1. About ClauseWise and These Terms
ClauseWise Consulting ("ClauseWise", "we", "us", "our") is an independent legal support and business services provider based in South Africa, operating from Unit 208, Westwood Office Park, 1 Mottramdale, Westwood. These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of our website at clausewise.co.za and your engagement of our services. By using our website or engaging our services, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use our website or engage our services.
2. Our Services
ClauseWise provides the following categories of services: (a) Contract Services — drafting, reviewing, and negotiating commercial and personal contracts, including sale agreements, service agreements, lease agreements, NDAs, and employment contracts; (b) Dispute Support — preparing demand letters, dispute summaries, negotiation correspondence, and documentation for court-annexed mediation or alternative dispute resolution; (c) Advisory Services — commercial risk assessments, contract audits, SME compliance documentation, and business advisory support; (d) Project Management — end-to-end project coordination, stakeholder management, and delivery oversight for business and property projects; (e) Property Administration — lease administration, property management support, and related documentation; (f) Tax Compliance Support — preparation and review of tax-related documentation in support of your tax practitioner or accountant; (g) Membership Services — ongoing monthly support under our Business Essential or Business Professional membership plans. The specific scope of services for each engagement is confirmed in a written engagement letter or service agreement before work commences.
3. Not Legal Advice — Important Disclaimer
ClauseWise is an independent legal support and business services provider. Nothing on this website, in any document we produce, or in any communication from us constitutes legal advice as defined under applicable legislation. Our services are legal support services — we assist you in understanding, preparing, and managing legal and commercial documentation, but we do not represent you in legal proceedings. Where your matter requires legal representation, a formal legal opinion, or specialist advice, we will advise you to obtain assistance from a suitably qualified independent professional. Reliance on any information or document provided by ClauseWise without obtaining independent advice where appropriate is at your own risk.
4. Engagement Process
All engagements with ClauseWise follow this process: (a) Enquiry — you submit an enquiry via our website, email, or WhatsApp; (b) Scoping — we discuss your matter and confirm the scope of services required; (c) Quote — we provide a fixed-price quote for the agreed scope; (d) Engagement Letter — we issue a written engagement letter setting out the scope, deliverables, timeline, and price; (e) Commencement — work commences only after the engagement letter is signed by both parties and any required deposit is received. No binding engagement exists until a signed engagement letter is in place. Verbal commitments, email exchanges, or WhatsApp messages do not constitute a binding engagement unless confirmed in a signed engagement letter.
5. Fees and Payment
All fees are fixed-price unless otherwise stated in the engagement letter. Our pricing is transparent — the price quoted is the price you pay for the agreed scope. Changes to scope may result in a revised quote, which will be confirmed in writing before additional work is undertaken. Payment terms are as set out in the engagement letter. Where a deposit is required, work will not commence until the deposit is received. Invoices are payable within the period stated on the invoice. Late payment may result in work being paused until the outstanding amount is settled. All prices are quoted in South African Rand (ZAR) and are inclusive of VAT where applicable. We are not currently registered as a VAT vendor; if our VAT status changes, we will notify you.
6. Membership Services
Membership plans (Business Essential and Business Professional) are billed monthly in advance. Membership services are subject to the fair use policy set out in the membership engagement letter, which limits the volume of work included in each tier. Work that falls outside the fair use threshold will be quoted separately. Membership engagements run on a rolling monthly basis unless a minimum term is specified in the engagement letter. Either party may terminate a membership by providing 30 days' written notice. No refund is payable for the current month's membership fee upon termination. Unused membership capacity does not roll over to the following month. Membership pricing is determined according to the scope of support agreed in the engagement letter.
