Terms of Service

2. Definitions

• ·"Company", "we", "us", or "our" — Consult Me (CR 189616), a company registered in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
• ·"Platform" — the Consult Me mobile application, the consultmebh.com website, and all related features, content, and services.
• ·"Services" — all features and functionality made available through the Platform, including account management, profile browsing, appointment scheduling, secure messaging, document sharing, payment processing, and AI-assisted research tools.
• ·"User" or "Client" — any natural or juridical person who registers for or uses the Platform to seek legal services.
• ·"Consultant" — any licensed legal practitioner registered on the Platform.
• ·"User Content" — any text, documents, images, audio, video, or other content submitted to the Platform by a User or Consultant.
• ·"Bahrain Bar Society" — the professional body governing legal practitioners in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
• ·"PDPL" — the Personal Data Protection Law of the Kingdom of Bahrain (Law No. 30 of 2018).

3. Eligibility

To register for or use the Platform, you represent and warrant that you:

• ·Are at least eighteen (18) years of age and have the legal capacity to enter into a binding agreement;
• ·Are not prohibited from using the Platform under the laws of your jurisdiction or any applicable sanctions regime;
• ·(If acting on behalf of a juridical person) are duly authorised to bind that entity to these Terms;
• ·(If registering as a Consultant) are duly licensed to practise law in the Kingdom of Bahrain, are in good standing with the Bahrain Bar Society, and are authorised by the Ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments.

4. Account Registration and Security

To access certain Services, you must register and maintain an account. You agree that:

• ·You will provide accurate, current, and complete information when registering, and update such information as required.
• ·You are solely responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activities that occur under your account.
• ·You will notify the Company immediately of any unauthorised use of your account or any suspected security breach.
• ·You will not share your account credentials with, or permit access by, any third party.
• ·The Company is not liable for any loss arising from your failure to safeguard your account credentials.
• ·The Company reserves the right to refuse, suspend, or terminate accounts containing false, misleading, or unverifiable information.

5. Description of the Services

The Platform facilitates the following Services:

• ·A searchable directory of registered Consultants, filtered by practice area, language, and location;
• ·Appointment scheduling and secure communications between Users and Consultants;
• ·Sharing and storage of documents relevant to consultations;
• ·Payment processing for professional fees through authorised third-party payment service providers;
• ·AI-assisted legal research and document-review tools intended to support, and not replace, professional advice.

The Company reserves the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any aspect of the Services at any time, with or without notice, subject to applicable law.

6. The Platform’s Role; No Attorney-Client Relationship

The Company operates the Platform solely as an intermediary and technology provider. The Company:

• ·Does not provide legal advice, representation, or any other legal services;
• ·Does not warrant the outcome of any consultation, matter, or proceeding;
• ·Does not select, supervise, vouch for, or endorse any particular Consultant.

All professional legal services delivered through the Platform are provided exclusively by Consultants in their individual professional capacity. No attorney-client relationship is formed between you and the Company. An attorney-client relationship arises, if at all, only between you and the Consultant you engage, and is governed by their professional engagement and by the rules of legal ethics applicable in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

7. Consultant Obligations and Professional Standards

Consultants represent, warrant, and undertake that they:

• ·Hold a valid licence to practise law in the Kingdom of Bahrain and will maintain that licence in good standing throughout their use of the Platform;
• ·Will provide professional services in compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, and the rules of professional conduct of the Bahrain Bar Society;
• ·Will preserve client confidentiality and act with integrity in all communications;
• ·Will assume full professional and legal responsibility for any advice or services provided through the Platform;
• ·Will use the Platform’s invoicing and payment features solely for lawful professional transactions;
• ·Will not solicit clients in a manner contrary to applicable rules of professional conduct.

Misrepresentation of credentials, unlicensed practice, or other professional misconduct constitutes a material breach of these Terms and may be reported to the Bahrain Bar Society and other competent authorities.

