1. Service Description
a. Software Product: The Service is a software-as-a-service product, and certain aspects of the Service are generally available to users with Payment (defined below). Among other things, the Service provides tools that assist an End User in preparing (i) a premarital agreement (a “Premarital Agreement”), and (ii) estate planning documents, which may include last wills and testaments, revocable living trusts, powers of attorney, healthcare directives, and related documents (collectively, "Estate Planning Documents," and together with Premarital Agreements, "Legal Documents"). The Service allows the End User to share information that the End User has uploaded to or created using the Service with persons of the End User’s choosing, such as the End User’s attorney that may be engaged through the Service and the other signatory to the End User’s Premarital Agreement.
b. Facilitating Attorney Consultation: We may make available to you a limited ability to communicate with an independent licensed attorney (“Attorney”) through the Service by way of edits and annotations to your Legal Documents and short text messages or otherwise. Attorneys made available for Premarital Agreements may differ from those made available for Estate Planning Documents based on their areas of practice and licensure.The Company makes this available so that an End User can obtain legal advice from an independent licensed attorney, if the End User chooses. The End User is always free to consult with an attorney of their choosing. We facilitate payment of the fee to your Attorney (a portion of your fee paid to us) for the End User’s engagement of your Attorney under a
Limited Scope Retention Agreement (“Attorney Agreement”) agreed to between the End User and Attorney. The Company is not a party to any agreement or relationship between the End User and Attorney, which will be governed by the Attorney Agreement. No Attorney who is made available through this feature is a director, officer, employee, or agent who can bind, represent or speak for the Company. The Company has a separate agreement with the Attorney, but End User is not permitted to rely on that agreement or deemed a beneficiary of that agreement. The Company has no control over and will not influence the independent judgment of the Attorney, and is not responsible for Attorney services, including for the accuracy, availability, reliability or completeness thereof. Any communications and dealings you have with an Attorney while using the Service will be governed by the Attorney Agreement and are solely between you and the Attorney. The Company will not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with use of or reliance on any Attorney services.
c. Partner Access (including with Attorney): As part of the Service, if you are the partner who first signs up for First (“Initiating Partner”), you will direct us to contact your prospective spouse/ marriage/domestic union partner (“Joining Partner”, and with the Initiating Partner, each a “Partner”) to provide service to them as well in connection with preparation of the Premarital Agreement. The Joining Partner will be required to agree to and be bound by these Terms of Service and other matters for you both to proceed. One Partner’s single payment will also cover the other Partner’s engagement of the Service and, if you and your Partner choose to engage an Attorney through an Attorney Agreement, their own independent Attorney through the Service. The Partner Access provisions of this Section II.1.c apply solely to Premarital Agreements. Estate Planning Documents are prepared on an individual basis, and each End User preparing Estate Planning Documents does so solely for themselves. If you wish to prepare Estate Planning Documents for both yourself and your spouse or partner, each person must create a separate account; however, one Partner may purchase the Estate Planning Documents bundle for both Partners.The Service is also intended to facilitate the alignment and resolution of any discrepancies as to your preferences for the terms of the Premarital Agreement (but see the Disclaimer of Warranties and Limitation on Liability provisions set forth below). Other than related to each of your connections to your respective Attorneys, with respect to Premarital Agreements, You and your Partner acknowledge that there is no expectation of privacy between you and your Partner concerning the Service or in connection with these Terms of Service. With respect to Estate Planning Documents, your information and documents are confidential and will not be shared with any other user, including your spouse or partner, without your express written consent.
d. Completion, Timeliness, Compliance: To ensure the effectiveness of the Service and any associated Attorney services, you must provide accurate and complete information promptly within the First platform. You are solely responsible for providing accurate and timely data, communications and responses in the First platform. Delays or inaccuracies in the information provided by you can lead to delays and potential issues in the preparation of your Premarital Agreement. The Company is not liable for any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with your failure to provide timely and accurate information, from any delays in communication with your Attorney, or from any instance of an End User circumventing the process on the First platform, including but not limited to circumvention of any waiting period required under applicable state law, such as (i) the 7 day waiting period required under California law (7 calendar days between the date a party was first presented with the final Premarital Agreement and the date of signing), or (ii) the 7 day waiting period under Minnesota law (the agreement must be executed at least 7 days before marriage).
