Terms of Service


Terms of Service

The plain, unstuffy version first.

By using Solo Practice University, you agree to abide by our terms.  You have to be at least 21 years old and a law student or a lawyer.

When you enroll, regardless the term, it is on a subscription basis only and will auto-renew.  If you don’t want it to auto-renew, cancel directly through PayPal before it renews or contact us anytime and request that we do it.  We’ll take care of it*.  If you forget, and it auto-renews, just remember that we have no access to your credit card info for your protection so it’s not an unauthorized transaction – you just forgot to cancel.  We’ll still take care of it per the terms of service outlined below.

You promise not to copy any of our classes or our site info or our nifty design.

You promise to not share your password or login and if you think someone ‘borrowed’ it, let us know and we’ll fix ‘em good and give you a new password.

You promise not to upload spammy stuff to the site or malware which would just be a pain in the neck for everyone.

You promise to play nice in the community and be respectful of faculty.

Speaking of faculty, this is strictly an educational site taught by primarily by your U.S. colleagues and business folk.  You’re not forming any kind of attorney/client relationship with them.  They’re just sharing what they know to help you. You still have an obligation to do your own due diligence and to double-check all relevant laws and statutes shared to be sure they haven’t changed since originally recorded.

Remember, we’re not a real school like Harvard.  You’re not going to get credits or a diploma or anything like that.

Our columnists and guest bloggers are sharing their own experiences and opinions.

CLE is no longer provided by our partner, NACLE.com.  Just remember, if you were previously eligible for CLE it had to be taken prior to your last renewal because access to NACLE.com ends when your last tuition cycle ended or ends effective 11/1/2021 regardless of when you registered with NACLE.com.

Consultations are provided by our partner consultants.  Just remember, if you’re eligible for a free one half hour consult as a student who has signed up after 1/19/2015, take advantage of it before your tuition runs out because access to this benefit ends when your eligible tuition does regardless of when you request it.  If you are getting a consult a la carte and paying the reduced consult fee as an SPU student, you must do so while you are an active, tuition-paying student.

That about sums it up. If you prefer to read the legalese, you can do so below.


Terms of Service – The Lawyer’s Version

The following terms and conditions govern all use of the Solo Practice University®Membership Site website and all content, services and products available at or through the website. The Website is owned and operated by Build A Solo Practice, LLC, Susan Cartier Liebel sole member (Solo Practice University®). The Website is offered subject to your acceptance without modification of all of the terms and conditions contained herein and all other operating rules, policies (including, without limitation, Solo Practice University®s Privacy Policy) and procedures that may be published from time to time on this Site by Solo Practice University® (collectively, the “Agreement”).

Please read this Agreement carefully before accessing or using the Solo Practice University® Membership Site. By accessing or using any part of the Solo Practice University® Membership Site, you agree to become bound by the terms and conditions of this agreement. If you do not agree to all the terms and conditions of this agreement, then you may not access the Website or use any services. If these terms and conditions are considered an offer by Solo Practice University®, acceptance is expressly limited to these terms.  

The Website is available only to individuals who are at least 21 years old, a practicing attorney or law student or others who Solo Practice University® has expressly given permission. If you enroll as a non-lawyer/non-law student we will deactivate your account, cancel your subscription and not refund you any monies paid as liquidated damages.

Your Solo Practice University® Membership Site Account

You acknowledge that enrollment in Solo Practice University® Membership Site is on a subscription basis only which auto-renews based upon the term you indicate – monthly, semi-annual or annually. Solo Practice University has no access to your credit card information and cannot initiate any transactions on your card or other forms of payment.  You agree to be responsible for canceling your account via Paypal directly or through an e-mail communication to susan@solopracticeuniversity.com before your auto-renewal if you choose to cancel your subscription.

*Requesting your account to be canceled or canceling your account directly via Paypal does not provide an automatic refund of any tuition and is still subject to our refund policies. In addition, many who cancel still wish to utilize the service until the conclusion of the current paid period. You agree to notify susan@solopracticeuniversity.com of your request for a refund from the date of cancellation immediately upon cancellation with Paypal if this is what you desire. Otherwise it will be automatically assumed you wish to have access to Solo Practice University® until the conclusion of your paid period.

