HINSDALE LAW GROUP

PROSPECTIVE CLIENT INTAKE TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Effective Date: July 14, 2026
Document Version: HLG-INTAKE-1.1

These Prospective Client Intake Terms and Conditions (“Terms”) govern the submission of information to Hinsdale Law Group (“Hinsdale Law Group,” “HLG,” the “Firm,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) through the Firm’s website, online intake forms, questionnaires, scheduling pages, document-upload systems, electronic-signature platforms, text messages, emails, or other electronic intake methods.

The words “you” and “your” refer to the individual submitting information and, when applicable, any property owner, business, trust, estate, organization, or other person or entity on whose behalf the information is submitted.

By checking the acceptance box, typing your name, applying an electronic signature, or selecting “Submit,” “Continue,” “Sign,” or a similar button, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to these Terms and the Firm’s Privacy Policy.
 

1. Purpose of the Intake Process

The Firm’s intake process is intended to collect preliminary information regarding you and your potential legal matter. The information may be used to identify the persons, properties, businesses, organizations, government agencies, and other parties connected with the matter; conduct an initial conflict-of-interest review; determine whether the matter falls within the Firm’s areas of practice; evaluate whether the Firm is willing and able to consider the matter; communicate with you regarding your inquiry; request additional information or documents; and, when appropriate, prepare a proposed engagement or retainer agreement.

Submitting information through the intake process is a request that the Firm consider your matter. It is not confirmation that the Firm has accepted the matter or agreed to represent you.
 

2. No Attorney-Client Relationship

Submitting an intake form, uploading documents, scheduling a consultation, receiving an automated confirmation, exchanging emails or text messages, speaking with an attorney or Firm representative, or otherwise communicating with the Firm does not, by itself, create an attorney-client relationship.

An attorney-client relationship will be established only after the Firm has completed any conflict-of-interest review and other evaluation it considers appropriate, the Firm has expressly agreed to accept a specifically identified legal matter, you and an attorney authorized to act on behalf of the Firm have executed a separate written engagement or retainer agreement, any required advance fee, retainer, filing fee, deposit, or other required payment has been received or arranged, and the Firm has confirmed its acceptance of the representation.

Unless each of these requirements has been satisfied, the Firm has not agreed to represent you and has no obligation to take action on your behalf.

An acknowledgment that the Firm received your information, a request for additional information, a consultation appointment, an intake reference number, a preliminary discussion of your circumstances, or the preparation of proposed engagement documents does not constitute acceptance of representation.

No statement made by a receptionist, intake specialist, assistant, contractor, automated system, artificial intelligence system, or other nonlawyer creates an attorney-client relationship or modifies these Terms.
 

3. No Legal Advice During Intake

The intake form, the Firm’s website, automated communications, general informational materials, preliminary questions, and communications occurring before the Firm accepts representation are provided for informational and evaluation purposes only. They do not constitute legal advice.

You should not rely on an intake form, preliminary communication, website statement, general legal information, or automated response as a substitute for advice from an attorney who has reviewed the specific facts and applicable law relating to your matter.

A request by the Firm for information or documents does not mean that the Firm has determined that your matter has legal merit, that a claim or appeal should be filed, that a particular legal strategy is appropriate, or that any outcome is likely.
 

4. Deadlines and Time-Sensitive Matters

You remain solely responsible for identifying, calculating, monitoring, and protecting all filing deadlines, appeal deadlines, statutes of limitation, response dates, hearing dates, tax deadlines, closing dates, contractual deadlines, and other time-sensitive requirements unless and until the Firm expressly confirms in writing that it has accepted responsibility for a specifically identified deadline.

Before an attorney-client relationship has been established, the Firm has no duty to file an appeal, complaint, petition, application, deed, pleading, appearance, response, or other document; preserve evidence; contact a court, assessor, board of review, government agency, opposing party, lender, title company, or other person; attend a hearing or closing; pay a fee; obtain an extension; or take any other action to protect your interests.

You should not assume that the Firm has received or reviewed your submission merely because information was entered into an online form or transmitted electronically. When timing is important, you are responsible for confirming receipt directly with the Firm.

