Forest & Co Terms and Conditions

Last updated: 26th August 2026

These Terms and Conditions apply when you book an initial legal consultation with Forest & Co through our online booking platform, whether the consultation is paid for directly or accessed through a valid HiLex membership benefit.

Please read them carefully before completing your booking. By ticking the acceptance box and proceeding with the booking, you confirm that you have read, understood and agreed to these Terms and Conditions.

1About Forest & Co

Forest & Co is a trading name of Forest Corporate Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales under company number 11229601.

Our registered and principal office is:

You may contact us at:

In these Terms:

• “Forest & Co”, “we”, “us” and “our” mean Forest Corporate Ltd trading as Forest & Co
• “you” and “your” mean the person making or receiving the consultation booking
• “consultation” means the initial legal consultation selected through our booking platform; and

“HiLex membership” means an active membership providing access to consultation time or consultation credit in accordance with the applicable HiLex membership terms.

2The service you are booking

The service booked through the booking platform is an initial legal consultation of the duration, format and price, or applicable HiLex membership benefit, displayed at the time of booking.

The consultation may take place:

• online by video call
• by telephone; or
• in person at our office,

depending on the appointment type selected during booking.

The purpose of the consultation is to allow you to explain your circumstances and receive initial legal information and advice based on the information available during the appointment.

Unless we expressly agree otherwise in writing, the consultation does not include:

• formally accepting conduct of your case or matter
• representing you in court or before another authority
• contacting another party on your behalf
• preparing or submitting applications, claims, correspondence or documents
• reviewing substantial documentation
• carrying out detailed legal research
• providing a written legal opinion
• taking responsibility for court hearings, limitation periods, appeal deadlines or other deadlines
• undertaking work following the consultation; or
• guaranteeing that Forest & Co will be able to act for you after the consultation.

Any further legal work will be subject to our confirming that we are able and willing to accept your instructions. We may issue a separate Client Care Letter, Engagement Letter, scope of work, fee proposal or other written retainer for that work.

Unless and until we confirm that further retainer in writing, you remain responsible for protecting your position and complying with any relevant deadlines.

3Your booking

You must provide complete and accurate information when making your booking.

You are responsible for checking that:

• your name and contact details are correct
• the appointment date and time are suitable
• the correct appointment format and duration have been selected
• the information submitted about your matter is accurate
• any HiLex membership details provided are complete and accurate; and
• you have provided any important information about urgent hearings, deadlines or limitation dates.

Submitting a booking does not guarantee that we can advise you or accept instructions in relation to your matter.

Your booking is confirmed only after:

• the required payment has been successfully received or, where applicable, your HiLex membership benefit has been successfully verified
• you receive a booking confirmation from us or our booking platform; and
• we have not identified a conflict of interest or another legal or regulatory reason preventing us from conducting the consultation.

4Conflicts of interest and regulatory checks

Before the consultation, we may need to conduct a conflict-of-interest check and other regulatory checks.

We may be unable to conduct the consultation or advise you where:

• we act or have previously acted for another person involved in the matter
• there is a conflict or significant risk of a conflict of interest
• accepting the consultation would breach our professional or legal obligations
• the matter falls outside our areas of practice
• we do not have a suitably qualified or available practitioner
• satisfactory identity, sanctions or other regulatory checks cannot be completed; or
• another reasonable professional or regulatory reason prevents us from acting.

Where we cancel the consultation because we cannot provide the booked service and no substantive work has been carried out, we will normally refund any consultation fee paid.

Where the consultation was booked using a HiLex membership benefit, any consultation credit deducted for a consultation cancelled by us will normally be restored, subject to the applicable HiLex membership terms.

We may not always be able to provide detailed information about the reason for declining or cancelling an appointment where professional confidentiality, anti-money laundering, sanctions or other legal obligations prevent us from doing so.

5Who will conduct the consultation

Your consultation will be arranged with an available Forest & Co legal practitioner who is considered appropriate for the selected service and area of law.

The practitioner conducting the consultation may differ from any individual displayed or referred to elsewhere on our website unless your confirmation expressly names a particular practitioner.

Where reasonably necessary, we may allocate the consultation to another suitably qualified practitioner.

If the fee or the amount of HiLex consultation credit required would change because of a proposed change of practitioner, we will notify you before the consultation and obtain your agreement.

6Consultation fees, HiLex membership benefits and payment processing

The fee, duration and applicable VAT, or the applicable HiLex membership benefit, will be displayed during the booking process before the booking is completed.

Unless expressly stated otherwise:

consultation fees are quoted exclusive of VAT;

VAT will be added at the applicable rate;

where a consultation fee is payable, payment must be made in full when the consultation is booked; and

the consultation fee or HiLex benefit covers only the consultation described in the booking confirmation.