You agree if you fail to cancel prior to the renewal period and your subscription auto-renews, it will not be deemed an unauthorized transaction to your credit card and Solo Practice University® Membership Site’s refund policy will determine what our financial responsibility to you will be, if any. All refunds will be issued within 14 business days.

You agree that if you request Solo Practice University to cancel your account that you will monitor your Paypal account to be sure you are no longer billed.  Paypal notifies its subscribers every time a payment is made and will do so directly to the email address listed on your Paypal account.  Under this set of circumstances, the maximum Solo Practice University will refund to you will be dependent upon your last entry into Solo Practice University AND your tuition, and as follows: 1) one monthly overpayment for monthly enrollment, 2) one semi-annual overpayment for semi-annual enrollment, and 3) one annual overpayment for annual enrollment and this is providing you qualify for a refund under our general refund policy made available to you when you first enrolled.  (Overpayment is defined as one payment period billed after you notified SPU you wished to cancel.) There are no refunds, prorated or otherwise, on any special promotions or discounts on tuition, only full monthly, semi-annual and annual tuition. Lifetime Tution* is a single, non-renewable tuition and is considered a special promotion. This special promotion does not include CLE. Lifetime Tuition includes at minimum 18 months access to SPU from the only date of sign up, 11/26/18 or as long as Solo Practice University exists thereafter, whichever is longer. Tuition is not refundable under the ‘special promotion’ policy of Solo Practice University.

Responsibility of Visitors/Students (Members)

You are entirely responsible for the content of, and any harm resulting from, Content you create or use on your website or sales pages for products or services of the Solo Practice University® Membership Site. That is the case regardless of whether the Content in question constitutes text, graphics, an audio file, or computer software. By making Content available, you represent and warrant that: the downloading, copying and use of the Content will not infringe the proprietary rights, including but not limited to the copyright, patent, trademark or trade secret rights, of any third party; if your employer has rights to intellectual property you create, you have either (i) received permission from your employer to post or make available the Content, including but not limited to any software, or (ii) secured from your employer a waiver as to all rights in or to the Content; you have fully complied with any third-party licenses relating to the Content, and have done all things necessary to successfully pass through to end users any required terms; the Content does not contain or install any viruses, worms, malware, Trojan horses or other harmful or destructive content; the Content is not spam, is not machine- or randomly-generated, and does not contain unethical or unwanted commercial content designed to drive traffic to third party sites or boost the search engine rankings of third party sites, or to further unlawful acts (such as phishing) or mislead recipients as to the source of the material (such as spoofing); the Content is not obscene, libelous or defamatory, hateful or racially or ethnically objectionable, and does not violate the privacy or publicity rights of any third party; your website or sales pages are not getting advertised via unwanted electronic messages such as spam links on newsgroups, email lists, other blogs and web sites, and similar unsolicited promotional methods; your blog is not named in a manner that misleads your readers into thinking that you are another person or company. For example, your blog’s URL or name is not the name of a person other than yourself or company other than your own; and you have, in the case of Content that includes computer code, accurately categorized and/or described the type, nature, uses and effects of the materials, whether requested to do so by Solo Practice University® or otherwise.

Without limiting any of those representations or warranties, Solo Practice University® has the right (though not the obligation) to, in Solo Practice University®’s sole discretion (i) refuse any member account that, in Solo Practice University®’s reasonable opinion, violates any Solo Practice University®’s policy or is in any way harmful or objectionable, or (ii) terminate or deny access to and use of the Solo Practice University®’s Membership Site to any individual or entity for any reason, in Solo Practice University®’s sole discretion. Solo Practice University® will have no obligation to provide a refund of any amounts previously paid in such cases, and only in such cases.

Members of Solo Practice University® expressly understand this is an educational and entertainment site and is not a traditional University in any legal sense. The term ‘education’ is used in the loosest sense, ‘ an exchange of information’. Solo Practice University® is not an accredited institution through any accrediting organization or agency nor can a member graduate from Solo Practice University® or obtain a degree of any kind by enrolling in this membership site.

Although faculty have provided syllabi we do not warrant the faculty will follow their syllabi exactly as stated. And although faculty post a proposed class schedule neither they nor  Solo Practice University® warrant they will strictly adhere to their stated schedules because faculty are volunteering their time and are either working legal practitioners or business people who have businesses to sustain.

Periodically, we will archive classes we believe contain material which is no longer as current as we’d like but still provide an overall big picture presentation of the topic matter as well as insight from that faculty member. Solo Practice University® does not advertise or promote archived courses once archived.  We provide these courses as it is requested by our students who still wish to view the content but do so understanding laws may have since changed. Faculty with archived courses are generally not available for mentorship.

At no time through viewing of the archived courses are attorneys giving advice upon which a visitor/student can construe as establishing an attorney/client relationship or specific advice or counsel for clients of visitors/students. At no time through viewing archived classes is a visitor/student absolved of their due diligence to their client to thoroughly research and investigate independently the current applicable federal, state and local rules governing any matters pertaining to their representation of clients. Solo Practice University® disclaims any responsibility for any harm resulting from the ‘education’ provided by the instructors and use by visitors/students of such education in any way.

Registration and Passwords.

To use certain features of the Site, you may be asked to register with the Site and you may need a username and password. You agree (i) to provide true, accurate, current and complete information about yourself or your organization as prompted by any registration form; and (ii) to maintain and promptly update the information you provide to keep it true, accurate, current and complete. If Solo Practice University® has reasonable grounds to suspect that such information is untrue, inaccurate, not current or incomplete, Solo Practice University® has the right to suspend or terminate your access to and use of the Site. You are also responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your password and account, and are responsible for all activities that occur under your password or account. You agree to notify Solo Practice University® immediately of any unauthorized use of your password or account or any other breach of security, and to ensure that you exit from your account at the end of each session. Solo Practice University® is not liable for any loss or damage arising from unauthorized use or your password or account information.

Faculty

Faculty are selected based upon a myriad of criteria.  Faculty warrant they are in good standing in their respective jurisdictions at the time they agree to teach and that there is nothing in their backgrounds which would reflect adversely on Solo Practice University® or its students.  Should something present during their course of teaching which may alter this standing (or if we hear independently) they will notify Solo Practice University®.  At that time, it will be determined if continuing to teach students is appropriate or not.  Solo Practice University® reserves the right to discontinue courses and discharge faculty immediately and without notice and to remove their courses from this platform as appropriate if deemed good standing of the faculty has been compromised.

Although ‘education’ is provided primarily by U.S. based lawyers for U.S.-based law students and lawyers, those visitors/students understand most faculty are not law school professors or trained educators but practitioners or recognized experts in their respective fields primarily within the U.S.  However, some courses are universal and applicable regardless of where one practices such as marketing, social media, blogging, virtual technology and the like.

Although ‘education’ is provided primarily by lawyers for law students and lawyers, those visitors/students understand at no time is an attorney/client relationship established for personal matters or for clients of visitors/students.

At no time through the educational process are attorneys giving advice upon which a visitor/student can construe as establishing an attorney/client relationship or specific advice or counsel for clients of visitors/students. At no time through the educational process is a visitor/student absolved of their due diligence to their client to thoroughly research and investigate independently the current applicable federal, state and local rules governing any matters pertaining to their representation of clients. Solo Practice University® disclaims any responsibility for any harm resulting from the ‘education’ provided by the instructors and use by visitors/students of such education in any way.

Guest Bloggers & Columnists

We invite guest bloggers to post individual posts and guest columnists who contribute posts on a regular basis.  We provide this opportunity to current students, past students and professionals who are not nor have ever been students but are part of the legal community as either an attorney or a professional who works with attorneys to participate if their topics are relevant to solos and small firms. All opinions, advice, and experiences, however, are those of the author of each piece and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or practices or experiences of Solo Practice University®.  The Solo Practice University® blog is a forum for thought and responsible discussion.

Continuing Legal Education (DISCONTINUED effective 11/1/2021)

Solo Practice University® has entered into a strategic partnership with NACLE.com to provide online continuing legal education as a ‘free’ bonus to students enrolling at Solo Practice University® under certain terms and conditions and may be revoked at anytime without notice. Should this happen, it will only impact your ability to get additional ‘free’ CLE upon renewal at Solo Practice University® and will not terminate any existing term of use. NACLE.com is a separate company and your membership and enrollment with nacle.com is a separate agreement bound by NACLE.com’s terms of service and contractual obligation to provide qualified CLE credits. Solo Practice University® is not responsible for the content they provide through their site nor warrants whether their classes will meet your state’s mandatory CLE requirements.  Solo Practice University® is simply the conduit for the relationship you establish with NACLE.com based upon your enrollment as an annual student at Solo Practice University®. Your ‘free’ relationship with them runs concurrently with your subscription to Solo Practice University® on an annual basis and renews and/or ceases on the same day of renewal or cancellation regardless of when you actively start your subscription with NACLE.com.  Any questions regarding CLE must be exclusively directed to NACLE.com and their representatives.

Law Practice Management One Half Hour Consultations

Solo Practice University ® has entered into a strategic partnership with law practice management consultants and life coaches to provide one half hour consults as a ‘free’ bonus to students enrolling at Solo Practice University® under certain terms and conditions and this benefit may be revoked at anytime without notice.  Should this happen, it will only impact your ability to get an additional ‘free’ one half hour consult as a ‘free’ bonus upon renewal at Solo Practice University® at the annual level and will not terminate any existing terms of use. Our consultants are independent and separate entities and your consultation with any one of our consultants is a separate agreement facilitated through Solo Practice University®  Any advice, guidance or direction provided to you by them is done so independently of Solo Practice University®  and Solo Practice University ® is not responsible for the results of any actions you may take based upon the advice you receive.  While we strive to provide the most reputable law practice management consultants and life coaches, we cannot guarantee that you will get the law practice management consultant or coach you want or even when you want them.  This is determined strictly by the consultants and coaches themselves and based upon their continued relationship with Solo Practice University ® and their schedules. We reserve the right to discontinue working with certain coaches and introduce new coaches at any time we so choose.  In addition, if you are an active paying student who is not enrolled at the annual level after 1/19/2015, you may still have access to our consultants at a reduced fee as a benefit of being a member of our community.

Content Posted on Other Websites

We have not reviewed, and cannot review, all of the material, including computer software, made available through the websites and webpages to which members link, and that link to Solo Practice University® Membership Site. Solo Practice University® does not have any control over those websites and web pages, and is not responsible for their content or their use. By linking to a website or webpage, Solo Practice University® does not represent or imply that it endorses such website or webpage. You are responsible for taking precautions as necessary to protect yourself and your computer systems from viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and other harmful or destructive content. Solo Practice University® disclaims any responsibility for any harm resulting from your use of the program and its web pages and files.

Intellectual Property/Proprietary Rights

Use of this site does not transfer from Solo Practice University® to you any Solo Practice University® or third party intellectual property, and all right, title and interest in and to such property will remain (as between the parties) solely with Solo Practice University®. Solo Practice University® Faculty, Solo Practice University® Membership Site, the Solo Practice University® logo, and all other trademarks, service marks, graphics and logos used in connection with Solo Practice University® Membership Site, or the Website are trademarks or registered trademarks of Solo Practice University® or Solo Practice University®’s licensors. Other trademarks, service marks, graphics and logos used in connection with the Website may be the trademarks of other third parties. Your use of the Website grants you no right or license to reproduce or otherwise use any Solo Practice University® or third-party trademarks.

Solo Practice University® owns certain things on this system, including the ‘look and feel’ of the system, the name of the system, and the collective work copyright in sequences of public messages on the system. Users cannot reproduce any message thread from the system, either electronically or in print, without Solo Practice University’s® permission and the permission of all participants in the thread. This is not a complete list — other things on the system are also Solo Practice University’s®  property. Contact Solo Practice University® before copying anything from the system with plans of reproducing it or distributing it.

The User acknowledges and agrees that content, including but not limited to text, software, music, sound, photographs, graphics, video, page layout and design, or other material contained in the service or information presented through the service is protected by copyrights, trademarks, service marks, patents, or other proprietary rights and laws. The User acknowledges and agrees that the User is permitted to use this material and information only as expressly authorized by Solo Practice University® or its Sponsors, and may not copy, reproduce, transmit, distribute, or create derivative works of such content or information without express authorization. The User acknowledges and agrees that Solo Practice University® can display images and text throughout the Service.

Changes

Solo Practice University® reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to modify or replace any part of this Agreement. It is your responsibility to check this Agreement periodically for changes. Your continued use of or access to the Website following the posting of any changes to this Agreement constitutes acceptance of those changes. Solo Practice University® may also, in the future, offer new services and/or features through the Website (including, the release of new tools and resources). Such new features and/or services shall be subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement.

Termination

Solo Practice University® may terminate your access to all or any part of the Website at any time, with or without cause, with or without notice, effective immediately. If you wish to terminate this Agreement or your Solo Practice University® Membership Site account (if you have one), you may simply discontinue using the Website. All provisions of this Agreement which by their nature should survive termination shall survive termination, including, without limitation, ownership provisions, warranty disclaimers, indemnity, limitations of liability and subscription obligations.

Disclaimer of Warranties

The Website is provided “as is”. Solo Practice University® and its faculty, suppliers and licensors hereby disclaim all warranties of any kind, express or implied, including, without limitation, the warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement. Neither Solo Practice University® nor its faculty, suppliers and licensors, makes any warranty that the Website will be error free or that access thereto will be continuous or uninterrupted. You understand that you download from, or otherwise obtain content (and act upon same) or services through the Website at your own discretion and risk.

Limitation of Liability

In no event will Solo Practice University®, or its faculty, suppliers or licensors, be liable with respect to any subject matter of this agreement under any contract, negligence, strict liability or other legal or equitable theory for: (i) any special, incidental or consequential damages; (ii) the cost of procurement or substitute products or services; (iii) for interruption of use or loss or corruption of data; or (iv) for any amounts that exceed the fees paid by you to Solo Practice University® under this agreement during the twelve (12) month period prior to the cause of action. Solo Practice University® and its faculty shall have no liability for any failure or delay due to matters beyond their reasonable control. The foregoing shall not apply to the extent prohibited by applicable law.

General Representation and Warranty

You represent and warrant that (i) your use of Solo Practice University®, the membership site, the information provided, et al will be in strict accordance with the Solo Practice University®’s Privacy Policy, with this Agreement and with all applicable laws and regulations (including without limitation any local laws or regulations in your country, state, city, or other governmental area, regarding online conduct and acceptable content, and including all applicable laws regarding the transmission of technical data exported from the United States or the country in which you reside) and (ii) your use of the Website will not infringe or misappropriate the intellectual property rights of any third party.

Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Solo Practice University®, its faculty, its contractors, and its licensors, and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents from and against any and all claims and expenses, including attorneys’ fees, arising out of your use of the Website, including but not limited to and arising out of your violation of this Agreement.

Miscellaneous

This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between Solo Practice University® and you concerning the subject matter hereof, and they may only be modified by a written amendment signed by an authorized executive of Solo Practice University®, or by the posting by Solo Practice University® of a revised version. Except to the extent applicable law, if any, provides otherwise, this Agreement, any access to or use of the Website will be governed by the laws of the State of Connecticut, U.S.A., excluding its conflict of law provisions, and the proper venue for any disputes arising out of or relating to any of the same will be the state and federal courts located in New Haven County, Connecticut. The prevailing party in any action or proceeding to enforce this Agreement shall be entitled to costs and attorneys’ fees. If any part of this Agreement is held invalid or unenforceable, that part will be construed to reflect the parties’ original intent, and the remaining portions will remain in full force and effect. A waiver by either party of any term or condition of this Agreement or any breach thereof, in any one instance, will not waive such term or condition or any subsequent breach thereof. You may assign your rights under this Agreement to any party that consents to, and agrees to be bound by, its terms and conditions; Solo Practice University® may assign its rights under this Agreement without condition. This Agreement will be binding upon and will inure to the benefit of the parties, their successors and permitted assigns.

Privacy

Nothing is more important to Solo Practice University® than privacy. We hold your privacy in the highest regard. We take many steps to assure that your information is secure and not shared with any individual or business. Information collected by Solo Practice University® is only shared with Solo Practice University® staff. At no point in time will we provide information over the phone, email, support systems or by any means.

Solo Practice University® will only confirm address, billing information and email addresses. We will never state what we have on file for you. For your safety your information can be updated securely on the web. Only a person with authority over your account may change your information. If at any time you feel your information is incorrect or you believe someone has gained access to your account, please contact us immediately.

Members agree they shall not use the forums, groups,  site-wide activity or private blogs to actively market services or products to other members. Solo Practice University® only endorses those products and services with which we have formed a strategic partnership, products and services appearing in the Solo Practice University® Co-Op, blog post side bars and Campus News.

Solo Practice University® reserves the right to update or modify these terms and conditions as needed.  You recognize it is your responsibility to periodically review the current terms of use.