8. User Obligations

Users agree to:

• ·Provide truthful, accurate, and complete information when registering and engaging Consultants;
• ·Use the Platform only for lawful consultations and purposes;
• ·Respect the confidentiality and professional standing of Consultants;
• ·Settle all applicable fees through the approved payment channels;
• ·Promptly raise any disputes or concerns relating to a Consultant directly with the Consultant and, where appropriate, with the Company.

9. Prohibited Activities

You may not, and may not permit any third party to:

• ·Use the Platform for any unlawful, fraudulent, or deceptive purpose;
• ·Impersonate any person or misrepresent your identity, qualifications, or affiliation;
• ·Upload or transmit any content that is unlawful, defamatory, obscene, hateful, harassing, infringing, or harmful;
• ·Upload or transmit malicious code, viruses, or any technology designed to interfere with the Platform;
• ·Attempt to reverse-engineer, decompile, or otherwise derive the source code of the Platform;
• ·Use automated means (including bots, crawlers, or scrapers) to access, monitor, or copy the Platform or its content without prior written permission;
• ·Circumvent or attempt to circumvent any security or access-control measures;
• ·Use the Platform to send unsolicited communications or marketing messages;
• ·Collect personal data of other users without their consent;
• ·Use the Platform in any manner that violates applicable laws of the Kingdom of Bahrain.

10. Payments, Fees, and Currency

• ·All fees are quoted in Bahraini Dinar (BHD), unless expressly stated otherwise.
• ·The Company may charge a transaction or service fee in respect of payments processed through the Platform; such fees will be disclosed prior to payment.
• ·Recurring Platform Fees & Saved Payment Methods. Consultants are charged a recurring platform fee on a periodic basis for access to the Platform's consultant features. By enabling automatic payment ("Auto-Pay") and confirming the on-screen consent, you authorize the Platform and its payment provider to automatically charge your saved payment method for the recurring platform fee and any amount you owe, until you disable Auto-Pay or remove your saved payment method, which you may do at any time from the billing settings in the app. Your card details are stored securely by our trusted, certified payment provider using industry-standard encryption and safeguards; the Platform never stores your full card number — only a secure token and limited details (such as card type and last four digits) needed to display and charge your saved method.
• ·Appointment fees paid by clients are processed through our payment provider. The Platform retains a service fee and remits the remainder to the consultant through the provider's payout system; payout timing and any thresholds are as shown in the app. Appointment cancellations and refunds are governed by the cancellation terms in this Section.
• ·All transactions are processed by certified third-party payment service providers under their own terms and security standards. The Company does not store full payment-card details.
• ·The Company does not hold client funds and does not act as a financial intermediary.
• ·Consultants are responsible for issuing tax invoices and accounting for any applicable taxes in respect of their professional services.
• ·Users are responsible for any taxes, duties, or charges levied by their bank or jurisdiction in connection with payments.

11. Cancellation, Refunds, and Consumer Rights

Users are entitled to clear, fair, and lawful treatment in accordance with these Terms and the Consumer Protection Law of the Kingdom of Bahrain (Law No. 35 of 2012). Cancellation and refund handling on the Platform is governed by the following provisions:

• ·The default cancellation policy is a full refund where the User cancels at least twenty-four (24) hours before the scheduled time of the appointment. The Consultant or the Consultant's firm may publish a longer or shorter window (for example, forty-eight (48) hours, a custom period, or a no-refund policy) provided that the applicable policy is disclosed to the User at the time of booking.
• ·Where the Consultant cancels a scheduled appointment, or fails without valid reason to attend, the User shall be entitled to a full automatic refund of any fees paid in respect of that appointment, regardless of the prevailing cancellation window.
• ·Refunds are processed automatically through the original payment method where the cancellation falls within the applicable refund window. Outside the window, refunds may be granted at the discretion of the Consultant or the Company, or as required by law.
• ·Refund amounts are credited to the original payment method and typically appear within five (5) to ten (10) business days, depending on the policies of the relevant payment service provider and the User's issuing bank.
• ·Platform Fee Refunds. The recurring platform fee is refundable only if you cancel within three (3) days of the charge; after this period the fee is non-refundable.
• ·Non-Payment & Suspension. If a recurring platform fee cannot be collected, you will be given a grace period of seven (7) days to settle the outstanding amount. If it remains unpaid after the grace period, your consultant profile will be suspended — hidden from the marketplace and unable to accept new bookings — until the balance is paid. Suspension does not delete your account or data, and access is restored once the balance is settled.
• ·Disputes regarding services rendered should first be raised directly with the Consultant. Where a dispute cannot be resolved bilaterally, the User may escalate the matter to the Company through the channels in section 28; the Company may, at its discretion, assist in mediating the dispute.
• ·Nothing in these Terms excludes, restricts, or limits any rights you may have under the Consumer Protection Law of the Kingdom of Bahrain or any other mandatory consumer-protection legislation.

