wales. The courts of England and Wales have jurisdiction, subject to any mandatory consumer right to bring proceedings elsewhere.
23. Changes
We may update website terms prospectively. The version applicable to an accepted matter will be the version incorporated into its engagement documents unless a lawful change is agreed or required.