e. Term: For Premarital Agreements, the term of our provision of the Service will end at the earlier of: (i) 90 days after the date of purchase, (ii) 60 days after the Attorney has first communicated to you about your Premarital Agreement, or (iii) once you have confirmed that the Premarital Agreement is final, any waiting period such as the 7 day waiting period in California is complete (7 calendar days between the date a party was first presented with the final agreement and the date of signing), and the Premarital Agreement has been sent to you for signature. For Estate Planning Documents, the term of our provision of the Service will end at the earlier of: (i) 90 days after the date of purchase, or (ii) once you have confirmed that your Estate Planning Documents are final and they have been sent to you for execution.
f. No Tax Advice: We do not provide tax advice. Any information regarding taxes, including information related to estate taxes, gift taxes, generation-skipping transfer taxes, income taxes, or tax basis, in any communication from us is for general education only and is not tax advice. Estate planning decisions may have significant and complex tax consequences. We strongly recommend that you consult with a qualified tax professional regarding the tax implications of your Estate Planning Documents. We are not responsible for, and make no guarantee regarding, the accuracy or validity of any tax information obtained through our Service. Although we do not provide any tax advice, we do provide this disclosure pursuant to Internal Revenue Service Circular 230: “We inform you that any U.S. federal tax advice contained in any communication from us is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for purposes of (a) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (b) promoting, marketing, or recommending to another person any matters addressed therein.”
g. No Financial Advice. We do not provide financial advice. Any financial information presented through the Service is for educational purposes only, and is not financial advice. We are not responsible for, and make no guarantee regarding, the accuracy or validity of any financial information obtained through our Service.
h. The artificial intelligence (AI) powered chatbots on our websites and apps (including the Clara AI chatbot available on https://www.thisfirst.com) (the “Chatbot”) is designed to provide general information related to FIRST products and services, including Premarital Agreements and Estate Planning Documents, from information available on our website, to summarize legal language you provide to it and to respond to general questions related to FIRST products, services and supported topics, including general questions about family law and estate planning. While the Chatbot strives to provide accurate and helpful information, we cannot guarantee the information will be complete, accurate or up to date. We recommend that You use the Chatbot’s responses as a starting point and verify the information as appropriate. By providing User Content to the Chatbot, You grant FIRST and its affiliates the right to use, reproduce, modify, perform, display, distribute and otherwise disclose your Content to third parties, including for the purpose of training, retraining, tuning or fine-tuning the Chatbot by FIRST and any model providers. Chatbot conversations may be reviewed by FIRST or our vendors to among other things provide the Chatbot service, improve its performance, monitor for quality and accuracy and address misuse or abuse.
i. Estate Planning Documents - Additional Disclosures.
If you use the Service to prepare Estate Planning Documents, you acknowledge and agree to the following:
(i) Testamentary Capacity. The validity of a will or trust may be challenged on the basis that the person executing the document lacked testamentary capacity at the time of execution. Testamentary capacity generally requires that you understand the nature and extent of your property, the natural objects of your bounty (i.e., your family members and others who might expect to inherit from you), and the nature of the testamentary act. The Service cannot assess or verify your testamentary capacity. If you have any concerns about your capacity, or if you are experiencing cognitive decline, memory issues, or are under the influence of medication that may affect your judgment, you should consult with an attorney and potentially a medical professional before executing any Estate Planning Documents.
(ii) Undue Influence. Estate Planning Documents may be challenged on the basis of undue influence if another person exerted improper pressure on you in the creation of the documents. You represent that you are creating your Estate Planning Documents of your own free will, without coercion or undue influence from any other person.
(iii) Execution Requirements. The requirements for properly executing Estate Planning Documents vary by state and by document type. Wills typically require witnesses (the number varies by state) and may require notarization. Trusts, powers of attorney, and healthcare directives have their own execution requirements. The Service will provide general guidance on execution requirements, but you are solely responsible for ensuring that your documents are properly executed in accordance with the laws of your state. Failure to properly execute Estate Planning Documents may render them invalid or unenforceable.
(iv) Funding of Trusts. If you create a revocable living trust through the Service, the trust must be "funded" by transferring assets into the trust to be effective. The Service does not assist with trust funding. You are solely responsible for transferring assets to your trust, which may require changing title to real property, updating beneficiary designations, and other actions.
