These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of Counsel, operated by Counsel Inc. ("Counsel," "we," "us"). By creating an account or using Counsel, you agree to these Terms.

1. What Counsel Is

Counsel is a workflow tool that helps small business owners navigate employment law decisions — hiring, onboarding, separations, leave, and HR compliance. It draws on publicly available state and federal employment law requirements to generate step-by-step guidance. It is not a substitute for legal advice.

2. Eligibility and Account

• You must be at least 18 years old and authorized to enter contracts on behalf of your business.
• You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account credentials.
• One account per business entity. Sharing accounts across unrelated businesses is not permitted.
• You are responsible for all activity that occurs under your account.

3. Acceptable Use

You agree not to use Counsel to:

• Generate documentation intended to deceive employees, regulators, or courts
• Discriminate against employees or applicants based on any protected class
• Automate mass adverse employment actions without human review
• Attempt to reverse-engineer, scrape, or systematically extract the rules database
• Violate any applicable federal, state, or local law

4. Payment and Billing

• Paid plans are billed monthly in advance via Stripe.
• Cancellations take effect at the end of the current billing period — you retain access until then.
• Annual plans are refundable on a pro-rated basis within the first 30 days.
• We reserve the right to change pricing with 30 days' notice to current paid subscribers.
• Overdue accounts may be suspended until payment is resolved.

5. Intellectual Property

Counsel's software, design, rules database, and content are owned by Counsel Inc. and protected by copyright. The outputs of playbooks you generate are yours to use for your business. You may not resell or redistribute Counsel's outputs as an HR product or service.

6. Disclaimer of Warranties

Counsel is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranty of any kind. We do not warrant that Counsel's outputs are accurate, complete, or current. Employment law changes frequently — always verify critical compliance decisions with current law or a licensed attorney. We are not responsible for regulatory penalties, fines, or claims resulting from actions taken based on Counsel's guidance.

7. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Counsel Inc. and its officers, employees, and agents are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of Counsel, including but not limited to employment claims, regulatory penalties, lost profits, or lost data. Our total liability for any claim arising under these Terms will not exceed the fees you paid to Counsel in the 12 months preceding the claim.

8. Termination

You may cancel your account at any time through account settings or by contacting us. We may suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms, with or without notice. Upon termination, your right to access Counsel ends immediately.

9. Governing Law and Disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to conflict of law principles. Any disputes arising under these Terms will be resolved in the state or federal courts located in San Francisco County, California, and you consent to personal jurisdiction there.

10. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms. For material changes, we will notify you by email with at least 30 days' notice. Continued use of Counsel after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

11. Contact

Questions about these Terms: hello@havecounsel.com
Counsel Inc., San Francisco, CA