Law-Firm Participation Terms

Version: Law-firm terms v1.0

Effective date: 25 August 2026

These terms apply to each law firm, legal practice and other approved professional organisation that applies to participate in MatterPath, and to every person who uses a professional account for that organisation.

They supplement the Terms applying to everyone. MatterPath is operated by WD Ventures Pty Ltd (ABN 36 701 566 421).

Commercial terms at a glance

• Payment is available only after MatterPath approves the organisation.
• The first 10 qualifying approved organisations pay AUD $99 for the first 12 months, then AUD $99 per month. Later approved organisations pay AUD $99 per month.
• An accepted introduction costs the higher of AUD $40 or 10% of the verified standard one-hour consultation rate.
• The stated fees are the total amounts charged, inclusive of GST where it applies.
• Payment never improves a recommendation or its rank.

1. Agreement and authority

The organisation agrees to these terms when an authorised person accepts them, submits a professional application, activates a membership or continues to use a professional account after being given notice of them.

A person acting for an organisation confirms that they have authority to bind it and give instructions for it. The organisation is responsible for activity through its authorised accounts. Each account user must also comply with these terms and their own professional obligations.

2. Application and approval

An application does not make an organisation approved, verified or eligible for matching. MatterPath may ask for information reasonably needed to review the organisation, its identity, regulator details, practitioners, service coverage and commercial profile.

MatterPath may approve, request changes to or reject an application. Payment is available only after approval. Approval is permission to participate on the platform, not an endorsement, accreditation or guarantee of the organisation or any practitioner.

3. Professional status

The organisation must be entitled to provide every legal or professional service that it offers through MatterPath. It must maintain every registration, practising entitlement, licence, insurance and other approval required by the laws and professional rules that apply to it.

Practitioner profiles must identify real people and contain current regulator and registration information. At least one suitable regulated practitioner must be verified before a practice can be approved for matching. The organisation must promptly update MatterPath if a professional status, restriction or entitlement changes.

4. Practice profile and service coverage

The organisation must keep its legal name, ABN, contact details, practice areas, practitioners, consultation modes, languages, availability and standard one-hour consultation rate accurate and current.

A service state or territory may be selected only where the organisation is willing, competent and lawfully able to accept relevant matters. Service coverage is separate from the location of an office. MatterPath may review a change before using it for future matching.

5. Matching and ranking

MatterPath compares consumer requirements with verified practice information using rules-based matching. A consumer may receive up to three recommendations. MatterPath does not promise that an organisation will be recommended or receive any introduction.

An active membership is required for an approved organisation to remain eligible for new matching. Payment, membership and accepted-introduction fees do not improve a recommendation or its rank. There is no bidding or pay-to-rank placement.

6. Consumer information and privacy boundaries

A recommendation may first provide a privacy-minimised preview. The organisation may use that preview only to assess suitability, availability and whether it can proceed. It must not try to identify or contact the consumer from a preview or combine it with other information to identify the consumer.

MatterPath releases the consumer's identity, contact details and full authorised information only after the consumer has expressly authorised the introduction and the accepted-introduction payment has succeeded. The organisation must then use that information only for the authorised introduction, conflict checks, communications and legal services, and must protect it in accordance with applicable privacy and professional obligations.

7. Accepting introductions

Accepting an introduction confirms that the organisation wants the introduction and authorises the displayed accepted-introduction fee. Each introduction requires a separate acceptance. An acceptance does not require the consumer or the organisation to enter a retainer.

MatterPath does not promise that an introduction will become a client, produce paid work or lead to a particular result. The organisation remains responsible for deciding whether to accept instructions and for communicating its own services, costs and engagement terms.

8. Conflicts, engagement and professional duties

The organisation is responsible for every conflict check, client-identification step, costs disclosure, engagement decision and professional obligation that applies before it accepts instructions. MatterPath's checks and consumer-facing notices do not replace those duties.

Where a professional rule requires disclosure of a financial benefit paid for an introduction, the organisation must give the consumer the required disclosure before accepting instructions. This includes any required written disclosure that MatterPath introduced the consumer and that the organisation pays MatterPath an accepted-introduction fee. The organisation must not describe that fee as affecting suitability or rank and must not pass it to the consumer as a disbursement unless the law and applicable professional rules clearly permit that treatment.

