Sidebar AI — Terms of Service

Effective date: May 23, 2026

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) form a binding agreement between you (“you” or “User”) and Sidebar AI, Inc. (“Sidebar AI,” “we,” “us,” or “our”). They govern your access to and use of Sidebar AI’s website, software, and services (collectively, the “Platform”).

By creating an account or using the Platform, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Platform.

1. Sidebar AI is a Technology Platform, Not a Law Firm

(a) Sidebar AI is a technology platform. The Platform provides a private, encrypted Workspace in which you can use leading third-party AI models alongside a Lawyer of your choice.

(b) Sidebar AI is not a law firm. Sidebar AI does not provide legal advice, legal services, legal representation, or legal opinions. Sidebar AI does not represent you, does not act as your attorney, and does not enter into an attorney-client relationship with you.

(c) Any legal services you receive through the Platform are provided directly by an independent Lawyer you engage. The relationship between you and that Lawyer is governed by an engagement letter between you and the Lawyer, to which Sidebar AI is not a party.

(d) Lawyers in Sidebar AI’s network are independent attorneys. They are not employees, partners, or agents of Sidebar AI. Sidebar AI does not control or direct the legal services they provide and does not share in any fees they collect from Users for legal services.

(e) Sidebar AI pays Network Lawyers a flat stipend in exchange for non-legal services (e.g., profile maintenance and onboarding) and for their availability on the Platform. That stipend is not consideration for the substance, content, or outcome of any specific advice, is not calculated by reference to legal fees, legal outcomes, or the amount of legal work performed, and is not a fee paid by you, the User, for legal services. Fees you may owe a Lawyer for work outside their participation in the Workspace are billed by the Lawyer directly to you.

2. Definitions

(a) “AI Provider” means a third-party provider of an AI model or service made available through the Platform, including without limitation OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google.

(b) “Lawyer” means an attorney whom you engage through the Platform. A Lawyer may be selected from Sidebar AI’s network (a “Network Lawyer”) or invited by you (an “External Lawyer”).

(d) “Subscription Fee” means the recurring fee you pay to Sidebar AI for access to the Platform.

(e) “User Content” means any content, including questions, prompts, documents, and files, that you submit or upload into a Workspace.

(f) “Workspace” means the private, encrypted workspace provided to Users within the Platform.

3. Eligibility and Account

(a) To establish a Workspace account, you must be at least 18 years old and capable of entering into a binding contract.

(b) You agree to provide accurate registration information and to keep it current. You are responsible for the security of your account credentials and for all activity under your account.

(c) You must not share your account with others. Each individual user must have a separate account, except as expressly provided for team plans.

(d) Sidebar AI may refuse, suspend, or terminate accounts in accordance with these Terms.

4. The Platform Services

(a) Sidebar AI provides: (i) the Workspace; (ii) access to leading AI models via enterprise APIs; (iii) tools for engaging a Lawyer in your Workspace; and (iv) account, billing, and support functions.

(b) Sidebar AI does not: (i) provide legal advice or legal services; (ii) generate Output (which is produced by third-party AI Providers); (iii) supervise or control the legal services delivered by Lawyers; or (iv) guarantee any specific outcome, response time, or availability of any particular Lawyer, or the quality of any Output.

(c) The Platform may evolve. Sidebar AI may add, modify, or discontinue features over time. Material changes that adversely affect your subscription will be communicated as required by law.

5. Engaging a Lawyer Through the Platform

(a) You may bring a Lawyer into your Workspace by (i) selecting a Network Lawyer, (ii) inviting an External Lawyer, or (iii) both.

(b) Engagement letter required. No attorney-client relationship is created by use of the Platform alone. An attorney-client relationship arises only after you and the Lawyer have executed an engagement letter directly between you. Sidebar AI is not a party to that engagement letter.

(c) Independent representation. A Lawyer engaged through the Platform represents you independently and exercises independent professional judgment. Sidebar AI does not direct, supervise, or interfere with that representation.