12. User Content and Licence

You retain ownership of any User Content you submit to the Platform. By submitting User Content, you grant the Company a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sub-licensable licence to host, store, reproduce, display, and transmit such User Content solely as necessary to provide the Services to you and the relevant Consultant.

• ·You represent and warrant that you own or have all necessary rights to submit your User Content and that it does not infringe the rights of any third party.
• ·You acknowledge that User Content may be visible to the Consultant you engage and to authorised Company personnel for security, support, and compliance purposes.
• ·The Company reserves the right (but is under no obligation) to review, remove, or refuse to display any User Content that violates these Terms or applicable law.
• ·Where you delete your account, your User Content will be removed in accordance with our Privacy Policy and applicable legal retention obligations.

13. Intellectual Property

All intellectual property rights in the Platform — including software, source code, design, trade marks, logos, and content (other than User Content) — are owned by or licensed to the Company and are protected by the intellectual property laws of the Kingdom of Bahrain and applicable international treaties. Subject to your compliance with these Terms, the Company grants you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to access and use the Platform solely for its intended purpose. No other rights are granted, expressly or by implication. You may not copy, reproduce, distribute, modify, translate, create derivative works of, or reverse-engineer any part of the Platform without prior written consent.

14. Third-Party Services

The Platform may integrate with, or contain links to, third-party services — including payment processors, analytics providers, advertising networks, and identity providers. The Company is not responsible for, and makes no representations as to, the content, accuracy, availability, or practices of any third-party service. Your use of any third-party service is subject to the terms and policies of that service and is at your own risk.

15. Privacy and Data Protection

The Company’s collection, use, and disclosure of personal information is governed by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference. The Privacy Policy describes, among other matters, the categories of personal data processed, the lawful bases for processing, and the rights available to data subjects under the PDPL. By using the Platform, you acknowledge that you have read and accepted the Privacy Policy.

16. Disclaimer of Warranties

To the maximum extent permitted by law, the Platform is provided on an "AS IS" and "AS AVAILABLE" basis, without warranties of any kind, whether express, implied, or statutory, including without limitation any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, or accuracy. Without limiting the foregoing, the Company does not warrant that:

• ·The Platform will be uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error-free;
• ·The results obtained through the Platform will be accurate, complete, or reliable for your purposes;
• ·Any defects, errors, or inaccuracies will be corrected;
• ·The Platform or any associated server is free of viruses or other harmful components.

No advice or information, whether oral or written, obtained from the Company or through the Platform creates any warranty not expressly stated in these Terms.

17. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, the Company, its officers, directors, employees, agents, and affiliates shall not be liable for:

• ·Any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, exemplary, or punitive damages;
• ·Any loss of profits, revenue, data, goodwill, business opportunity, or anticipated savings;
• ·Any damages arising from the acts, omissions, advice, or professional services of any Consultant;
• ·Any damages arising from interruption, error, or failure of the Platform or any third-party service relied upon by the Platform;
• ·Any damages arising from unauthorised access to or alteration of your transmissions or data.