The online intake system is not intended for emergencies. If you are facing an imminent deadline, you should immediately contact a qualified attorney through a direct and confirmed method of communication. If there is a threat to personal safety or another emergency, contact 911 or the appropriate emergency authority.
 

5. Property Assessment and Property Tax Appeal Matters

When your inquiry concerns a property assessment, property tax appeal, exemption, refund, or related matter, submission of your property information does not mean that an appeal, application, complaint, or other filing has been or will be prepared or filed.

The Firm will not be responsible for protecting an assessment or property tax appeal deadline unless the Firm has accepted the matter in writing and specifically confirmed that it will be responsible for the applicable filing.

Assessment procedures, filing periods, evidentiary requirements, hearing procedures, exemption requirements, and appeal deadlines are established and controlled by assessors, boards of review, counties, municipalities, courts, and other governmental authorities. These requirements may change and may vary depending on the property and jurisdiction.

The Firm does not guarantee that an assessment appeal will be filed, accepted, heard, approved, or successful. The Firm does not guarantee that an assessed value will be reduced, that a tax exemption will be granted, that a refund will be issued, or that a property owner’s final tax bill will decrease.

A reduction in assessed value may not produce an equivalent reduction in the final property tax bill. Tax rates, equalization factors, local levies, exemptions, reassessments, changes in ownership, changes in occupancy, and other circumstances may affect the final amount owed.

Unless you receive different written instructions from a qualified professional or appropriate government authority, you remain responsible for paying all property tax bills and complying with all governmental requirements when due. The submission of an appeal or the consideration of a possible appeal ordinarily does not suspend the obligation to pay taxes when required.
 

6. Accuracy and Completeness of Information

You represent and certify that all information you submit is truthful, accurate, complete, current, and not misleading to the best of your knowledge.

You agree not to omit material facts or submit false, fabricated, altered, impersonated, or fraudulent information. You further agree to promptly notify the Firm if any submitted information changes or if you discover that previously submitted information was inaccurate or incomplete.

The Firm may rely on the information you provide without independently verifying it. Inaccurate, incomplete, outdated, or delayed information may interfere with the Firm’s conflict review, prevent the Firm from properly evaluating the matter, cause the Firm to decline representation, or adversely affect any representation that is later established.
 

7. Authority to Submit Information

You represent that you are at least 18 years old and possess the legal capacity to agree to these Terms.

When submitting information on behalf of another person, property owner, trust, estate, company, organization, or other entity, you represent that you are authorized to provide the information and request that the Firm evaluate the potential matter.

You further represent that your submission does not violate another person’s privacy, confidentiality, ownership, contractual, or legal rights.

Submission of information on behalf of another person does not establish that the other person is a client, that you are authorized to retain an attorney for that person, or that you are authorized to sign an engagement agreement on that person’s behalf.

The Firm may require additional information or documentation establishing your identity, ownership interest, representative capacity, or authority before accepting a matter.
 

8. Information You Should Not Submit

You should provide only the information requested by the intake form or reasonably necessary for the Firm to evaluate the potential matter.

Unless the Firm specifically requests the information through an approved method, you should not submit Social Security numbers, complete bank-account numbers, complete payment-card numbers, passwords, login credentials, security codes, authentication codes, private encryption keys, unnecessary medical information, unnecessary criminal-history information, highly sensitive personal information, trade secrets unrelated to the potential matter, or original documents that cannot be replaced.

You understand that sending unsolicited, unnecessary, or excessive confidential information may create avoidable security and conflict-of-interest risks.

The Firm may delete, restrict, quarantine, or decline to review materials that were not requested, appear malicious, are unrelated to the inquiry, or create an unreasonable security or operational burden.
 

9. Prospective-Client Information and Confidentiality

The Firm will handle information received through the intake process in accordance with applicable law, applicable professional obligations, and the Firm’s Privacy Policy.

Submission of information does not necessarily mean that every communication is protected by the attorney-client privilege. Whether a particular communication is privileged depends on the circumstances, the purpose of the communication, applicable law, and other relevant facts.