9. Restricted matters and referral safeguards

Laws and professional rules in some jurisdictions prohibit or restrict payment for a referral, lead, claim or introduction. These restrictions can apply to personal injury, motor accident, workers compensation, institutional abuse, redress and other claims, and can also arise under claim-farming, touting or spotter-fee rules.

The organisation must not accept a paid introduction where the payment or contact would be prohibited. It must stop, avoid contacting the consumer and notify MatterPath if a preview may concern a restricted matter. MatterPath may block, withhold or cancel a paid introduction where it reasonably considers that a legal or professional restriction may apply. The organisation remains responsible for checking the rules that apply to its location, the consumer and the matter.

10. Membership

Only an approved organisation can buy a membership. An active paid membership is required for matching and professional participation features.

Founding 10

The first 10 qualifying organisations approved by MatterPath are eligible for the Founding 10 offer. One payment of AUD $99 covers the first 12 months. After the first 12 months, the membership automatically continues at AUD $99 per month until cancelled.

Standard membership

Approved organisations that do not receive a Founding 10 place pay AUD $99 per month until cancelled. The offer shown in the organisation's account before checkout is the offer assigned to that organisation.

11. Accepted-introduction fees

The accepted-introduction fee is the higher of AUD $40 or 10% of the verified standard one-hour consultation rate. A free initial consultation or a fixed fee for particular work does not reduce the calculation to zero. The verified standard one-hour rate is the commercial rate used for this calculation.

MatterPath calculates and records the fee when the recommendation is created. That fee is the amount displayed for acceptance. A later rate change applies only to future recommendations and does not change a fee already recorded. The fee is not a percentage of the consumer's matter, legal costs, damages, settlement or outcome.

12. Stripe payments and cancellation

All fees described in these terms are in Australian dollars and are the total amounts charged, inclusive of GST where GST applies. Stripe checkout and invoices show the applicable payment and tax treatment.

Payments are processed by Stripe. When the organisation buys a membership, its payment method is saved by Stripe for recurring membership payments and for separately accepted introduction fees. MatterPath does not store your full card details.

The organisation authorises a particular accepted-introduction fee only when an authorised user accepts that introduction. If Stripe requires further authentication, the organisation must complete it before full consumer information is released. If a payment fails or remains incomplete, membership may not activate or continue and the full introduction is not released.

The organisation may manage or cancel its membership through the billing controls made available in its account. Cancellation stops future renewal at the end of the current paid period. Nothing in these terms limits a right or remedy that cannot lawfully be excluded.

13. Account use and platform integrity

The organisation must keep account access secure, give access only to authorised people and promptly remove access that is no longer required. It must not provide false information, misuse consumer information, evade a platform safeguard, interfere with matching or use MatterPath to send unlawful, misleading, harassing or unsolicited communications.

14. Suspension and termination

MatterPath may restrict matching, withhold an introduction, suspend an account or end participation where reasonably necessary to protect a consumer, comply with law or a professional rule, address a payment failure, investigate inaccurate information or suspected misuse, or respond to a material breach of these terms.

Where appropriate, MatterPath will explain the issue and give the organisation a reasonable opportunity to respond. Ending participation does not remove confidentiality, privacy, payment or professional obligations that arose before it ended.

15. Statutory rights and fair terms

Nothing in these terms excludes, restricts or modifies a guarantee, right or remedy that cannot lawfully be excluded, including under the Australian Consumer Law. These terms are intended to operate fairly for small-business participants as well as other organisations.

The liability provisions in the Terms applying to everyone also apply to professional participation. They do not make MatterPath responsible for an independent professional decision, legal deadline, engagement, service or outcome.

16. Changes, acceptance and records

The current version and effective date appear on this page. MatterPath may update these terms for a legal, professional, security, operational or service change and will give reasonable notice before a material change takes effect. A change does not alter an accepted-introduction fee already recorded for a recommendation.

MatterPath may record the organisation, account user, terms version, acceptance time and related account or payment context when these terms are accepted. Continued participation after a notified change takes effect, or a fresh acceptance where requested, confirms the organisation's agreement to the updated terms.

17. Contact and governing law

Contact info@matterpath.com.au about a participation, payment or account issue. These terms are governed by the laws of Victoria, Australia, subject to any law that requires otherwise.

WD Ventures Pty Ltd ABN 36 701 566 421 Office 4777, Ground Floor 470 St Kilda Rd Melbourne VIC 3004info@matterpath.com.au