Dare to LawDare to Law
Operational SOP

Advocate Operations SOP

This Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) governs the working relationship between Dare to Law (the "Platform") and every empanelled advocate. It is published publicly so that users and regulators can verify how the hybrid model — AI-assisted automation plus independent advocate validation — complies with the Advocates Act, 1961, the rules of the Bar Council of India (BCI), and the rules of the State Bar Councils.

1. Empanelment criteria

  • Valid enrolment with a State Bar Council under the Advocates Act, 1961.
  • Active "Certificate of Practice" / verification by the BCI, where applicable, and no current suspension or disciplinary bar.
  • Disclosure of state, enrolment number, enrolment year, languages and practice areas.
  • Acceptance of this SOP, the Platform's data-protection policy and a conflict-check undertaking.

2. Advocate independence

The Platform does not direct the professional judgement of any advocate. For every brief, the assigned advocate is free to:

  • Modify any AI-generated draft to bring it in line with the law and the client's facts.
  • Refuse the brief on conflict, ethical, professional or capacity grounds.
  • Refund the advocate professional fee for any unrendered or refused service.
  • Decline to sign a document the advocate considers misleading, vexatious or unlawful.

3. Fee structure — no fee-sharing with non-advocates

  • The user pays two separately disclosed components: a platform fee (to the Platform, for software / templates / AI / dispatch / operations) and an advocate professional fee (to the advocate, for review, signature, opinion, consultation or court work).
  • The Platform does not retain any portion of the advocate professional fee beyond a stated, up-front handling component disclosed to the user at checkout.
  • The Platform does not pay any commission, referral fee, or revenue share to any advocate for accepting briefs, in keeping with the bar on fee-sharing with non-advocates and the prohibition on solicitation under BCI Rule 36.

4. Document signature and stamp protocol

Every binding document dispatched through the Platform must:

  • Be reviewed and finalised by the engaged advocate;
  • Carry the advocate's name, State Bar Council, enrolment number, and digital / scanned signature and advocate's stamp;
  • State clearly that the advocate is the author and is acting independently on the client's instructions;
  • Be accompanied by a one-line note: "Platform fee paid to Dare to Law; advocate professional fee paid to the undersigned advocate."

5. Court filings, vakalatnama and representation

Court filings, vakalatnama, pleadings and representation are advocate-only services. They are rendered by the engaged advocate as an independent professional. The Platform's role is strictly facilitation — intake, scheduling, secure document handling and dispatch. The contracting party for the legal service is the advocate, not the Platform. A separate engagement letter is signed by the user and the advocate before any such service commences.

6. AI drafts — information, not advice

AI-generated outputs that are not signed by an advocate are general legal information and not legal advice. Such outputs always carry an in-product banner stating that they are not advocate-validated. The Platform does not permit AI-only outputs to be dispatched as legal notices, opinions, or court documents.

7. Confidentiality, conflicts and data handling

  • The engaged advocate owes the user a duty of confidentiality under the Advocates Act, 1961 and the standards of professional conduct.
  • The advocate runs a conflict check before accepting any brief and declines where a conflict is identified.
  • Client data on the Platform is encrypted at rest and in transit. Access is limited to the user, the assigned advocate, and authorised compliance staff strictly on a need-to-know basis.

8. No solicitation, no directory

The Platform does not publish advocate profiles, photographs, ratings, client testimonials for individual advocates, "top lawyer" lists, or any other content that would amount to advertising or solicitation within the meaning of BCI Rule 36. Advocates are referenced only by the role they fill within the workflow.

9. Grievance and audit

Users may raise a grievance regarding any advocate to grievance@nyayasaathi.in. The Platform maintains an internal compliance ledger recording every Terms acceptance, fee split, advocate signature event, and dispatch event for audit and regulatory inspection.

This SOP supplements the Terms of Service and Disclaimer.