Terms & Conditions of Retainer & Services
Effective Date: July 2026 • Jurisdiction: Courts of England & Wales
1. Formation of Contract & Services
These Terms & Conditions constitute a legally binding commercial agreement between ILC Advisory Group Ltd ("the Consultancy") and the commercial enterprise or individual client ("the Client"). By subscribing to an advisory tier, purchasing a One-Off Legal Service via our Client Portal, or submitting payment through Stripe, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by these terms.
The Consultancy operates strictly as an independent commercial B2B legal consultancy and is not regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). Our services provide strategic commercial advice, document audits, and contract negotiation support ("Advisory Only"). We do not undertake "reserved legal activities" under the Legal Services Act 2007, including but not limited to the conduct of litigation, court advocacy, or real estate conveyancing.
3. Retainer Subscriptions, One-Off Services & Stripe Billing
Advisory retainers are billed on a recurring basis (Monthly, Quarterly, or Annually), while One-Off Legal Services are provided on the basis of a single, full upfront payment via our secure payment gateway partner, Stripe.
- Automatic Renewal (Retainers Only): Unless explicitly disabled via the secure Stripe Billing Portal (accessible through your account dashboard) prior to the billing cycle expiration, retainers automatically renew, and your authorized payment method will be charged at the standard recurring rate.
- UK VAT Compliance: All fees displayed on our platform are quoted exclusive of UK Value Added Tax (VAT). For UK-registered entities, standard statutory VAT at 20% will be calculated and added at checkout. For eligible international clients providing valid tax identification, fees are processed under the VAT Reverse Charge / Exemption mechanism (0%). Official VAT invoices are downloadable directly from the Stripe dashboard.
- Payment Failure: In the event of an unsuccessful card transaction, access to active advisory services will enter a temporary grace period until billing credentials are updated.
To maintain consistent SLA response times and high-quality consultancy across all corporate accounts, active retainers and one-off services are governed by our Fair Usage Policy:
- Reasonable Workload Limits: Advisory tiers are designed for standard corporate legal maintenance. Contract audits are subject to reasonable volume limits (e.g., agreements up to 15–20 pages). Exceptionally lengthy or highly complex M&A transactional documentation will consume multiple credit allocations upon prior mutual agreement.
- Turnaround Times (SLA): Standard response SLAs (48 hours for One-Off Legal Services and Monthly retainers, 24 hours for Quarterly, Same-Day for Annual) apply strictly during official UK business hours (Monday to Friday, 09:00 – 18:00 BST), excluding statutory UK Bank Holidays.
- Capacity Review & Tier Adjustment: We monitor retainer utilization quarterly. If a Client consistently exceeds their allocated advisory capacity by more than 25%, the Consultancy reserves the right to initiate a mandatory review to smoothly transition the Client to an appropriate higher-tier corporate retainer.
5. Cancellation & Refunds (Consumer Rights Act 2015)
Clients may cancel or downgrade their retainer subscription at any time by accessing the Stripe Billing Portal linked within their account. Upon cancellation, advisory access remains fully active until the conclusion of the current prepaid billing cycle. Under standard UK B2B commercial terms, partial billing periods and unused advisory hours are non-refundable and do not roll over. One-Off Legal Services are strictly non-refundable once the consultation or document review has commenced.
For self-employed individuals qualifying under B2C statutory regulations (Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013), standard 14-day cooling-off rights apply. However, by submitting an advisory request or uploading documents for review within this 14-day period, you expressly consent to the immediate commencement of our services and acknowledge that your right to a refund will be lost once the service is fully or partially performed.
6. Client Obligations & KYC/AML Compliance
To maintain compliance with UK Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations and Know Your Customer (KYC) statutory frameworks, the Consultancy reserves the right to request corporate verification, proof of incorporation (Companies House), and directorship identification prior to undertaking complex commercial structuring or cross-border advisory.
7. Limitation of Liability
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable English Law, the total aggregate liability of the Consultancy for any claim arising out of or in connection with the provision of advisory services shall be strictly limited to the total fees paid by the Client to the Consultancy in the preceding twelve (12) months. Neither party shall be liable for indirect, special, or consequential commercial losses, including loss of profit or business opportunity.
8. Governing Law & Dispute Resolution
This Agreement, and any non-contractual obligations arising out of it, shall be governed by and construed strictly in accordance with the laws of England and Wales. Any dispute, controversy, or claim arising out of or relating to this commercial engagement shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.