6.1 HiLex members

Where a valid HiLex membership benefit applies, no consultation fee will be payable through the booking platform, subject to verification of your membership status and available consultation entitlement.

The availability of a consultation through HiLex is subject to:

• your HiLex membership being active at the time of booking and at the time of the consultation
• the selected consultation being included within your membership plan
• you having sufficient unused consultation time or credit available
• compliance with the applicable HiLex membership terms; and
• successful verification of your membership details.

A HiLex membership does not guarantee that Forest & Co can advise on a particular matter, conduct the consultation or accept further instructions. Conflict, regulatory and professional checks will continue to apply.

Where your HiLex membership cannot be verified, has expired, does not cover the selected consultation or does not contain sufficient available consultation entitlement, we may:

• ask you to pay the applicable consultation fee
• ask you to select another available service
• ask you to renew or resolve the status of your membership; or
• cancel or postpone the booking.

We will notify you before any consultation fee is charged.

Unless otherwise stated in the applicable HiLex membership terms, unused consultation time or credit cannot be exchanged for cash and does not cover additional legal work following the consultation.

6.2 Additional work

Reviewing extensive or complex documents, carrying out work before or after the consultation or providing additional advice may involve an additional fee.

We will not incur additional chargeable work without informing you of the applicable charging basis or obtaining your agreement where required.

Payment of the consultation fee, or use of a HiLex consultation benefit, does not oblige Forest & Co to accept instructions for any further work.

6.3 Payment processing

Where payment is required, payments are processed securely by our third-party payment processor.

Forest & Co does not receive or store your full payment card details. Payment information is processed by the payment provider in accordance with its own terms, privacy notice and security procedures.

We may receive limited payment-related information, such as:

• your name
• billing contact details
• the amount paid
• payment status
• payment method type
• the final digits of the payment card; and
• transaction or payment reference details.

We may use this information to administer the booking, confirm payment, issue refunds, maintain accounting records, prevent fraud and resolve payment disputes.

A payment is not treated as successfully completed until it has been authorised and confirmed by the payment processor.

We are not responsible for a payment being declined or delayed by your bank, card issuer or payment provider. Where payment is unsuccessful, the appointment may remain unconfirmed or may be released for booking by another person.

7Documents and information

You may be permitted to upload documents when making your booking. Uploading documents does not mean that all documents will necessarily be reviewed before or during the consultation.

Unless otherwise agreed:

• the consultation fee or HiLex membership benefit includes only a reasonable preliminary review of the information necessary to conduct the appointment
• extensive documents may require additional time and fees
• you should identify the documents that are most relevant
• documents should be supplied sufficiently in advance of the appointment; and
• we do not guarantee that documents supplied shortly before the consultation will be reviewed.

You must ensure that the information and documents you provide are, to the best of your knowledge, complete, accurate and not misleading.

Our advice may be affected if relevant information is withheld, incomplete, inaccurate or supplied too late.

8Appointment time and attendance

You should be ready and available at the scheduled appointment time.

For online or telephone consultations, you are responsible for:

• providing correct contact information
• having a suitable internet or telephone connection
• having access to the required device or platform
• joining the appointment promptly; and
• ensuring that you are in a private and appropriate location.

If you arrive late, the consultation may still end at the originally scheduled time. We are not obliged to extend the appointment, reduce the fee or restore any HiLex consultation time used.

If you do not attend and do not notify us, the appointment may be treated as a no-show under section 10.

We will make reasonable efforts to begin the consultation at the scheduled time, but minor delays may occasionally occur because of court attendances, urgent client matters or circumstances outside our control.

10Rescheduling and non-attendance

All consultation fees are payable in full and are non-refundable.

By completing your booking and making payment, you expressly request that Forest & Co may commence the provision of the consultation service immediately upon receipt of cleared funds.

10.1 Rescheduling by you

You may request to reschedule your consultation by contacting us at enquiries@fcos.co.uk or by telephone on +44 (0)20 3383 0173.

Where you provide at least 48 hours’ notice before the scheduled appointment, we will normally allow the booking to be transferred once to another available appointment without an additional consultation fee or further deduction of HiLex consultation credit.

Any further request to reschedule will require a new booking and the applicable consultation fee or HiLex consultation entitlement.

All rescheduling requests are subject to practitioner availability.

10.2 Cancellation by you

You may cancel your consultation at any time by notifying us.

Any consultation fee already paid is non-refundable and will not be credited towards another appointment.

Where the consultation was booked using a HiLex membership benefit, the consultation entitlement allocated to the booking may be treated as used and may not be restored, subject to the applicable HiLex membership terms.

10.3 Non-attendance

If you fail to attend the consultation without notifying us, the appointment will be treated as a no-show.

