Terms of Service

1. Introduction and Scope

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of the website located at applegal.ro (the "Website") and any related services provided by The Investor-Ready Architect ("we," "us," or "our"), a legal advisory practice operated as a sole proprietorship under Romanian law.

By accessing or using the Website, submitting the intake questionnaire, or booking a consultation, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree with any part of these Terms, you should not use the Website or our services.

2. Nature of Information Provided

The content on this Website is provided for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this Website constitutes legal advice, and no attorney-client, solicitor-client, or equivalent professional relationship is created by your use of the Website, submission of the intake questionnaire, or participation in a preliminary consultation call.

A professional engagement exists only when both parties have signed a formal engagement letter that specifies the scope, fees, and terms of the representation.

3. Intake Questionnaire and Preliminary Consultations

The intake questionnaire hosted via Microsoft Forms collects preliminary information to help us assess whether our practice is a potential fit for your company's needs. Submission of the questionnaire does not obligate either party to enter into an engagement.

By submitting the intake questionnaire, you represent and warrant that you are duly authorized to provide information on behalf of the company identified in the form and that the information provided is accurate to the best of your knowledge.

Preliminary consultation calls ("Fit Calls") scheduled through Microsoft Bookings are informational in nature. No professional advice is rendered during such calls unless and until a formal engagement letter is executed.

4. Engagement Terms

All professional engagements — including the Clean House Audit and the Fractional GC Retainer — are governed by a separate, written engagement letter signed by both parties. The engagement letter will specify the scope of work, applicable fees, payment terms, timelines, and any other material conditions.

In the event of any conflict between these Terms and the terms of a signed engagement letter, the engagement letter shall prevail with respect to the services covered therein.

5. Fees and Payment

Fees for our services are set out in the applicable engagement letter. We operate on a fixed-fee basis for audit engagements and a flat monthly rate for retainer engagements. Payment is processed through Stripe. Invoices for Romanian fiscal compliance are issued through SmartBill in accordance with applicable Romanian tax legislation, including e-Factura requirements.

Unless otherwise agreed in the engagement letter, audit engagements require 50% payment upfront upon execution of the engagement letter, with the remaining balance due upon delivery of the final work product. Retainer fees are billed monthly in advance.

6. Intellectual Property

All content on the Website — including text, design, layout, and graphics — is the property of The Investor-Ready Architect and is protected under applicable intellectual property laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works from Website content without our prior written consent.

Work product delivered under a signed engagement letter (such as audit reports, risk maps, and contract drafts) becomes the property of the client upon full payment of the applicable fees, unless otherwise specified in the engagement letter.

7. Confidentiality

We treat all information provided through the intake questionnaire, consultation calls, and engagement work as strictly confidential. Information will not be disclosed to third parties except as required by law, by order of a competent court, or with your prior written consent. Our confidentiality obligations are further specified in the applicable engagement letter.

8. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by Romanian law, our total liability arising out of or in connection with the use of this Website — including but not limited to reliance on any information provided herein — shall not exceed the fees actually paid by you under the applicable engagement letter.

We shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages arising from the use of the Website or from any decision made based on information obtained through the Website. This limitation does not apply to liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law.

9. Data Protection

We process personal data in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (the General Data Protection Regulation) and applicable Romanian data protection legislation. For detailed information about how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal data, please refer to our Privacy Policy.

10. Third-Party Services

Our Website and practice rely on certain third-party services, including Microsoft 365 (Forms, Bookings, Teams, OneDrive), Stripe (payment processing), and Cloudflare (website hosting and security). Your use of these services is subject to their respective terms of service and privacy policies. We are not responsible for the practices or content of third-party service providers.

11. Termination

We reserve the right to restrict or terminate access to the Website at any time, without prior notice, for any reason, including but not limited to a breach of these Terms.

Termination of a professional engagement is governed by the terms of the applicable engagement letter and by the mandatory provisions of Romanian law governing the legal profession.

12. Modifications to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Any changes will be reflected by updating the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Your continued use of the Website following the posting of revised Terms constitutes your acceptance of the changes. We encourage you to review these Terms periodically.

13. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Romania. Any disputes arising out of or in connection with these Terms shall be submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts of Bucharest, Romania, unless otherwise agreed in writing or required by mandatory provisions of applicable law.

14. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable or invalid by a competent court, that provision shall be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.