(v) Certain assets pass outside of your will or trust pursuant to beneficiary designations (e.g., life insurance, retirement accounts, payable-on-death accounts). While the Service may provide you with a template letter to advise your financial planner or financial institution of your intent to change beneficiary designations on your accounts ("Beneficiary Designation Letter"), the Service does not directly change beneficiary designations on your behalf, and the Beneficiary Designation Letter does not itself effectuate any change to your beneficiary designations. You are solely responsible for working with your financial institutions to ensure that beneficiary designation changes are properly completed and that your beneficiary designations are consistent with your overall estate plan. The Company is not liable for any failure to update beneficiary designations or for any discrepancy between your Estate Planning Documents and your beneficiary designations.
(vi) Updates and Amendments. Estate Planning Documents should be reviewed and potentially updated following significant life events (marriage, divorce, birth of children, death of beneficiaries, significant changes in assets, changes in tax law, or relocation to a new state). The Service does not monitor your circumstances or notify you when updates may be needed. You are solely responsible for keeping your Estate Planning Documents current.
(vii) State-Specific Limitations. Certain estate planning provisions may not be enforceable in all states. For example, some states have community property laws, elective share statutes, or other laws that may limit your ability to disinherit a spouse or distribute property as you wish. The Service provides general templates that may not account for all state-specific limitations.
j. Healthcare Directives - Additional Disclosures.
If you use the Service to prepare a healthcare directive (also known as an advance directive, living will, or healthcare power of attorney), you acknowledge and agree to the following:
(i) HIPAA Authorization. Your healthcare directive may include a HIPAA authorization permitting your designated healthcare agent to access your protected health information. By executing a HIPAA authorization, you are authorizing healthcare providers to disclose your medical information to your designated agent. You should carefully consider whom you designate as your healthcare agent.
(ii) End-of-Life Decisions. Healthcare directives may address end-of-life medical treatment, including decisions about life-sustaining treatment, artificial nutrition and hydration, and palliative care. These are deeply personal decisions. The Service provides general templates and cannot advise you on what decisions are right for you. You may wish to discuss these decisions with your family, physician, or spiritual advisor.
(iii) State-Specific Forms. Some states have statutory healthcare directive forms that may be preferred or required by healthcare providers in that state. The Service attempts to provide forms that comply with applicable state law, but healthcare providers may request state-specific statutory forms.
(iv) Communication with Healthcare Providers. You should provide copies of your healthcare directive to your healthcare agent, your physician, and any healthcare facilities where you receive care. The Service does not distribute your healthcare directive to third parties.
k. Powers of Attorney - Additional Disclosures.
If you use the Service to prepare a power of attorney (whether for financial matters, healthcare, or other purposes), you acknowledge and agree to the following:
(i) Agent Authority. A power of attorney grants your designated agent significant authority to act on your behalf. Depending on the powers granted, your agent may be able to access your bank accounts, sell your property, make healthcare decisions, and take other significant actions. You should only designate as your agent a person you trust completely.
(ii) Risk of Abuse. Powers of attorney can be subject to abuse. While the Service provides standard safeguards, no document can fully protect against a dishonest agent. You should carefully consider your choice of agent and any successor agents.
(iii) Durability. A "durable" power of attorney remains effective even if you become incapacitated. A non-durable power of attorney terminates upon your incapacity. You should understand the implications of durability when creating your power of attorney.
(iv) Acceptance by Third Parties. Some financial institutions and other third parties may be reluctant to accept powers of attorney, particularly if the document is old or if the institution has its own preferred form. The Service cannot guarantee that third parties will accept your power of attorney.
(v) Revocation. You may revoke a power of attorney at any time while you have capacity by providing written notice to your agent and any third parties who have relied on the power of attorney. The Service does not assist with revocation.
l. Document Storage and Access.
(i) Digital Storage. The Company will store digital copies of your final Legal Documents for the retention periods specified in Section XII. You may access and download your documents through your account during this period.
(ii) No Physical Storage. The Company does not store physical copies of your Legal Documents. You are solely responsible for maintaining physical copies of your executed documents in a safe and accessible location.
(iii) Notification of Death. For Estate Planning Documents, you may designate an emergency contact who may notify the Company of your death. Upon verified notification of your death, the Company may, in its discretion, provide access to your Estate Planning Documents to your designated emergency contact, your personal representative, or the executor of your estate, subject to appropriate verification procedures.(iv) Account Inactivity. If your account is inactive for an extended period, the Company may attempt to contact you before terminating your account. You should ensure your contact information remains current.