Terms of Platform Use and Service

In these Terms, unless the context otherwise requires:

• "Platform" means the Suites by AdvocatesConnect web application, all associated services, APIs, and mobile interfaces accessible at www.advocates-connect.com.
• "Company", "We", "Us", "Our" refers to AdvocatesConnect Ltd, a company incorporated under the laws of the Republic of Uganda.
• "User", "You", "Your" refers to any individual or legal entity accessing or using the Platform, including Account Administrators, Staff Members, Lawyers, and Clients.
• "Account Administrator" means the individual designated by a law firm or organisation to manage the firm's account, subscriptions, and user access.
• "Personal Data" has the meaning assigned under Section 2 of the Data Protection and Privacy Act, 2019, being any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person.
• "Processing" has the meaning assigned under Section 2 of the Data Protection and Privacy Act, 2019.
• "NITA-U" means the National Information Technology Authority — Uganda established under the NITA-U Act, 2009.
• "PDPO" means the Personal Data Protection Office of Uganda established under the Data Protection and Privacy Act, 2019.
• "Sensitive Personal Data" includes data relating to an individual's religious or philosophical beliefs, political opinion, sexual life, financial information, health status, and other categories specified under Section 5 of the Data Protection and Privacy Regulations, 2021.
• "Electronic Record" has the meaning assigned under the Electronic Transactions Act, 2011.
• "Subscription" means the paid access plan selected by a User entitling them to specific features and services on the Platform.

2.1 By accessing, browsing, or using the Platform, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms of Platform Use and Service ("Terms"), our Privacy Statement, and our Cookie Policy.

2.2 If you are entering into these Terms on behalf of a law firm, company, or other legal entity, you represent and warrant that you have the authority to bind such entity to these Terms.

2.3 Your continued use of the Platform following the posting of any changes to these Terms constitutes acceptance of those changes, in accordance with Section 16 of the Electronic Transactions Act, 2011.

2.4 If you do not agree to these Terms, you must immediately cease all use of the Platform and delete your account.

2.5 These Terms constitute a valid and enforceable electronic contract within the meaning of the Electronic Transactions Act, 2011 and the Electronic Signatures Act, 2011.

3.1 The Platform provides legal practice management tools including, but not limited to: case and matter management, client relationship management, time tracking and billing, document management and generation, human resources and payroll management, calendar and scheduling, a legal research library, and secure messaging.

3.2 The Platform does not provide legal advice, legal representation, or legal services of any kind. No advocate-client or attorney-client relationship is created between the Company and any User by virtue of use of the Platform.

3.3 Users are solely responsible for ensuring that their use of the Platform complies with all applicable laws, including the Advocates Act (Cap. 267), the Uganda Law Society rules of professional conduct, and any sector-specific regulations applicable to their practice.

4.1 To use the Platform, you must be at least eighteen (18) years of age and possess the legal capacity to enter into binding contracts under the laws of Uganda.

4.2 The Account Administrator must provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration. Provision of false or misleading information may result in immediate termination of your account.

4.3 Where registration is performed on behalf of a law firm, the registrant warrants that they are duly authorised to act on behalf of the firm and to bind the firm to these Terms.

5.1 You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activities that occur under your account.

5.2 You must immediately notify us at suites.support@advocates-connect.com of any unauthorised access to or use of your account.

5.3 We implement technical and organisational security measures in accordance with Section 19 of the Data Protection and Privacy Act, 2019 and Part IV of the Data Protection and Privacy Regulations, 2021, including encryption, multi-tenant data isolation, access controls, and audit logging.

5.4 In accordance with Section 12 of the Computer Misuse Act, 2011, any person who intentionally and without authorisation accesses a computer system or electronic record belonging to another user commits an offence. You must not attempt to access accounts, systems, or data that do not belong to you.

5.5 The Company reserves the right to suspend or terminate accounts that demonstrate patterns of suspicious activity, security violations, or breaches of these Terms.

6.1 Subject to your compliance with these Terms and payment of applicable Subscription fees, the Company grants you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to access and use the Platform solely for your internal legal practice management purposes.

6.2 This licence does not include any right to: (a) sublicence, sell, resell, transfer, or distribute the Platform; (b) modify, reverse-engineer, decompile, or disassemble the Platform or any component thereof; (c) create derivative works based upon the Platform; or (d) use the Platform for any unlawful purpose.