Attorney-client privilege, professional confidentiality obligations, and the existence of an attorney-client relationship are separate legal concepts. Information may be subject to certain professional protections even when the Firm ultimately does not accept the matter, but submitting information does not automatically create an attorney-client relationship or make all submitted material privileged.

The Firm may use submitted information to conduct conflict checks, evaluate the potential representation, communicate with you, operate and secure its intake process, investigate misuse of the Firm’s systems, obtain legal or professional advice concerning the Firm’s duties, and comply with applicable law, court orders, regulatory requirements, or professional obligations.

Nothing in these Terms authorizes the Firm to use or disclose information in a manner prohibited by applicable law or the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct.
 

10. Conflict-of-Interest Review

The Firm represents numerous clients and must evaluate potential conflicts of interest before accepting a matter.

You authorize the Firm to use the names and identifying information you provide to conduct a conflict-of-interest review. This may include the names of property owners, co-owners, family members, beneficiaries, trustees, executors, businesses, affiliated entities, buyers, sellers, landlords, tenants, lenders, borrowers, title companies, contractors, witnesses, adverse parties, attorneys, government agencies, and other persons or organizations connected with the matter.

The Firm may already represent, may previously have represented, or may later be asked to represent a person or entity whose interests differ from or are adverse to yours. The Firm may decline your matter because of a conflict of interest or for any other lawful or professional reason.

The Firm may be unable to disclose the reason it declines a matter because doing so could reveal information protected by duties owed to another person.

Submitting information does not automatically prevent the Firm from representing another person whose interests are adverse to yours. Any ability of the Firm to accept or continue another representation will remain subject to applicable professional-conduct rules and other law.

You may not use the intake process for the purpose of attempting to interfere with, delay, or disqualify the Firm from representing another person.
 

11. Authorization to Review Property and Public Records

When your inquiry involves real property, you authorize the Firm to review and obtain publicly available or otherwise lawfully accessible records relevant to evaluating the matter.

These records may include property ownership information, property index numbers, parcel information, assessment histories, tax records, exemption information, deeds, mortgages, recorded instruments, liens, comparable-property information, sales histories, transfer records, zoning information, land-use information, court records, administrative records, and information maintained by assessors, boards of review, recorders, treasurers, clerks, counties, municipalities, and other government authorities.

This authorization permits preliminary investigation and evaluation only. It does not authorize the Firm to file an appeal, execute a document in your name, make a formal appearance, communicate with an agency as your attorney, settle a matter, incur expenses on your behalf, or otherwise act as your legal representative unless an attorney-client relationship is separately established in writing.
 

12. Communications Regarding Your Inquiry

By providing an email address, telephone number, mobile number, or mailing address, you authorize the Firm and its authorized service providers to contact you regarding your inquiry and the possible provision of legal services.

Communications may concern conflict-check information, consultations, appointments, document requests, engagement documents, payment arrangements, filing information, reminders, status information, and other matters reasonably related to your inquiry or legal matter.

The Firm may communicate with you through telephone calls, voicemail, email, text message, secure client portal, postal mail, or other communication methods that you provide or authorize.

Message and data rates may apply to text messages. Message frequency will vary. You may request that the Firm stop sending text messages by replying “STOP” or by contacting the Firm. Opting out of text messages may limit the Firm’s ability to communicate with you through that method, but it does not terminate an existing attorney-client relationship or eliminate your responsibility to communicate through another available method.

Your agreement to these intake Terms authorizes communications relating to your inquiry and potential legal services. It does not constitute consent to unrelated promotional or mass-marketing text messages when separate consent is required by law.
 

13. Risks of Email and Text Communications

You understand that ordinary email and text messages may involve confidentiality and security risks. Messages may be misdirected, delayed, intercepted, stored by third parties, viewed on a lost or shared device, accessed through a shared account, monitored by an employer, or delivered to an outdated telephone number or email address.

By providing an email address or telephone number, you represent that it is appropriate for communications regarding your inquiry.

