Acceptable Use Policy

Scope and Statement of Prohibited Conduct

This Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) governs the access to and use of all websites, mobile applications, attorney dashboards, lead-management APIs, and document-generation tools provided by Legal Online Directory. This policy is designed to ensure compliance with federal and state laws, maintain the integrity of our attorney-client matching ecosystem, and protect the privacy of consumers seeking legal assistance.

Legal Online Directory is not a law firm. We operate a lead-generation marketplace and directory. Use of our services does not create an attorney-client relationship between the user and Legal Online Directory. All users, whether consumers seeking counsel or participating attorneys, must strictly adhere to the standards set forth herein. Failure to comply may result in immediate termination of access, reporting to state bar associations, or civil litigation.

Compliance with Communication Standards (TCPA and TSR)

All users, particularly attorneys and third-party affiliates purchasing leads or utilizing our case-exchange platform, must comply with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), 47 U.S.C. § 227, and its implementing regulations at 47 C.F.R. § 64.1200.

In accordance with the FCC’s 2023/2024 "Second Report and Order" (FCC 23-107), which closes the "lead generator loophole," users of our platform are prohibited from:

• Initiating telemarketing calls or SMS text messages to consumers without "one-to-one" prior express written consent.
• Sharing, selling, or purchasing lead data that was not collected via a clear and conspicuous disclosure naming the specific entity to whom the consent applies.
• Violating the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR), 16 C.F.R. Part 310, including making calls to numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry.
• Failing to honor a consumer's revocation of consent "in any reasonable manner," as required by the FCC’s updated revocation rules. Legal Online Directory monitors API pings for opt-out signals; ignoring these signals is a material breach of this AUP.

State "Mini-TCPA" and Anti-Solicitation Statutes

Users must observe heightened standards in specific jurisdictions. Several states have enacted "Mini-TCPA" statutes that provide broader protections than federal law. Prohibited conduct includes:

• Florida: Violating the Florida Telephone Solicitation Act (FTSA), Fla. Stat. § 501.059, which prohibits the use of automated systems for selection or dialing without prior express written consent and limits the number of calls within 24 hours.
• Oklahoma: Violating the Television Consumer Protection Act, Okla. Stat. tit. 15, § 775C.
• Washington: Violating the Consumer Electronic Mail Act (CEMA) or the Commercial Electronic Mail Act regarding unsolicited text messages.

Attorneys must further ensure that any outreach initiated through a lead provided by this directory complies with state-specific rules on solicitation (e.g., Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct Rule 7.03 or California Rules of Professional Conduct Rule 7.3).

Professional Responsibility and UPL Restrictions

Legal Online Directory facilitates connections, but it is the sole responsibility of the attorney-member to ensure their conduct meets the ethical obligations of their licensing jurisdiction.

Unauthorized Practice of Law (UPL)

Non-attorney users (including affiliates and document purchasers) are strictly prohibited from using our tools to engage in the Unauthorized Practice of Law as defined by state statutes (e.g., Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 6125; N.Y. Jud. Law § 478). Our document assembly tools are for administrative and self-help purposes; their use does not constitute legal advice.

Fee Sharing and Referral Fees

Attorneys participating in our case-exchange platform must ensure that any referral fee settlement complies with ABA Model Rule 1.5(e) (Division of Fees) and Model Rule 5.4 (Professional Independence of a Lawyer).

• California Residents: All fee-sharing agreements must comply with CRPC Rule 1.5.1, requiring written client consent.
• New York Residents: Participation must comply with 22 NYCRR § 1200, Rule 1.5(g).
• Non-Lawyer Sharing: Legal Online Directory does not share in "legal fees" as prohibited by state ethics rules; our fees are strictly for advertising and lead-generation services compliant with ABA Model Rule 7.2.

Prohibited Data Collection and Privacy Violations

Users are prohibited from using Legal Online Directory to scrape, harvest, or otherwise collect data in violation of state comprehensive privacy laws, including the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) as amended by the CPRA (Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.100 et seq.), and similar statutes in Virginia (VCDPA), Colorado (CPA), and Connecticut (CTDPA).

Specific prohibitions include:

• Global Privacy Control (GPC): Users accessing our API must respect and propagate GPC signals indicating a consumer has opted out of the "sale" or "sharing" of personal information.
• Sensitive Data: Users may not input or process "Sensitive Personal Information" (as defined by CPRA) through non-encrypted dashboard fields, unless specifically prompted for conflict-check purposes.
• FCRA Compliance: Legal Online Directory is not a "consumer reporting agency" under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), 15 U.S.C. § 1681 et seq. Users are prohibited from using data obtained through this site to determine a consumer’s eligibility for credit, insurance, or employment.

Fraudulent and Deceptive Practices

In accordance with Section 5 of the FTC Act (15 U.S.C. § 45), which prohibits unfair or deceptive acts or practices, the following activities are strictly prohibited:

• Misrepresentation of Affiliation: Attorneys may not claim to be "partners" with Legal Online Directory or imply that the directory endorses their legal expertise.
• Bait-and-Switch: Offering a specific legal service or fee structure on a profile and then unilaterally changing terms upon contact.
• Shill Reviews: Posting false reviews for oneself or competitors.
• AI Misuse: Using generative AI tools provided on the platform to create fraudulent legal filings or deceptive advertising copy.

System Integrity and Security

Users may not engage in activities that compromise the technical infrastructure of the platform. This includes:

• Vulnerability Testing: Attempting to probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of the system without prior written authorization.
• Denial of Service: Engaging in actions that impose an unreasonable load on our infrastructure (DoS/DDoS).
• Credential Sharing: Sharing dashboard login credentials between law firms or third-party marketing agencies.
• API Abuse: Exceeding rate limits or using the API to facilitate unsolicited commercial email in violation of the CAN-SPAM Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 7701-7713.

Accessibility and Non-Discrimination

Legal Online Directory is committed to digital accessibility. Users providing content (such as attorney profile descriptions or articles) must ensure that content is accessible to individuals with disabilities, consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title III and WCAG 2.1 AA standards.

Furthermore, users are prohibited from using the platform to discriminate against consumers on the basis of race, religion, national origin, disability, or sexual orientation, in accordance with applicable federal and state civil rights laws.

Intellectual Property and DMCA

All content on the platform is protected by U.S. copyright and trademark law.

• Unauthorized Use: Users may not redistribute, sell, or manufacture derivative works from the legal forms and documents purchased on the platform.
• DMCA Compliance: We respond to notices of alleged copyright infringement under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), 17 U.S.C. § 512. If you believe your work has been copied in a way that constitutes infringement, please follow the procedure on our Contact page.

Legal Funding and Affiliate Disclosures

For users utilizing our legal-funding referral partners:

• Disclosures: All funding referrals are subject to the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) and state-level litigation funding regulations (e.g., N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law).
• Affiliate Commissions: Users participating in our affiliate program must provide "clear and conspicuous" disclosures of their financial relationship with Legal Online Directory in all promotional content, as required by the FTC’s Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (16 C.F.R. Part 255).

Reporting Violations

If you become aware of any user violating this Acceptable Use Policy, particularly regarding the unauthorized practice of law or TCPA violations, you are encouraged to report such activity immediately. Legal Online Directory reserves the right to suspend accounts during the investigation of any reported breach.

Contact

For questions regarding this policy or to report a violation, please visit our Contact page.