Terms of engagement (settlement advice product)

These legal terms are between you and Valla Limited (Valla/us/we) and you agree to them by using our settlement package.

1. Introduction

Thank you for choosing Valla for independent legal advice on your settlement agreement.

These terms set out the basis on which Valla will provide legal services to you. It explains the scope of our work, how we charge for our services, and important regulatory and practical information.

Please read this document carefully. If you have any questions, please contact us before proceeding.

2. Our Role

Valla provides access to qualified independent advisers who can advise you on the terms and effect of a settlement agreement. Valla maintains professional indemnity insurance on behalf of its independent advisers.

Where advice is provided by a solicitor, that solicitor will be regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) or another relevant professional body.

Our role is to:

• review the settlement agreement provided by your employer

• explain the terms and legal effect of the agreement

• advise you on the claims you may be giving up by signing the agreement

• answer questions you may have about the agreement

• sign the independent adviser certificate required for the agreement to become legally binding.

Our service is limited to advice on the settlement agreement unless otherwise agreed.

Valla is not a law firm and is not regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) or the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Where this product involves activities that require authorisation by the SRA or FCA, we have sought permission to allow us to carry these out as an unregulated body.

3. Scope of Advice

Advice is delivered by a call with one of our legal experts. Before the call, your adviser will read your settlement agreement and any related documents you provide. The call typically lasts around an hour. Following the call, where you decide to proceed, your adviser will sign the independent adviser certificate required for your agreement to become legally binding.

Unless we specifically agree otherwise in writing, our advice does not include:

• representing you in negotiations with your employer

• ongoing employment law advice unrelated to the agreement

• tax advice beyond explaining standard settlement agreement tax provisions

• financial, pension, or investment advice

• representation in Employment Tribunal proceedings.

4. Fees

We can only provide this service where your employer has agreed to contribute at least £500 + VAT towards the cost of your legal advice. We will ask you to confirm this, and to provide the relevant part of your settlement agreement or your employer's written confirmation, before we book your advice call.

We will tell you our fee before you book. The fee varies to reflect the complexity of your agreement, and will not exceed the contribution your employer has agreed to make.

You are our client and you are responsible for our fee. Because your employer has agreed to contribute, we will invoice your employer directly and you will not be asked to pay, provided we receive that contribution in full within 30 days of the date of our invoice. If we do not, we will invoice you for any amount outstanding, payable within 14 days.

Our fee is for the advice we provide, not for any particular outcome. It is payable in full once your advice call has taken place, whether or not you decide to sign your settlement agreement, and whether or not you ask another adviser to sign the independent adviser certificate.

If you end this agreement before your advice call has taken place, we will charge you £99 + VAT per hour for adviser time already spent, including time spent reviewing your documents in preparation for the call. Part hours are charged pro rata. The total charged under this paragraph will not exceed the fee we quoted you.

5. Your Right to Cancel

You have the right to cancel this contract within 14 days of accepting these terms, without giving a reason.

If you ask us to begin work within that 14-day period and then cancel, you will be liable to pay for the services we have provided up to the point you tell us you are cancelling, calculated as set out in section 4.

If you ask us to begin work within that 14-day period and we complete the advice and sign the independent adviser certificate before it ends, you will lose your right to cancel and our full fee will be payable.

To cancel, contact us at hello@valla.uk. If you cancel, we will refund any payment you have made, less any amount you owe us under section 4, within 14 days.

6. Confidentiality

All information you provide to us will be treated as confidential, subject to our legal and regulatory obligations.

Your settlement agreement may also contain confidentiality obligations which we will explain to you during the advice process.

7. Limitation of Liability

Our liability to you for losses arising from this engagement will be limited to the amount covered by the professional indemnity insurance which Valla has in place, unless the law requires otherwise.

Nothing in these terms limits liability for fraud or any liability that cannot legally be limited.

8. Complaints

We aim to provide a high‑quality service. If you are unhappy with any aspect of the service you receive, please contact us and we will investigate your concerns.

Valla's Refund and complaint policy

9. Acceptance

By proceeding with advice through Valla, you confirm that you have read and understood these terms of engagement and agree to the terms.