You are responsible for notifying the Firm if another person has access to the account or device, if communications should not be sent through a particular method, if your contact information changes, or if special confidentiality precautions are required.

The Firm may require you to use a secure portal, encrypted service, identity-verification procedure, or other protected method for particularly sensitive information.
 

14. Electronic Records and Electronic Signatures

You consent to conducting the intake process electronically and to receiving intake-related notices, acknowledgments, disclosures, agreements, and records in electronic form.

You represent that you have access to an internet-connected device, the email address you provided, a current web browser, software capable of displaying commonly used electronic documents, and a method of downloading, saving, or printing electronic records.

Checking an acceptance box, typing your name, drawing or applying an electronic signature, selecting a submission button, or completing another electronic approval process constitutes your electronic signature and demonstrates your intent to agree to the applicable electronic record.

You agree that your electronic signature may have the same legal effect as a handwritten signature to the extent permitted by applicable law.

You authorize the Firm and its service providers to maintain records concerning the submission, including the submitted information, electronic signature, checkbox selections, date and time of submission, version of the Terms presented, confirmation records, internet protocol address, browser information, device information, and other transaction or audit information permitted by law.

You are responsible for reviewing and retaining a copy of these Terms and any other electronic records provided to you.

You may withdraw your consent to receive future records electronically by providing written notice to the Firm. Withdrawal will not affect the validity or enforceability of electronic records or signatures completed before the withdrawal. Withdrawal may prevent the Firm from continuing an electronic intake or engagement process.
 

15. Privacy Policy and Use of Service Providers

The Firm’s collection, use, retention, protection, and disclosure of personal information are further described in the Firm’s Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference.

The Firm may use service providers to support website hosting, intake-form processing, document storage, practice management, conflict checking, electronic signatures, document generation, email delivery, text-message delivery, scheduling, payment processing, information security, data backup, technical support, analytics, and other legitimate law-firm operations.

These service providers may receive or process information on the Firm’s behalf. The Firm will select and use service providers consistent with applicable legal, contractual, professional, privacy, and security obligations.

The Firm may also preserve and disclose information when reasonably necessary to investigate fraud or misuse, protect the security of the Firm’s systems, protect the rights or safety of the Firm or another person, comply with legal process, or satisfy applicable legal or professional obligations.

The Firm uses safeguards that it considers reasonable and appropriate to the nature of the information. Nevertheless, no website, electronic transmission, cloud-storage service, computer system, or security measure can guarantee absolute security.
 

16. Document Uploads

Documents uploaded through the intake system should be complete, legible, accurate, and relevant to the potential matter.

You are responsible for retaining the original documents and your own copies. The Firm is not responsible for preserving an uploaded document as an original record before representation has been accepted.

Uploading a document does not establish that the Firm has received, opened, reviewed, understood, or agreed to act upon it.

You represent that you have the lawful right to provide each uploaded document and that the document does not contain malicious software or material that unlawfully violates another person’s rights.
 

17. Acceptable Use of the Intake System

You may use the Firm’s intake system only for legitimate inquiries concerning potential legal services.

You may not use the system for an unlawful, fraudulent, abusive, threatening, harassing, deceptive, or malicious purpose. You may not impersonate another person, submit information you are not authorized to provide, upload malicious code, attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Firm’s systems, interfere with the operation or security of the system, use automated tools to scrape or copy the system, submit excessive or irrelevant information, or use the system to manufacture a conflict of interest.

The Firm may reject, restrict, block, preserve, investigate, or report a submission when reasonably necessary to protect the Firm, its clients, its personnel, its systems, another person, or the integrity of the legal process.
 

18. Third-Party Services and System Availability

The intake process may depend on third-party websites, internet providers, telecommunications services, email systems, text-message systems, hosting providers, document-storage platforms, electronic-signature services, scheduling platforms, government databases, and other services that the Firm does not directly control.

The Firm does not guarantee that the intake system or any third-party service will always be available, uninterrupted, timely, secure, accurate, or error-free.

