These Terms of Use ("Terms") govern your use of the Mara Vakil website, app and related services (together, the "Platform"). "Mara Vakil", "we", "us" and "our" refer to the operator of the Platform. "You" means any visitor, client or advocate who uses it. By using the Platform you agree to these Terms, the Privacy Policy and the Disclaimer.
1. What Mara Vakil does
Mara Vakil is a technology platform that lets people read legal information, search a directory of advocates, send their matter to advocates, and manage communication, documents and payments with an advocate they choose. We are an intermediary within the meaning of the Information Technology Act, 2000. We are not a law firm and do not provide legal services or advice. Each advocate is independent and solely responsible for the professional services they provide.
2. Who can use the Platform
- You must be at least 18 years old and able to enter into a binding contract under Indian law. A person below 18 may use the Platform only through a parent or lawful guardian.
- Advocates must be enrolled with a State Bar Council and entitled to practise in India.
- You must give true, complete and current information and keep it updated.
3. Accounts and login
- Clients do not need an account: they post a matter, book a service and track it with the request ID and their mobile number. Advocates get a login ID and password from Mara Vakil only after their enrolment is checked and their profile is approved; Mara Vakil staff get logins from the Mara Vakil admin. Keep your password private and change it after you first log in; you are responsible for activity on your login.
- Tell us immediately at help@maravakil.in if you suspect unauthorised use.
- We may suspend or close accounts that break these Terms, provide false information, or put other users at risk.
4. Sending a request to advocates
- When you send a matter, you allow us to show its description to advocates listed on the Platform who handle that kind of matter, and to share your contact details with the advocate who accepts it.
- Do not include Aadhaar, PAN, bank or card numbers, passwords or other unnecessary sensitive information in your description.
- Sending a request is free and does not oblige you to engage any advocate. We do not guarantee that an advocate will accept a request within any particular time.
5. Free for clients and advocates
- Mara Vakil is free for clients. We do not charge clients any fee for searching, sending a request, booking or tracking a consultation, and we never collect money from clients. Report anyone who asks you to pay Mara Vakil.
- Any engagement is a contract between you and the advocate. The advocate decides whether to accept your matter and the fee, and you decide whether to engage them. Agree the scope, professional fee, court fee, stamp duty and other expenses in writing and pay the advocate directly against a proper receipt.
- Advocates: Joining, being listed and accepting client requests are free for advocates at present. Mara Vakil takes no share of any advocate's professional fee and does not guarantee any number of requests or engagements. If paid plans are introduced later, their terms will be published before any payment is taken.
6. Advocate obligations
- Follow the Advocates Act, 1961 and the Bar Council of India Rules, including the rules on advertising, solicitation and professional conduct.
- Provide accurate enrolment and practice details and keep them current. See the Advocate Listing Policy.
- Do not promise results, share your professional fees with anyone for procuring work, or tell clients that they must pay Mara Vakil.
- Maintain client confidentiality and handle client data only for the matter you accepted.
7. Things you must not do
- Post false, misleading, defamatory, obscene, hateful or unlawful content, or impersonate any person.
- Upload content that infringes someone else's rights, or malware or harmful code.
- Harass, threaten or abuse advocates, clients or staff.
- Scrape, copy or resell directory data, or try to bypass security, passwords or access controls.
- Use the Platform for any purpose prohibited by the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 or any other law.
8. Content and intellectual property
The Platform, its design, text, guides, graphics and software belong to Mara Vakil or its licensors. You may view and print pages for personal, non-commercial use. You keep ownership of content you upload, and you give us a limited licence to host, process and display it only as needed to run the Platform for you.
9. Feedback
Any feedback you share about your experience must be honest and based on your own experience. We may remove feedback that is false, abusive or appears to be paid for. We do not publish paid rankings of advocates.
10. Disclaimers
The Platform is provided "as is" and "as available". We do not warrant that it will be uninterrupted or error-free, or that information on it is complete or current. Read the Disclaimer.
11. Limitation of liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, we are not liable for any indirect, incidental or consequential loss, or for any act, advice, omission or conduct of any advocate or user. Our total liability for any claim relating to the Platform is limited to the fees (if any) you paid to us in the three months before the claim arose, or ₹1,000 if you paid us nothing. Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot be limited under Indian law.
12. Indemnity
You agree to indemnify Mara Vakil against claims, losses and costs arising from your breach of these Terms, your content, or your violation of any law or anyone's rights.
13. Removal of content and grievances
If you believe any content on the Platform is unlawful or violates your rights, contact our Grievance Officer as set out in the Grievance Redressal page.
14. Changes to these Terms
We may update these Terms from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top shows the latest version. Continuing to use the Platform after a change means you accept the updated Terms.
15. Governing law and jurisdiction
These Terms are governed by the laws of India. Subject to any right you have under consumer protection law to approach a consumer commission, the courts at Delhi have exclusive jurisdiction over disputes arising from them.
16. Contact
Email: help@maravakil.in
Mara Vakil is a technology platform, not a law firm. This page is not legal advice. Questions: help@maravakil.in.