7. Client Obligations
To enable us to deliver our services effectively, you agree to: (a) Provide accurate, complete, and timely information relevant to your matter; (b) Respond promptly to requests for information, approvals, or instructions; (c) Notify us immediately if any information you have provided changes or if you become aware of any development that may affect your matter; (d) Not use our services for any unlawful purpose or in connection with any fraudulent, deceptive, or illegal activity. We are not responsible for delays or deficiencies in our deliverables caused by your failure to meet these obligations. If inaccurate or incomplete information provided by you results in additional work, we reserve the right to charge for that additional work at the rates set out in the engagement letter.
8. Confidentiality
We treat all client information as strictly confidential. We will not disclose your information to any third party except: (a) where required by law, court order, or regulatory authority; (b) with your express written consent; (c) where necessary to deliver the agreed services (for example, engaging a specialist sub-contractor with your consent); or (d) to the extent that the information is already publicly available through no fault of ours. Our confidentiality obligations survive the termination of any engagement. You acknowledge that we may reference the general nature of our work (for example, "contract drafting for an SME client") for marketing purposes without identifying you or disclosing any confidential information.
9. Intellectual Property
Upon receipt of full payment for an engagement, you own the deliverables produced specifically for you under that engagement (for example, a contract drafted for your use). We retain ownership of all underlying methodologies, templates, frameworks, and know-how used in producing those deliverables. You may not resell, sublicense, or distribute our deliverables to third parties without our prior written consent. We retain the right to use anonymised and non-identifiable versions of our work product for training, quality improvement, and portfolio purposes.
10. Limitation of Liability
To the maximum extent permitted by South African law: (a) Our total liability to you for any claim arising from or in connection with our services is limited to the total fees paid by you for the specific service giving rise to the claim; (b) We are not liable for any indirect, consequential, special, or punitive damages, including loss of profit, loss of revenue, loss of data, or loss of opportunity, even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages; (c) We are not liable for any loss or damage arising from your reliance on our services without obtaining independent legal advice where appropriate; (d) We are not liable for delays or failures caused by circumstances beyond our reasonable control, including load shedding, internet outages, or third-party failures. Nothing in these Terms limits our liability for fraud, gross negligence, or wilful misconduct.
11. Termination
Either party may terminate an engagement by providing written notice as specified in the engagement letter. Upon termination: (a) You will pay for all work completed up to the date of termination; (b) We will deliver all completed work product to you; (c) Work in progress that is not yet deliverable will be invoiced on a pro-rata basis at the rates set out in the engagement letter; (d) Any deposit paid in excess of the amount due for work completed will be refunded within 14 business days. We reserve the right to terminate an engagement immediately and without notice if you breach these Terms, fail to pay invoices, or engage in conduct that we reasonably believe is unlawful or harmful.
12. Dispute Resolution
We are committed to resolving any disputes fairly and efficiently. If a dispute arises: (a) You must first contact us in writing at hello@clausewise.co.za, setting out the nature of the dispute and the outcome you are seeking; (b) We will respond within 10 business days with our position and a proposed resolution; (c) If the dispute is not resolved within 30 days of your initial notice, either party may refer the matter to a mutually agreed mediator before commencing litigation; (d) If mediation fails or is not agreed, the dispute will be subject to the jurisdiction of the South African courts. Nothing in this clause prevents either party from seeking urgent interim relief from a court where necessary.
13. Governing Law
These Terms and any engagement with ClauseWise are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of South Africa, including the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 where applicable. You consent to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the South African courts in respect of any dispute arising from these Terms or our services.
14. General
These Terms, together with the engagement letter for your specific matter, constitute the entire agreement between you and ClauseWise in respect of our services and supersede all prior representations, discussions, and agreements. If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect. Our failure to enforce any right under these Terms does not constitute a waiver of that right. We may update these Terms from time to time. The version in force at the time of your engagement will apply to that engagement. We will notify you of material changes by updating the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.
15. Contact
For any queries about these Terms or our services, please contact us: Email: hello@clausewise.co.za | WhatsApp: +27 82 893 0729 | Post: Unit 208, Westwood Office Park, 1 Mottramdale, Westwood. We aim to respond to all queries within 2 business days.