(d) Lawyer’s fees are separate. Your Subscription Fee covers access to the Platform only. It is not payment to a Lawyer for legal services. Where the Lawyer’s engagement letter charges no additional fee for in-Workspace participation, that arrangement is between you and the Lawyer; Sidebar AI is not liable for it. Any work outside the scope of in-Workspace participation (including but not limited to document drafting, court representation, and hourly consultation by phone or video) is billed by the Lawyer directly to you under the Lawyer’s engagement letter and standard rates. Sidebar AI does not bill, collect, hold, or remit any portion of those fees.

(e) No guarantee of attorney-client privilege or other protections. Whether a particular communication is protected by attorney-client privilege, the work-product doctrine, or any other legal protection is a fact-specific legal determination that depends on the matter, the jurisdiction, the parties to the communication, and how the communication is conducted. Sidebar AI does not and cannot guarantee that any communication on the Platform is privileged or protected. Sidebar AI does not provide legal advice on this subject. Ask your Lawyer how privilege and other protections apply to your specific situation.

6. AI Models and Output

(a) AI models on the Platform are operated by third-party AI Providers. Sidebar AI does not own, train, or control those models.

(b) Output is generated by the AI models used by AI Providers. The Output may be inaccurate, incomplete, biased, or out of date. Output is not legal advice. Do not rely on Output as the basis for legal, financial, medical, or other important decisions without independent professional review.

(c) Sidebar AI configures AI Provider integrations using enterprise APIs that, under each AI Provider’s applicable enterprise terms, are intended to prevent your User Content from being used to train AI models. Sidebar AI does not control AI Provider systems and cannot guarantee compliance by any AI Provider with its enterprise terms. AI Providers’ own practices are governed by their respective terms.

(d) Sidebar AI does not warrant the availability, accuracy, fitness, or non-infringement of any Output and disclaims all related warranties to the maximum extent permitted by law.

7. Subscription, Fees, and Billing

(a) Subscription tiers, prices, and included features are described on the Platform’s pricing page and may change without notice.

(b) Subscription Fees are charged in advance on a recurring basis until cancelled.

(c) Free trial. If a free trial is offered, the trial converts to a paid subscription automatically at the end of the trial period unless cancelled before then.

(d) Refunds. Subscription Fees are non-refundable except as required by law.

(e) Taxes. Fees are exclusive of applicable taxes, which you are responsible for paying.

(f) Lawyer fees. Sidebar AI does not bill, collect, hold, or remit fees that you owe to a Lawyer. Those fees are between you and your Lawyer.

8. User Content

(a) You retain ownership. You retain all right, title, and interest in your User Content.

(b) Limited license to operate the Platform. You grant Sidebar AI a limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to host, store, transmit, and process your User Content solely as necessary to operate the Platform, provide the Workspace, and comply with law. This license does not authorize Sidebar AI to read, analyze, or use your User Content for any other purpose, including training AI models.

(c) Sidebar AI does not access Workspace contents. Workspace contents are accessible only to you and the Lawyer(s) you have invited into the Workspace, except as strictly necessary for technical operation, security, or legal compliance.

(d) You represent that you have the right to submit your User Content and that doing so does not violate any law or third-party right.

9. Acceptable Use

You will not:

use the Platform to engage in or facilitate illegal activity;
submit content that is unlawful, infringing, defamatory, or that violates a third-party right;
attempt to access another user’s Workspace or account, or interfere with the Platform’s security;
reverse engineer, decompile, or attempt to extract source code from the Platform, except to the extent applicable law expressly permits;
use the Platform to develop a competing product;
use automated means (scraping, bots) to access the Platform in violation of these Terms;
use the Platform to engage in the unauthorized practice of law; or
impersonate any person or misrepresent your identity, including holding yourself out as a lawyer if you are not.

10. Intellectual Property

(a) Sidebar AI and its licensors own the Platform and all related intellectual property rights, except for User Content and rights expressly granted to you in these Terms.

(b) Sidebar AI grants you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to use the Platform solely as permitted by these Terms.

(c) Feedback. If you submit suggestions or feedback to Sidebar AI, you grant Sidebar AI a perpetual, royalty-free license to use that feedback without restriction.

(d) Trademarks. “Sidebar AI” and the Sidebar AI logo are trademarks of Sidebar AI, Inc. You may not use them without prior written permission.

11. Privacy

Sidebar AI’s Privacy Statement, available on the Platform, describes how we collect, use, and disclose information. By using the Platform you consent to that handling of information.

12. Disclaimers

(a) AS-IS. THE PLATFORM AND ALL CONTENT, INCLUDING OUTPUT, ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE.” SIDEBAR AI DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED, AND STATUTORY, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, AND ANY WARRANTY ARISING FROM COURSE OF DEALING OR USAGE OF TRADE.

(b) No legal advice. Nothing on the Platform, including Output, Sidebar AI marketing, content authored by Sidebar AI personnel, or communications from Sidebar AI, constitutes legal advice. Legal advice is provided only by your Lawyer.

(c) No guarantee of legal outcome. Sidebar AI does not guarantee any legal outcome, settlement, ruling, document, or result.

(d) No guarantee of privilege. Sidebar AI does not guarantee that any communication is or will be protected by attorney-client privilege or any other legal protection.

(e) No guarantee of Lawyer availability or quality. Sidebar AI does not guarantee the availability of any particular Lawyer, response time, or quality of any Lawyer’s services. Sidebar AI is not responsible for any act or omission of any Lawyer.

13. Limitation of Liability

(a) Liability Cap. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, SIDEBAR AI’S TOTAL CUMULATIVE LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE PLATFORM, THE WORKSPACE, OR THESE TERMS WILL NOT EXCEED THE AMOUNT YOU PAID SIDEBAR AI IN THE TWELVE MONTHS PRECEDING THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO LIABILITY (OR, IF YOU HAVE PAID SIDEBAR AI LESS THAN US $100, ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS).

(b) Excluded damages. SIDEBAR AI WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR LOST PROFITS, LOST REVENUE, LOST DATA, LOSS OF GOODWILL, OR THE COST OF SUBSTITUTE SERVICES, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY.

(c) Lawyer-related claims excluded. SIDEBAR AI WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY ACT, OMISSION, MALPRACTICE, NEGLIGENCE, BREACH, OR LIABILITY OF ANY LAWYER YOU ENGAGE THROUGH THE PLATFORM. CLAIMS RELATING TO LEGAL ADVICE, LEGAL SERVICES, OR THE LAWYER-CLIENT RELATIONSHIP MUST BE BROUGHT AGAINST THE LAWYER, NOT SIDEBAR AI.

(d) AI Provider claims excluded. SIDEBAR AI WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY ACT, OMISSION, OR LIABILITY OF ANY AI PROVIDER OR FOR ANY OUTPUT.

(e) Basis of the bargain. THE LIMITATIONS IN THIS SECTION ARE A FUNDAMENTAL ELEMENT OF THE BARGAIN AND APPLY TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW CERTAIN LIMITATIONS, IN WHICH CASE THE FOREGOING APPLIES TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED.

14. Indemnification

You will defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Sidebar AI and its officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of or relating to: (a) your User Content; (b) your use of the Platform in violation of these Terms or applicable law; (c) your engagement with any Lawyer; or (d) your reliance on any Output.

15. Term and Termination

(a) These Terms remain in effect while you use the Platform.

(b) Cancellation by you. You may cancel your subscription at any time through your account settings. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the then-current billing period.

(c) Termination by Sidebar AI. Sidebar AI may suspend or terminate your access for material breach, prolonged inactivity, suspected fraud or misuse, or where required by law.

