Refund & Replacement Policy

Scope of the Refund and Replacement Policy

This Refund and Replacement Policy ("Policy") governs the purchase of lead data, premium directory listings, document templates, and case-referral fees through Legal Online Directory. As a lead-generation platform and attorney marketplace, we operate under a service-based model where value is delivered through the transmission of consumer data and access to networking tools.

Pursuant to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Act, 15 U.S.C. § 45, and relevant state consumer protection statutes (e.g., California Unfair Competition Law, Bus. & Prof. Code § 17000 et seq.), we maintain clear and non-deceptive refund standards. Because our products involve the immediate delivery of digital information and proprietary consumer contact details, refunds are generally restricted to instances of verified data inaccuracy or non-compliance with the delivery specifications agreed upon at the time of purchase.

Lead Replacement Criteria and Quality Standards

Legal Online Directory utilizes automated and manual verification processes to ensure that leads delivered to participating attorneys meet high-intent standards. However, we acknowledge that the nature of lead generation involves human input that may occasionally be fraudulent or inaccurate.

A lead is eligible for a "Credit Replacement" (where the cost of the lead is credited back to the attorney’s platform balance) if it meets one of the following criteria:

• Invalid Contact Information: The phone number is disconnected, is a fax number, or the email address results in a permanent "hard bounce."
• Wrong Person: The person reached at the provided contact details identifies as someone other than the lead name and has no knowledge of the legal inquiry.
• Duplicate Lead: The lead was previously delivered by Legal Online Directory to the same firm within the preceding 30 days.
• Out of Jurisdiction: The consumer is seeking legal assistance in a state or practice area that was explicitly excluded from the attorney’s filter settings at the time of lead generation.
• Language Barrier: The lead is unable to communicate in the language(s) specified in the attorney’s account profile.
• Test Leads: The submission was clearly a test or contained gibberish (e.g., "ASDF" or "John Doe").

We do not offer replacements or refunds for "bad timing," "consumer changed their mind," or "case was not profitable enough." These are inherent risks in the practice of law and do not constitute a failure of the platform’s delivery mechanism.

Compliance with FCC One-to-One Consent Rules

In accordance with the FCC’s Second Report and Order (FCC 23-107), which amended 47 C.F.R. § 64.1200 to require "one-to-one" prior express written consent for lead generation, Legal Online Directory guarantees that every lead delivered has provided affirmative consent to be contacted by the specific law firm receiving the lead.

If a consumer asserts they did not provide consent for a specific firm, or if the lead was generated in violation of the "logical and topical" connection requirement, the lead is eligible for a full refund. We maintain records of consent (including IP address, timestamp, and visual recording of the consent flow) for five years to comply with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), 47 U.S.C. § 227, and will provide these to the purchasing attorney upon request for defense against any "mini-TCPA" claims (e.g., Florida Telephone Solicitation Act, Fla. Stat. § 501.059).

Dispute Window and Submission Process

To maintain the integrity of our real-time bidding and allocation system, all replacement requests must be submitted through the attorney dashboard within five (5) business days of lead delivery.

Failure to dispute a lead within this window constitutes an "account stated" and waiver of the right to a refund under common law principles of laches and contract. To submit a dispute, the user must provide:

1. The Lead ID number.
2. The specific reason for the dispute (aligned with the criteria in Section 2).
3. A summary of the attempts made to contact the lead (including dates and times).

Requests are reviewed by our Quality Assurance team within three business days. Approved credits are issued to the user's platform balance and are non-transferable.

Professional Conduct and Fee Sharing Considerations

Legal Online Directory operates in compliance with ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct 5.4 (Professional Independence of a Lawyer) and 7.2(b). Our billing structures—whether fixed-price lead fees or membership subscriptions—are designed to ensure they do not constitute an illegal split of legal fees with a non-lawyer.

Consequently, refunds cannot be conditioned on the "outcome" of a legal case. For example, in states such as New York (Rule 7.2) or Texas (Rule 7.03), the platform cannot refund a lead fee simply because the attorney failed to sign the client or recover a settlement. Doing so would risk the platform being classified as "recommending" a lawyer for a share of the fees, rather than providing an advertising and lead-routing service.

Refund Policy for Directory Listings and Subscriptions

Subscription-based services, such as "Premium Directory Placement," are billed in advance on a monthly or annual basis.

• Cancellations: Users may cancel their subscription at any time via the [Account Settings] page. Pursuant to the Restore Online Shoppers' Confidence Act (ROSCA), 15 U.S.C. §§ 8401-8405, we provide a simple mechanism for stopping recurring charges.
• Pro-Rata Refunds: We do not offer pro-rata refunds for partial months. Service will continue through the end of the current billing cycle.
• Chargebacks: Initiating a "friendly fraud" chargeback through a credit card issuer without first contacting our support team is a violation of our Terms of Service. We reserve the right to report fraudulent chargeback activity to relevant credit bureaus and to terminate the attorney’s directory listing immediately.

Document Templates and Legal Forms

Pursuant to many state "Uniform Electronic Transactions Act" (UETA) provisions and digital goods standards, sales of downloadable legal templates and forms are final and non-refundable.

Because these products are delivered instantly and cannot be "returned" in the traditional sense, we do not offer refunds unless the file is technically corrupted or does not match the description provided at the time of purchase. This policy ensures compliance with the FTC’s "Cooling-Off Rule" (16 C.F.R. Part 429), which generally excludes the sale of goods or services provided entirely online.

Referral Fee Settlements and Case Exchange

For attorneys participating in our Case Exchange (where permitted by state rules like California Rule of Professional Conduct 1.5.1 or ABA Model Rule 1.5(e)), referral fees are handled according to the specific Referral Agreement signed for that matter.

If a referral fee is paid to the platform and the underlying legal matter is subsequently dismissed, or the client terminates the relationship before a recovery is made, the platform will handle refund requests according to the "clawback" provisions of the specific state’s ethics rules. For example, if a fee is deemed "unearned" under Rule 1.15 (Safekeeping Property), the platform will facilitate the return of the unearned portion to the originating attorney or client as required by law.

State-Specific Regulatory Variations

Legal standards regarding lead generation refunds vary by jurisdiction. Legal Online Directory adapts its policies to comply with the following:

Contact

For questions regarding a specific lead dispute or to request a review of a billing statement, please visit our Contact page to submit a support ticket. All requests must include your firm name and the relevant transaction ID.