A technical failure, confirmation screen, automated response, or apparent electronic transmission does not necessarily establish that the Firm received or reviewed your information.

You should retain copies of all information and documents you submit. When timing is important, you are responsible for confirming receipt directly with the Firm.

19. No Guarantee of Representation or Results

The Firm does not guarantee that it will respond within a particular period, schedule a consultation, accept your matter, prepare or file a document, obtain a hearing, complete a transaction, obtain a tax reduction, secure an exemption, achieve a settlement, prevail in a dispute, or produce any particular legal, financial, tax, property, or business outcome.

Any description of the Firm’s experience, services, representative matters, prior outcomes, or client results is provided for general informational purposes and does not guarantee a similar result in another matter.

The outcome of a legal matter depends on the facts, available evidence, applicable law, government authorities, opposing parties, third parties, and other circumstances beyond the Firm’s control.

20. Website and Intake-System Disclaimer

The Firm provides the website and intake system on an “as available” basis for the limited purpose of facilitating preliminary inquiries.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Firm is not responsible for losses arising solely from your failure to submit accurate or complete information, your failure to protect a deadline before representation begins, use of incorrect contact information, an unsuccessful or delayed electronic transmission, a third-party service interruption, unauthorized access caused by your account or device, or reliance on general website or intake information as legal advice.

Nothing in these Terms waives, limits, disclaims, or restricts any professional duty or liability that cannot lawfully or ethically be waived, limited, disclaimed, or restricted.

These Terms do not limit rights or obligations arising under a subsequently executed engagement agreement, except to the extent that the engagement agreement expressly incorporates these Terms.
 

21. Intellectual Property

The Firm’s website, intake forms, text, graphics, logos, trademarks, service marks, page designs, questionnaires, and other materials are owned by or licensed to the Firm and are protected by applicable intellectual-property laws.

You may retain a copy of these Terms and records relating to your own submission. You may not reproduce, publish, distribute, sell, modify, scrape, or commercially exploit the Firm’s website or intake materials without the Firm’s prior written authorization, except as permitted by law.
 

22. Governing Law and Forum

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Illinois, without regard to conflict-of-law principles, except where federal law or another jurisdiction’s nonwaivable law applies.

To the extent legally enforceable, a dispute arising solely from your use of the intake system or these Terms shall be brought in a state or federal court having jurisdiction in the Illinois county where the Firm’s principal office is located.

This provision does not determine the jurisdiction, venue, dispute procedure, or governing law applicable to a separately accepted legal representation. Those matters may be addressed in a separate engagement agreement and remain subject to applicable law and professional-conduct requirements.
 

23. Changes to These Terms

The version of these Terms presented to you at the time of your submission will govern that submission.

The Firm may update these Terms prospectively by posting a revised version with a new effective date or version number. A revision will not retroactively change the terms governing a completed submission unless you separately agree to the revised terms or applicable law permits the change.
 

24. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid, unlawful, or unenforceable, that provision will be enforced to the maximum extent permitted by law or modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable.

The remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.
 

25. No Waiver

The Firm’s failure to enforce any provision of these Terms on one occasion does not waive the Firm’s right to enforce that provision or another provision on a later occasion.

No waiver will be effective unless it is expressly made in writing by an authorized representative of the Firm.
 

26. Entire Agreement Concerning Intake

These Terms and the Firm’s Privacy Policy constitute the entire agreement between you and the Firm concerning your use of the intake system and submission of preliminary information.

These Terms do not replace or modify a separate written engagement or retainer agreement. If the Firm later accepts your matter and an executed engagement agreement conflicts with these Terms regarding the accepted representation, the executed engagement agreement will control with respect to that representation.

Section titles are included for convenience and do not limit the meaning or scope of any provision.
 

27. Contact Information

Questions concerning these Terms, the intake process, or the Firm’s Privacy Policy may be directed to:

Hinsdale Law Group
710 N York Rd
Hinsdale, Illinois 60521
Telephone: 630-575-8255
Email: info@HinsdaleLawGroup.com
Website: HinsdaleLawGroup.com

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