The consultation fee will be retained and a further payment will be required to arrange another appointment.

Where the consultation was booked using a HiLex membership benefit, the consultation entitlement allocated to the missed appointment may be treated as used and may not be restored.

This reflects the practitioner’s reserved time, any reasonable preparation undertaken and the loss of the opportunity to offer the appointment to another client.

11Cancellation or rescheduling by Forest & Co

We may cancel, postpone or reschedule a consultation where reasonably necessary, including because of:

• practitioner illness or unavailability
• a court hearing or urgent professional commitment
• a conflict of interest
• incomplete or unsuccessful payment
• inability to verify an applicable HiLex membership benefit
• failure to provide information reasonably required for the consultation
• abusive, threatening or inappropriate behaviour
• technical problems
• legal or regulatory restrictions; or
• circumstances outside our reasonable control.

Where possible, we will offer an alternative appointment.

If we cancel the consultation and cannot provide a reasonable alternative, we will refund the fee paid for the service that has not been supplied.

Where the consultation was booked through HiLex, we will normally restore any consultation entitlement deducted for the cancelled appointment, subject to the applicable HiLex membership terms.

We will not be responsible for indirect losses, loss of opportunity, travel costs or other consequential expenses arising from a rescheduled or cancelled consultation, except where liability cannot lawfully be excluded.

12Nature and limitations of the advice

Any advice provided during the consultation will be based on:

• the information and documents made available to us
• the time available during the consultation
• the law and circumstances as understood at the date of the consultation; and
• the limited scope of an initial consultation.

The consultation may identify that further information, document review, investigation or specialist advice is required before a reliable conclusion can be reached.

Unless expressly agreed in writing, we are not responsible for monitoring your matter or reminding you of deadlines after the consultation.

You should not assume that we have accepted responsibility for a court date, appeal period, limitation date, immigration deadline or other time-sensitive requirement merely because it was mentioned during the consultation.

Advice given to you is for your benefit in connection with the matter discussed. It may not be relied upon:

• for another purpose
• in materially different circumstances; or
• by another person,
• without our prior written agreement.

We do not guarantee the outcome of any matter.

13Further instructions after the consultation

At the end of the consultation, we may:

• provide initial advice only
• recommend further work
• ask for additional information
• refer you to another practitioner or organisation
• provide a fee estimate or proposal; or
• decline to accept further instructions.

No ongoing solicitor-client retainer will arise solely because you booked or attended the consultation.

Any further work must be expressly accepted by Forest & Co and may be governed by a separate Client Care Letter, Engagement Letter, scope of work and Terms and Conditions of Business.

Where a separate Engagement Letter is issued and there is any inconsistency between that letter and these booking terms in relation to the further work, the separate Engagement Letter will take priority.

14Confidentiality

We are subject to professional duties of confidentiality.

Information supplied in connection with your booking and consultation will normally be treated as confidential. However, we may disclose information where:

• you authorise us to do so
• disclosure is reasonably necessary to provide the service
• we are required or permitted to disclose it by law
• disclosure is required by a court, regulator or competent authority
• it is necessary for professional indemnity insurance purposes
• it is necessary to prevent serious harm; or
• another professional or regulatory exception applies.

Our duty of confidentiality is subject to our legal obligations relating to money laundering, terrorist financing, proliferation financing, financial sanctions and the prevention or detection of crime.

In some circumstances, we may be prohibited from informing you that information has been disclosed or that a report has been made.

15Identity, anti-money laundering and sanctions checks

We may request proof of identity, proof of address, source-of-funds information or other documents before or after the consultation where this is reasonably required.

We may also carry out electronic identity, sanctions, fraud prevention and other regulatory checks.

A booking may be delayed, cancelled or declined where:

• requested information is not supplied
• we cannot satisfactorily complete the required checks
• a sanctions restriction applies
• we know or suspect that a legal or regulatory issue has arisen; or
• proceeding would breach our professional obligations.

You must not send funds to us other than the stated consultation payment unless we have expressly authorised you to do so.

16Data protection

Forest Corporate Ltd is responsible for processing personal data supplied through the booking platform.

We may process your personal data for purposes including:

• arranging and administering the consultation
• verifying your HiLex membership status and available consultation entitlement
• communicating with you
• conducting conflict and regulatory checks
• processing payment and refunds
• providing legal services
• maintaining professional and regulatory records
• dealing with complaints
• preventing fraud and protecting our systems; and
• complying with legal and regulatory obligations.

We may share information where reasonably necessary with service providers such as:

• our booking and case-management providers
• HiLex platform and membership administration providers
• payment processors
• identity-verification providers
• information technology and secure storage providers
• barristers, experts or other professional advisers, where appropriate
• our insurers, auditors or professional advisers
• regulators, courts and public authorities; and
• other persons where required or permitted by law.

Where payment is made through the booking platform, your full payment card details are collected and processed directly by our third-party payment processor and are not stored by Forest & Co.

The checkbox accepting these Terms must not be treated as consent to receive promotional or marketing communications. Any marketing consent should be obtained separately and should be optional.

17Electronic communications and online consultations

Email, telephone and video communications may carry security and confidentiality risks.

We take reasonable precautions to protect our systems, but we cannot guarantee that electronic communications will always be secure, uninterrupted or error-free.

You should:

• use a secure device and internet connection
• avoid participating in a consultation in a public place
• protect your passwords and access links
• tell us if another person is present
• verify unexpected payment requests directly with us; and
• not send highly sensitive material through an insecure channel without first discussing this with us.

We will not notify you of a change to our bank account details solely by email. You should verify any unexpected payment instructions by contacting us through independently verified contact details.

18Recording consultations

You must not audio-record, video-record, transcribe through an automated service or otherwise reproduce the consultation without our prior express agreement.

We will not record a consultation without informing you and obtaining any consent required by law.

Any agreed recording or transcript must remain confidential and may not be published or disclosed to another person without our prior written permission, except where disclosure is required by law.

19Conduct

We aim to maintain a professional and respectful relationship with all clients and prospective clients.

We will not tolerate abusive, discriminatory, threatening, violent or otherwise inappropriate behaviour towards our staff.

We may end the consultation or decline further services where such behaviour occurs. Where appropriate, serious threats or conduct may be reported to the police or another relevant authority.

Any refund or restoration of HiLex consultation entitlement in these circumstances will depend on the service already supplied, the circumstances, the applicable HiLex membership terms and your statutory rights.

20Complaints

We are committed to providing a high-quality service.

If you are dissatisfied with the consultation, our service or the fee charged, please contact:

A copy of our complaints procedure is available on request.

We normally have up to eight weeks to consider a complaint.

If we are unable to resolve your complaint, you may be entitled to ask the Legal Ombudsman to consider it.

The Legal Ombudsman can be contacted at:

A complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must normally be made:

• within six months of receiving our final written response to your complaint; and
• within one year of the act or omission complained about, or within one year of when you should reasonably have known that there were grounds for complaint.
• These time limits may be subject to the Legal Ombudsman’s applicable rules and discretion.

Concerns relating to a solicitor’s honesty, professional conduct or regulatory compliance may be reported to the Solicitors Regulation Authority. The SRA does not normally deal with complaints solely concerning poor service.

21Professional indemnity insurance and liability

We maintain professional indemnity insurance in accordance with applicable SRA requirements.

Our liability arising from the consultation is limited to £3 million, unless a different limitation is expressly agreed in writing.

We will not be liable for losses arising from:

• incomplete, inaccurate or misleading information supplied by you
• your failure to follow advice or supply requested information
• matters outside the agreed scope of the consultation
• changes in the law or circumstances after the consultation
• delay caused by circumstances outside our reasonable control
• information or services supplied by independent third parties; or
• your reliance on preliminary advice where we explained that further investigation was required.

To the extent permitted by law, we will not be liable for indirect or consequential loss, loss of profit, loss of business or loss of opportunity.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability:

• for death or personal injury caused by negligence
• for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation
• where exclusion or limitation is prohibited by law; or
• to an extent that would breach our professional obligations.

22Third-party services and referrals

We may recommend or refer you to a barrister, expert, foreign lawyer or other independent service provider.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, such providers are independent of Forest & Co and responsible for their own services.

We will make referrals in good faith but do not guarantee the availability, suitability or performance of an independent third party.

We will notify you where separate fees may apply.

23Accessibility and additional needs

Please inform us as early as possible if you require reasonable adjustments or assistance to access the consultation.

We will take reasonable steps to accommodate accessibility, communication or vulnerability-related needs.

24Changes to these Terms

The Terms applicable to your consultation will be the version presented to you when the booking is made.

We may update these Terms for future bookings. Any updated version will not retrospectively alter a confirmed booking unless:

• the change is required by law or regulation
• the change benefits you; or
• you expressly agree to it.

25Severability and waiver

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid, unlawful or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in force.

A failure or delay by either party to exercise a right under these Terms does not waive that right.

26Third-party rights

Unless expressly stated otherwise, a person who is not a party to the contract has no right to enforce these Terms under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999.

27Governing law and jurisdiction

These Terms and the consultation contract are governed by the law of England and Wales.

The courts of England and Wales will have jurisdiction over disputes arising from the booking or consultation.

Where mandatory consumer law gives you the right to bring proceedings in another part of the United Kingdom or another jurisdiction, nothing in this section removes that right.