(d) Effect of termination. Upon termination, your access to the Platform and the Workspace ends. Any Lawyer engagement is governed by the engagement letter between you and the Lawyer.

(e) Post-termination data. Workspace contents are retained for thirty (30) days after termination of your subscription to allow account reinstatement, and are then deleted or de-identified, subject to legal-hold and legitimate-interest exceptions and to your rights under the Privacy Statement. Further detail is in the Privacy Statement.

(f) Survival. Sections 1, 5(b), 5(e), 6(b)–(d), 8, 10, 11, 12–14, 16, and 17 survive termination, together with this Section 15(d)–(f).

16. Dispute Resolution

(a) Informal resolution. Before filing any claim, you agree to send Sidebar AI written notice describing the dispute, and to attempt good-faith resolution for at least 30 days.

(b) Arbitration. Except for claims for injunctive relief or for matters within small-claims jurisdiction, any dispute arising out of these Terms or the Platform will be resolved by binding individual arbitration administered by JAMS under its Streamlined Arbitration Rules (or AAA under its Consumer Arbitration Rules where required by law). Arbitration will take place in Los Angeles, California or by remote means as the parties agree.

(c) No class actions. You and Sidebar AI agree that disputes will be resolved on an individual basis. Class, collective, and representative actions are waived to the maximum extent permitted by law.

(d) Opt-out. You may opt out of this Section 16 by sending written notice to legal@sidebarchat.ai within 30 days of first accepting these Terms.

(e) Nothing in this Section limits a party’s right to seek injunctive relief in court for misuse of intellectual property or breach of confidentiality.

17. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles. Subject to Section 16, the state and federal courts located in Los Angeles, California have exclusive jurisdiction over any matter not subject to arbitration.

18. Changes to These Terms

Sidebar AI may update these Terms. Material changes will be communicated by email or in-Platform notice at least 14 days before they take effect, except where a shorter notice period is required by law or to address security or legal risk. Continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance.

19. Compliance and Specific Notices

(a) Copyright (DMCA). Sidebar AI complies with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Notices of claimed copyright infringement should be sent to our DMCA Designated Agent at copyright@sidebarchat.ai. Sidebar AI may terminate users who are repeat infringers.

(b) Export and sanctions. You may not use the Platform if you are located in, ordinarily resident in, or a national of any country or region subject to comprehensive U.S. embargo, or if you are listed on any U.S. government denied-party or sanctions list.

(c) Accessibility. Sidebar AI is committed to making the Platform accessible. To request accessibility accommodations or to report a barrier, contact accessibility@sidebarchat.ai.

(d) Federal contracting / consumer status. The Platform is a “commercial product” for purposes of U.S. federal acquisition regulations. Use by U.S. government entities is subject to the rights granted in these Terms.

20. General

(a) Entire agreement. These Terms, together with the Privacy Statement and any order or plan-specific terms, constitute the entire agreement between you and Sidebar AI regarding the Platform.

(b) Assignment. You may not assign these Terms without Sidebar AI’s prior written consent. Sidebar AI may assign these Terms without restriction.

(d) No waiver. Failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver.

(e) Force majeure. Neither party is liable for delays or failures caused by events beyond its reasonable control.

(f) Notices. Notices to Sidebar AI must be sent to legal@sidebarchat.ai. Notices to you may be sent to the email on your account.

(g) No third-party beneficiaries. These Terms do not create rights for any third party, except that Sidebar AI’s affiliates, officers, directors, employees, and agents are intended beneficiaries of Sections 12 through 14.

(h) Contact. Questions about these Terms? Email legal@sidebarchat.ai.

Sidebar AI is a technology platform. Sidebar AI does not provide legal services. Lawyers in Sidebar AI’s network are independent attorneys, not employees. Lawyer engagement fees are separate and set by the lawyer you choose. Sidebar AI does not guarantee any legal outcome or attorney-client privilege.