In any event, the Company’s aggregate liability arising out of or in connection with these Terms or your use of the Platform shall not exceed the greater of (a) the fees paid by you to the Company in the twelve (12) months immediately preceding the event giving rise to the claim, or (b) one hundred Bahraini Dinars (BHD 100). Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law.

18. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Company, its officers, directors, employees, agents, and affiliates from and against any and all claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or in connection with:

• ·Your access to or use of the Platform;
• ·Your User Content;
• ·Your breach of these Terms or any representation or warranty made under them;
• ·Your violation of any applicable law or any right of a third party.

The Company reserves the right, at its own expense, to assume the exclusive defence and control of any matter subject to indemnification by you, in which event you shall cooperate fully with the Company in asserting any available defences.

19. Suspension and Termination

The Company may suspend or terminate your access to the Platform, in whole or in part, at any time and without prior notice, where:

• ·You breach these Terms;
• ·You engage in fraudulent, unlawful, or abusive conduct;
• ·Your account remains dormant for an extended period;
• ·Required by law, regulation, or order of a competent authority;
• ·The Company elects to discontinue all or part of the Services.

You may terminate your account at any time by following the in-app account-deletion process. Upon termination, the provisions of these Terms that by their nature should survive — including those relating to intellectual property, disclaimers, limitation of liability, indemnification, and governing law — shall continue in full force and effect.

20. Force Majeure

The Company shall not be liable for any failure or delay in the performance of its obligations under these Terms caused by events beyond its reasonable control, including without limitation acts of God, war, terrorism, civil unrest, governmental action, pandemic, fire, flood, earthquake, labour disputes, power or telecommunications failures, internet or hosting outages, or cyber-attacks.

21. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be unlawful, invalid, or unenforceable, that provision shall be severed from these Terms to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect. The parties shall endeavour in good faith to replace any severed provision with a valid and enforceable provision that achieves, as nearly as possible, the original commercial intent.

22. No Waiver

No failure or delay by the Company in exercising any right or remedy under these Terms shall operate as a waiver of that right or remedy. A waiver of any breach of these Terms shall not be deemed a waiver of any subsequent breach. Any waiver must be made in writing and signed by an authorised representative of the Company.

23. Assignment

You may not assign or transfer your rights or obligations under these Terms without the prior written consent of the Company. The Company may assign or transfer its rights and obligations under these Terms to any affiliate or to a successor in connection with a merger, acquisition, reorganisation, or sale of all or substantially all of its assets, without your further consent.

24. Notices and Electronic Communications

Any notice required or permitted under these Terms shall be deemed validly given if sent:

• ·By the Company to you — by email to the address associated with your account, by notice within the Platform, or by such other reasonable means as the Company may select;
• ·By you to the Company — by email to help@consultmebh.com.
• ·SMS Communications. We may send SMS text messages for transactional purposes only — such as verification codes, security alerts, and billing notifications. We do not send marketing or promotional texts. Message and data rates may apply. Certain transactional messages (e.g., security codes) are necessary to use the Services.

You consent to receive electronic communications from the Company, including service-related notices, in lieu of paper communications, and you agree that such electronic communications satisfy any legal requirement that communications be in writing.

25. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any other policies or notices incorporated by reference, constitute the entire agreement between you and the Company concerning the Platform and supersede all prior agreements, communications, and understandings, whether oral or written, relating to the same subject matter.

26. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Kingdom of Bahrain, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles. The parties shall endeavour to resolve any dispute arising out of or in connection with these Terms through good-faith negotiation in the first instance. Any dispute that cannot be resolved through such negotiation shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts of the Kingdom of Bahrain.

27. Amendments

The Company may amend these Terms from time to time. Material amendments shall be notified through the Platform or by email at least seven (7) days before they take effect, unless a more immediate change is required by law. The "Effective" date at the top of these Terms indicates when they were last revised. Continued use of the Platform following such amendments constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms. If you do not accept the revised Terms, you must discontinue use of the Platform.

28. Contact

For any legal or operational inquiries relating to these Terms, you may contact the Company through the channels set out below: