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Subscribe. Log in. Ask a question. Mentor will email an answer, usually within 24 hours.
Mentor answers questions that arise in general practice in most areas of law.
Your firm's subscription may be used by all members of staff, with answers directed to your personal email address.
A research tool where one can search and browse over 8475 Q&As and counting.
Mentor is a confidential service. Selected Q&As may be included anonymously in our knowledge base – unless you instruct us not to.
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“I am a Licensed Conveyancer and I have used the Mentor Service since October 2013 and I still use it at least once or twice a month. On all occasions the Mentor Service has been professional, highly efficient, prompt with replies to emails and in good detail. Having used them for so many years and having experienced excellent service, I would highly recommend the 'Ask a Question - Mentor by Lawyers' to anyone looking for further information or who has any type of conveyancing questions. Thank you for creating such a great service."
“I use Mentor on a regular basis and encourage my staff to do the same. We then share the responses internally as a form of staff training. Usually, Mentor is a “sounding board” or second opinion but, sometimes, we use it for a tricky question where we do not know the answer and need some quick help. Invariably, the responses are helpful.”
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The policy applies to all private information provided to By Lawyers which is collected, held, used or disclosed in the course of By Lawyers offering and providing its services as defined in its Terms of Service on its websites.
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Private information is collected at the time of registration and subscription and during the course of using the By Lawyers services and in any email, telephone or other exchange of information.
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Use of By Lawyers Services via the Mentor website is conditional upon acceptance of the By Lawyers Terms of Service and these Terms of Use. By Lawyers reserves the right to update the Terms of Use at any time without notice. The current version is published here.
Subscribers are entitled to ask Mentor any reasonable question on any area of Australian law in relation to which By Lawyers publishes guides and precedents, except for Western Australia, Tasmania, ACT and Northern Territory. Questions may only be general in nature and must not identify any actual client matter.
Mentor answers are provided by reference to the information in the By Lawyers guides and precedents and by experienced practising lawyers who are either employed in-house by By Lawyers or who are external authors for By Lawyers. This is part of By Lawyers Services as defined in the By Lawyers Terms of Service. All Mentor subscriptions are subject to the By Lawyers Terms of Service.
Mentor answers are not legal advice. Mentor answers provide general guidance to assist subscribers with the issues identified, or the issues best understood by Mentor to be identified, in the subscribers' questions. Mentor answers are not intended to be and may not be a definitive, 'best practice' or even an ultimately correct answer to subscribers' questions. Rather, Mentor answers are intended to assist subscribers to locate relevant and helpful information, to consider pertinent points and to address the issues raised by the question in a general way, based on reasonable practice, knowledge and experience in the legal profession. Subscribers are required to use their professional judgment and skill in applying the information in any Mentor answer to their particular issues.
Mentor provides general answers only and will not give specific advice about any actual client matter. Mentor may decline to answer any client specific question at its absolute discretion.
Mentor answers may include references to content in By Lawyers publications. Any such references create no obligation upon By Lawyers to provide access to those publications other than by way of separate subscription on normal commercial terms.
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Through its websites, By Lawyers provides online access for subscribers to a variety of publications, content and resources, including legal guides, matter plans, commentaries, precedents, forms, reference materials, articles, bulletins, news and updates posts, Mentor services, audio and video recordings, compositions, software, communication services, artworks, products and product information ('By Lawyers Services').
The websites and By Lawyers Services are provided subject to these Terms of Service and the provisions of all applicable laws relating to the exploitation and protection of intellectual property, in relation to which By Lawyers assert and reserve all rights.
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By Lawyers’ provision of By Lawyers Services does not constitute legal advice, financial advice or any other type of professional advice.
By Lawyers Services is a product designed for and marketed to lawyers, licensed conveyancers, paralegals, other legal support staff and law students (‘Legal professionals’).
Some By Lawyers Services may be applicable for accountants, financial consultants and other professional advisors (‘Other professionals’).
By Lawyers Services are not consumer products, nor consumer service, nor goods and services of a kind ordinarily acquired for personal, domestic or household user consumption.
By Lawyers Services are intended to assist Legal and Other professionals in delivering their professional services to their clients, but the facts of each case will be different and reliance upon By Lawyers Services may not always be appropriate.
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Subscribers who are not Legal or Other professionals use By Lawyers Services strictly at their own risk and with the explicit acknowledgement that they are not purchasing consumer goods and services and are not receiving any legal or other professional advice.
By Lawyers recommends that any subscribers who are not Legal or Other professionals seek legal advice about any particular case or circumstances for which they intend to use By Lawyers Services.
SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF USE
Subscribers may use By Lawyers Services to:
Subscribers may not use By Lawyers Services to:
In the event of any unauthorised use of By Lawyers Services by a subscriber, By Lawyers may take any applicable action at law, including seeking urgent injunctive or declaratory relief, seeking an account of profits, or claiming damages that By Lawyers considers appropriate, or may otherwise reserve any such rights. Reservation of any such rights will not constitute their waiver.
TECHNOLOGY
Use of By Lawyers Services requires a compatible device, Internet access and certain software, any or all of which may require updates or upgrades from time to time. Because use of By Lawyers Services involves hardware, software, and Internet access, a subscriber’s ability to use By Lawyers Services may be affected by the performance of these factors. High speed Internet access is strongly recommended. Subscribers acknowledge and agree that such system requirements are entirely their own responsibility and may change from time to time.
CANCELLATION FOR BREACH OF THESE TERMS
By Lawyers in its absolute discretion may immediately suspend, terminate or limit the access of any subscription to By Lawyers Services if By Lawyers consider on reasonable grounds that the subscriber is in breach of these Terms of Use.
ACCOUNT INFORMATION
Subscription to By Lawyers Services requires registration, selection of a password and a username which is the subscriber’s email address and entry of a valid payment card for billing (‘Account information’).
Subscribers are responsible for the accuracy, currency and confidentiality of all Account information.
Subscribers are responsible for all access to the account and any usage of By Lawyers Services that occurs under the subscriber’s account, unless the subscriber has notified By Lawyers of any unauthorised access or use of the Account information, or any other relevant breach of security. By Lawyers will not be liable for any loss that a subscriber may incur as a result of someone else using their Account information, either with or without the subscriber’s knowledge.
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DELIVERY
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CANCELLATION BY SUBSCRIBER
By Lawyers subscriptions have a minimum subscription period during which the subscriber cannot cancel the subscription and remains liable for payment. After the minimum subscription period the subscription continues until cancelled by the subscriber and failure to pay shall be deemed cancellation.
If the subscriber cancels within the minimum subscription period, the cancellation will take effect at the end of that period. The subscriber will continue to be billed for the subscription until the end of the minimum subscription period.
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For monthly subscriptions By Lawyers debits payments in advance on a monthly basis to the subscriber's credit card. The monthly billing date is set when a subscriber makes their first payment on the By Lawyers website. Subsequent payments will be processed on the same date each month thereafter.
For annual subscriptions By Lawyers debits payments in advance annually. Subscribers receive an email reminder when the annual subscription payment is due to be deducted from their credit card.
PAYMENT METHODS
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TERMS OF SERVICE
The Terms of Service are subject to change without notice. The current version is published here.