Aaine
Trust & safety

Four protections, on every consultation.

Manual verification, escrow on every booking, independent dispute resolution, and reviews that come only from completed consultations.

Manual verification.

Every lawyer is reviewed by our team — bar registration, identity, references, and disciplinary history — before they can take a single booking.

Escrow on every booking.

Your payment is held by Aaine until the consultation completes. If the call doesn’t happen as booked, refunds are one click.

Independent dispute resolution.

Disputes are reviewed against the consultation record — booking notes, channel, time taken — and ruled on by our admin team, typically within 3 business days.

Real, attributed reviews.

Every rating comes from a completed booking. No incentivised stars, no fakes, no anonymous noise — and lawyers have the right to respond.

How to book safely

Four habits that keep you covered.

The protections only work if the booking stays on Aaine. These habits keep the record clean — and keep your money refundable if the consultation doesn't go as booked.

Check the Verified mark.

The gold Verified mark next to a lawyer’s name means we’ve manually checked their bar standing, identity, and references. If it’s not there, the profile has not been verified yet.

Pay only through Aaine.

Booking and payment happen on the platform so your funds sit in escrow. If a lawyer asks you to pay off-platform — bank transfer, mobile wallet, cash — please report it and don’t pay.

Keep the matter in the booking.

Sharing matter context through the booking flow keeps a record we can refer to if a dispute is raised. Off-channel messages aren’t reviewable if something goes wrong.

Use the listed channel.

The call channel is fixed at booking (phone, WhatsApp, or video). If a lawyer asks to switch channels last-minute, you can decline and the consultation stays eligible for refund if it doesn’t happen as listed.

What the Verified mark actually means

The gold Verified mark on a profile means our team has manually confirmed the lawyer’s bar registration, identity, and practice references against primary sources, and run a check for active disciplinary issues. Verification is a check of credentials and standing — it’s not an endorsement of the lawyer’s strategy, advice, or outcome on any specific matter.

For the full sequence and timing, see How verification works.

Escrow and how money moves

Payments are taken at the time of booking and held by Aaine. Funds release to the lawyer after the consultation completes and the dispute window closes — typically 48 hours. If the consultation doesn’t happen, or doesn’t happen as booked, you can request a refund from your dashboard within that window. See Disputes for what happens next.

Reviews and lawyer responses

Reviews are only published from completed bookings, and the reviewer is always attributable on our side. Lawyers have the right to a single public response per review and can flag content that breaches professional conduct (confidential matter details, personal attacks). We may edit or remove content that violates our standards.

Identity, documents, and data protection

Identity documents uploaded for verification are encrypted at rest, accessible only to the verification team, never shown to clients, and removed from active storage 90 days after verification completes. Full detail is in our Privacy policy.

What to report — and how

Anything that doesn’t fit the standard dispute flow can be reported to the trust team. Especially:

  • A lawyer asked you to pay outside Aaine.
  • A profile appears to misrepresent credentials or identity.
  • You received unsolicited or inappropriate messages.
  • You suspect impersonation or account takeover.
  • You believe a review was fabricated or coercive.
  • Any safety concern that doesn’t fit the dispute flow.

Reach the trust team through the Contact page. Reports are confidential, and we’ll never share the reporter’s identity with the lawyer or client involved without consent.

What we expect from lawyers

  • Hold a current, unrestricted practising certificate from your bar association or law society.
  • Honour the price, length, and channel you published for each consultation.
  • Handle client communications and documents in line with your professional conduct rules.
  • Never solicit clients off-platform to avoid platform fees on bookings originated through Aaine.
  • Notify us within 7 days if your standing changes.

What we expect from clients

  • Use Aaine for genuine legal-help requests, and share accurate matter context when booking.
  • Join consultations on time and treat the lawyer professionally.
  • Don’t record a consultation without the lawyer’s explicit, on-the-call consent.
  • Use the dispute flow for issues with the consultation, not the review section.
Have a safety concern? We'll review every report.
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Trust & safety · Aaine