7.1 You shall not use the Platform to:

• Engage in any activity that violates the Computer Misuse Act, 2011 (as amended), including but not limited to: unauthorised access to computer systems (Section 12), unauthorised modification of computer data (Section 13), electronic fraud (Section 19), or cyber harassment (Section 24).
• Transmit, store, or process any content that is offensive, defamatory, obscene, or otherwise unlawful under the laws of Uganda, including the Anti-Pornography Act, 2014 and the Penal Code Act (Cap. 120).
• Intercept or attempt to intercept any communication in contravention of the Regulation of Interception of Communications Act, 2010.
• Harvest, mine, scrape, or collect Personal Data of other Users without lawful authority and in violation of the Data Protection and Privacy Act, 2019.
• Introduce malicious software, viruses, trojans, worms, or any code of a destructive or harmful nature.
• Circumvent, disable, or interfere with security features of the Platform.
• Use the Platform to facilitate money laundering or terrorist financing in contravention of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2013.
• Impersonate another person or entity or misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity.

7.2 Violation of this Section may result in immediate account termination, reporting to the relevant authorities including the Uganda Police Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) Cybercrime Unit, NITA-U, and the PDPO, and civil or criminal liability.

8.1 Data Controller and Data Processor: The Account Administrator's law firm or organisation acts as the Data Controller for Personal Data processed through the Platform. The Company acts as a Data Processor on behalf of the Data Controller, in accordance with Sections 3 and 4 of the Data Protection and Privacy Act, 2019.

8.2 Lawful Basis for Processing: All processing of Personal Data through the Platform is conducted on one or more of the following lawful bases as set out in Section 5 of the Act: (a) consent of the data subject; (b) performance of a contract; (c) compliance with a legal obligation; (d) protection of the vital interests of the data subject; or (e) legitimate interests of the Company or a third party.

8.3 Data Subject Rights: In accordance with Section 23 of the Data Protection and Privacy Act, 2019, data subjects have the right to: (a) be informed of the use to which their data is being put; (b) access their personal data; (c) correct false or misleading data; (d) delete data that is no longer necessary; and (e) object to the processing of their data. Requests may be directed to suites.support@advocates-connect.com.

8.4 Cross-Border Data Transfers: Where Personal Data is transferred outside Uganda, such transfer shall comply with Section 19 of the Data Protection and Privacy Regulations, 2021, which requires that the recipient country provides adequate safeguards for the protection of Personal Data, or that the data subject has provided explicit consent.

8.5 Breach Notification: In the event of a personal data breach, the Company shall notify the PDPO and affected data subjects within seventy-two (72) hours in accordance with Section 23(h) of the Data Protection and Privacy Act, 2019 and Regulation 15 of the Data Protection and Privacy Regulations, 2021.

8.6 For full details on how we collect, use, store, and protect your data, please refer to our Privacy Statement.

9.1 All intellectual property rights in the Platform, including but not limited to software, design, text, graphics, logos, trademarks, and trade secrets, are and shall remain the exclusive property of AdvocatesConnect Ltd.

9.2 "Suites", "AdvocatesConnect", and associated logos are trademarks of AdvocatesConnect Ltd. You may not use these marks without our prior written consent.

9.3 Nothing in these Terms transfers any intellectual property rights to you except the limited licence expressly granted in Section 6.

10.1 You retain all ownership rights in the data, documents, and content you upload, create, or input into the Platform ("User Content").

10.2 By uploading User Content, you grant the Company a limited, non-exclusive licence to host, store, process, and transmit such content solely for the purpose of providing the Platform services to you.

10.3 You represent and warrant that your User Content does not infringe on the intellectual property rights, privacy rights, or any other rights of any third party, and complies with all applicable laws of Uganda.

11.1 Certain features of the Platform are available only through paid Subscriptions. Subscription fees, billing cycles, and included features are detailed on our pricing page.

11.2 All payments are processed through PesaPal and other authorised payment gateways. The Company does not directly store credit card or mobile money credentials.

11.3 Subscription fees are non-refundable except as expressly provided in these Terms or as required by law. Trial periods, where offered, do not require payment until the trial expires.

11.4 All financial transactions conducted through the Platform are subject to the Electronic Transactions Act, 2011 and applicable anti-money laundering legislation.

11.5 The Company reserves the right to modify Subscription pricing with thirty (30) days' prior written notice. Continued use of the Platform after such notice constitutes acceptance of the revised pricing.

12.1 The Company uses commercially reasonable efforts to maintain Platform availability of 99.9% uptime, excluding scheduled maintenance windows and circumstances beyond our reasonable control.

12.2 The Company may conduct scheduled maintenance during off-peak hours and will endeavour to provide advance notice of any planned downtime.

12.3 The Company does not guarantee uninterrupted access and shall not be liable for any loss or damage arising from temporary unavailability of the Platform.

