Disclaimer.
Last updated · Apr 28, 2026
OpenCounsel is the consumer-facing surface of a California-licensed law firm. Everything on this site, including the AI-led 20-minute consultation and the written legal-situation report it produces, is intended to provide general legal information about California consumer legal matters: landlord–tenant, employment, consumer protection, family, immigration, small claims, and traffic or misdemeanor among them. It is not legal advice, and it is not a substitute for the judgment of a licensed attorney engaged to represent you in your specific matter.
01No attorney-client relationship until engagement
Visiting this site, taking a consultation, receiving a Legal Situation Report, or exchanging messages with anyone at OpenCounsel does not, by itself, create an attorney-client relationship. An attorney-client relationship is formed only when you and OpenCounsel have signed a written engagement letter for a specific matter.
Until that letter is signed, no information you share is treated as a privileged attorney-client communication. We do hold your intake securely and limit access to OpenCounsel personnel and the supervising attorney.
02The AI is not a lawyer
The voice agent that conducts the consultation is software. It is trained to ask the questions a California attorney would ask during intake on the kinds of matters we handle, and to summarize what it hears in plain English. It does not exercise legal judgment, and it cannot represent you in any proceeding.
Every consultation is structurally supervised by a California-licensed attorney at OpenCounsel. The supervising attorney reviews flagged matters and signs the report. Where representation is appropriate, we will offer to engage on a separate fee basis; you are never required to accept.
03Jurisdictional scope
OpenCounsel currently serves California residents only. Many of the matters we triage touch federal law as well as California law (immigration questions, federal employment protections, federal consumer-protection statutes), and we will discuss those in the consultation where they intersect with the caller's California-based situation. For matters with no California connection, or matters that require a specialist attorney admitted in a federal court or another state, we will say so on the call and the report will recommend a referral.
If you are not in California, please consult an attorney licensed in your jurisdiction.
04Information accuracy and limitations
California law changes: statutes are amended, courts issue new opinions, local ordinances pass. We make a good-faith effort to keep the AI's knowledge current, and every report is reviewed by a California-licensed attorney before delivery. Even so, no report can substitute for analysis of your specific facts by counsel engaged to represent you.
The Legal Situation Report you receive describes our understanding of the facts as you told them to us. If we got something wrong, tell us. We will revise.
05Reliance is at your own risk
To the fullest extent permitted by California law, OpenCounsel and its supervising attorney are not liable for any decision you make in reliance on information provided through this service in the absence of a signed engagement. If your matter is time-sensitive or high-stakes (an active court case, a hearing date, a statutory deadline), engage counsel.
06Attorney advertising
This website is attorney advertising under California Rule of Professional Conduct 7.2. Prior results described here, including the sample report on the home page, are illustrative and do not guarantee a similar outcome. Outcomes depend on facts.
07Contact
Questions about this disclaimer or about whether OpenCounsel is appropriate for your matter: hello@opencounsel.co.