13.1 The Company acknowledges the importance of advocate-client privilege and professional confidentiality. We implement strict technical measures to maintain data isolation between firm accounts (multi-tenant architecture).

13.2 The Company shall not access User Content except: (a) as necessary to provide the Platform services; (b) as directed by the Account Administrator; (c) to investigate potential violations of these Terms; or (d) as required by law or valid court order.

13.3 Where disclosure is compelled by law or court order, the Company shall, to the extent legally permitted, provide the affected User with prompt notice so that they may seek appropriate protective measures.

13.4 Users acknowledge that the Platform is a technology tool and that the responsibility for maintaining professional privilege and confidentiality obligations rests with the User in accordance with the Advocates Act and applicable professional conduct rules.

14.1 THE PLATFORM IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

14.2 The Company does not warrant that: (a) the Platform will meet your specific requirements; (b) the Platform will be uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error-free; (c) the results obtained from use of the Platform will be accurate or reliable; or (d) defects in the Platform will be corrected within any particular timeframe.

14.3 TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY THE LAWS OF UGANDA, IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COMPANY, ITS DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, OR AFFILIATES BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES, OR GOODWILL, ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO YOUR USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE PLATFORM.

14.4 The Company's total aggregate liability for all claims arising under or in connection with these Terms shall not exceed the total Subscription fees paid by you during the twelve (12) months immediately preceding the event giving rise to the claim.

14.5 Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits the Company's liability for fraud, willful misconduct, or any liability that cannot be excluded or limited under the laws of Uganda.

15.1 You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Company and its directors, officers, employees, agents, and affiliates from and against any and all claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from or related to: (a) your use of the Platform; (b) your violation of these Terms; (c) your violation of any applicable law or regulation; (d) your infringement of any intellectual property or other rights of any third party; or (e) any User Content uploaded, created, or transmitted by you through the Platform.

16.1 Either party may terminate these Terms by providing thirty (30) days' written notice to the other party.

16.2 The Company may immediately suspend or terminate your access to the Platform without notice if: (a) you breach any material provision of these Terms; (b) your Subscription payment fails and remains unpaid for more than fourteen (14) days; (c) you engage in prohibited conduct under Section 7; or (d) continued provision of service poses a security risk.

16.3 Upon termination, your right to access the Platform shall cease immediately. The Company shall retain your data for a period of ninety (90) days following termination, during which you may request an export of your data.

16.4 Sections 8, 9, 13, 14, 15, 17, and 18 shall survive termination of these Terms.

17.1 In accordance with the data subject's right of access under Section 23 of the Data Protection and Privacy Act, 2019, you may request a copy of your data in a commonly used, machine-readable format at any time during your Subscription or within ninety (90) days of termination.

17.2 The Company shall retain Personal Data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by applicable law. Retention periods are detailed in our Privacy Statement.

17.3 Upon expiry of the retention period, Personal Data shall be securely deleted or anonymised in accordance with Regulation 17 of the Data Protection and Privacy Regulations, 2021.

18.1 Governing Law: These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Uganda.

18.2 Informal Resolution: Before initiating formal proceedings, the parties shall attempt to resolve any dispute informally by written notice to the other party, allowing thirty (30) days for resolution.

18.3 Mediation: If informal resolution fails, the parties agree to submit the dispute to mediation under the Centre for Arbitration and Dispute Resolution (CADER) in Kampala, Uganda, before commencing litigation.

18.4 Jurisdiction: Subject to the foregoing, the Courts of Uganda shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute arising from or in connection with these Terms.

18.5 Nothing in this Section prevents either party from seeking urgent injunctive or equitable relief from a court of competent jurisdiction.

19.1 Neither party shall be liable for any failure or delay in performance resulting from events beyond its reasonable control, including but not limited to: acts of God, natural disasters, pandemics, government actions, war, terrorism, civil unrest, power failures, internet outages, cyberattacks, or failures of third-party service providers.

20.1 The Company reserves the right to modify these Terms at any time. Material changes shall be communicated to Users by email notification and/or prominent notice on the Platform at least thirty (30) days before the changes take effect.

20.2 Continued use of the Platform after the effective date of any amendment constitutes acceptance of the amended Terms.

20.3 If you do not agree to any amendment, your sole remedy is to terminate your account and cease use of the Platform.

21.1 If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, such provision shall be severed and the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

22.1 These Terms, together with the Privacy Statement and Cookie Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and the Company with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersede all prior agreements, understandings, and representations, whether written or oral.

22.2 No waiver of any provision of these Terms shall be effective unless in writing and signed by the Company.

For questions, complaints, or data protection enquiries regarding these Terms, please contact: