VIRGINIA’S PREMIERE BANKRUPTCY LAW FIRM • VIRGINIA BEACH • RICHMOND • NEWPORT NEWS • 1-800-662-8813
Terms of Use
USE OF MERNALAW.COM (THE “WEB SITE”) CONSTITUTES YOUR AGREEMENT TO BE BOUND BY THE FOLLOWING TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THESE TERMS, YOU MUST NOT USE, OR MUST IMMEDIATELY TERMINATE YOUR USE OF, THIS WEB SITE.
1. Purpose of the Web Site
This Web Site is a service made available by The Merna Law Group, P.C. (“Provider,” “the firm,” “we,” or “us”), a Virginia professional corporation doing business as Merna Law. This Web Site is an advertisement for legal services.
The materials on this Web Site are provided for general informational purposes only and ARE NOT LEGAL ADVICE. The information on this site is intended to educate members of the public generally and is not intended to provide solutions to individual problems. Readers should not act or rely upon any information contained in this Web Site and should always seek the advice of a licensed attorney regarding their specific circumstances.
The firm intends the informational content of this Web Site to be correct, complete, and current. However, we do not warrant or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, adequacy, or currency of that content. Laws, court rules, filing fees, exemption amounts, and means-test figures change frequently, and content on this site may not reflect the most recent changes.
Use of or reliance on information contained in this Web Site does not create a lawyer-client relationship. Nothing submitted through this Web Site is treated as confidential or protected by the attorney-client privilege.
2. Consultations and Fees
Most initial bankruptcy consultations at The Merna Law Group, P.C. are provided free of charge. Some matters require a paid consultation, and a fee will apply. Whether a consultation is free depends on the firm’s intake criteria, which are described on our Disclaimer page.
If a fee applies to your matter, the firm will tell you the amount before anything is scheduled. No one is charged for a consultation without being told the fee in advance and agreeing to it in writing.
Scheduling or attending a consultation — whether free or paid — does not create an attorney-client relationship and is not a guarantee that the firm will agree to represent you. An attorney-client relationship is formed only after the firm has checked for conflicts, you have signed a written engagement agreement, and the firm has agreed to represent you.
Fee quotes, payment plan terms, and any other price information appearing on this Web Site are estimates for general reference and are not offers. Actual fees are set in a signed written agreement.
3. Limited License
You are granted a non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license (a) to access and use the Web Site strictly in accordance with these Terms; (b) to use the Web Site solely for internal, personal, non-commercial purposes; and (c) to print out discrete information from the Web Site solely for internal, personal, non-commercial purposes, provided that you maintain all copyright and other notices contained therein.
4. Restrictions on Use
You may not:
- Copy, print (except as permitted in Section 3), republish, display, transmit, distribute, sell, rent, lease, loan, or otherwise make available in any form all or any portion of the Web Site or any information retrieved from it;
- Use any materials from the Web Site to develop, or as a component of, an information storage and retrieval system, database, infobase, or similar information resource offered for commercial distribution of any kind;
- Create compilations or derivative works of the Web Site or any materials from it;
- Use the Web Site or any materials from it in any manner that may infringe any copyright, intellectual property right, proprietary right, or property right of Provider, affiliated attorneys, or any third party;
- Remove, change, or obscure any copyright notice, proprietary notice, or terms of use contained in the Web Site;
- Make any portion of the Web Site available through any timesharing system, service bureau, or similar technology;
- Remove, disable, defeat, or change any functionality or appearance of the Web Site;
- Decompile, disassemble, or reverse engineer any Web Site software, or use any network monitoring or discovery software to determine the site architecture;
- Use any automatic or manual process to harvest information from the Web Site, including the harvesting of email addresses;
- Use the Web Site to gather information for, or to transmit, (a) unsolicited commercial email; (b) email making use of Provider’s name or trademarks in connection with invalid or forged headers, invalid or nonexistent domain names, or other deceptive addressing; or (c) unsolicited telephone calls or facsimile transmissions;
- Use the Web Site in a manner that violates any state or federal law regulating commercial email, facsimile transmissions, or telephone solicitations; or
- Export or re-export the Web Site or any software available through it in violation of the export control laws of the United States.
Provider prohibits the sending of email to or through its computer systems that violates these Terms, including counterfeit email containing invalid or forged headers, invalid or non-existent domain names, or other deceptive addressing, and email relayed through a third party’s mail servers without that party’s permission.
5. Registration
Certain sections of this Web Site may require registration. If registration is requested, you agree to provide accurate and complete registration information using your real name, even where a feature permits anonymous posting or use of a screen name. You must notify Provider of any changes to that information at customerservice@mernalaw.com. Each registration is for your personal use only. Provider does not permit any other person to use the registered sections under your name, or access through a single name to be made available to multiple users on a network. You are responsible for preventing unauthorized use and must notify Provider immediately at customerservice@mernalaw.com if you believe unauthorized use has occurred.
6. Third-Party Content and Advertising
Third-party content may appear on this Web Site or may be accessible via links from it. Provider is not responsible for and assumes no liability for any mistakes, misstatements of law, defamation, omissions, falsehoods, or objectionable content in third-party content appearing on the Web Site. Information and opinions in third-party content represent solely the views of their authors and are neither endorsed by nor reflective of the views of Provider.
This Web Site may contain advertising and sponsorship. Advertisers and sponsors are responsible for ensuring that material submitted for inclusion is accurate and complies with applicable law.
7. Use of Artificial Intelligence
The Merna Law Group, P.C. uses artificial intelligence (“AI”) and automated tools to help create, organize, and maintain content on this Web Site, to support certain marketing and administrative tasks, and to help respond to general inquiries submitted through the site (including any chat or contact features). Where AI-assisted tools are used to prepare Web Site content, that content is intended for general informational purposes only.
While we review Web Site content for accuracy, AI-assisted and automated systems can produce errors, omissions, or outdated information. Nothing generated by these tools is a substitute for advice from a licensed attorney.
No attorney-client relationship through automated tools. Submitting information through this Web Site, a chat feature, an online form, or any automated tool does not create an attorney-client relationship and does not, by itself, make you a client of the firm. Communications made through automated tools may not be confidential or protected by the attorney-client privilege. Please do not send confidential, sensitive, or time-sensitive information through these tools.
AI and your information. If you interact with AI-powered or automated features on this site, information you provide may be processed by the firm and by third-party technology providers that operate those features, consistent with our Privacy Policy. We do not use these tools to make automated decisions that produce legal effects about you, and we do not sell information you submit. Any deadlines, legal questions, or case-specific matters should be directed to a Merna Law attorney directly rather than to an automated tool.
8. Disclaimer of Warranties
THE WEB SITE IS PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” BASIS. PROVIDER EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. PROVIDER DISCLAIMS ALL RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY LOSS, INJURY, CLAIM, LIABILITY, OR DAMAGE OF ANY KIND RESULTING FROM, ARISING OUT OF, OR IN ANY WAY RELATED TO (A) ANY ERRORS IN OR OMISSIONS FROM THIS SITE AND ITS CONTENT, INCLUDING TECHNICAL INACCURACIES AND TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS; (B) ANY THIRD-PARTY WEB SITES OR CONTENT ACCESSED THROUGH LINKS IN THIS SITE; (C) THE UNAVAILABILITY OF THIS SITE OR ANY PORTION OF IT; (D) YOUR USE OF THIS SITE; OR (E) YOUR USE OF ANY EQUIPMENT OR SOFTWARE IN CONNECTION WITH THIS SITE.
Provider does not represent or warrant that the Web Site will be error-free, free of viruses or other harmful components, or that defects will be corrected. Provider may make improvements or changes to the features, functionality, or content of the Web Site at any time.
9. Limitation of Liability
PROVIDER SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ATTORNEYS’ FEES) IN ANY WAY DUE TO, RESULTING FROM, OR ARISING IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE WEB SITE OR ITS CONTENT. TO THE EXTENT THIS LIMITATION ON LIABILITY IS PROHIBITED, PROVIDER’S SOLE OBLIGATION TO YOU FOR DAMAGES SHALL BE LIMITED TO $100.00.
Nothing in this Section or anywhere in these Terms limits, waives, or modifies any duty owed by the firm or its attorneys to a client under the Virginia Rules of Professional Conduct, or constitutes a prospective limitation of liability for legal malpractice. This Section applies only to use of the Web Site by non-clients and has no application to the firm’s representation of a client under a signed engagement agreement.
10. Indemnification
You are solely liable for any content, messages, or other information you transmit, provide, or upload to the Web Site. You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Provider from any third-party claim, action, demand, loss, or damages (including attorneys’ fees and costs) arising out of or relating to your violation of these Terms, your use of the Web Site, or your violation of the rights of a third party.
11. Enforcement
Provider reserves the right to investigate complaints or reported violations of these Terms and to take any action it deems appropriate, including reporting suspected unlawful activity to law enforcement officials, regulators, or other third parties, and disclosing information necessary or appropriate to such persons relating to profiles, email addresses, usage history, posted materials, IP addresses, and traffic information.
Provider reserves the right to seek all remedies available at law and in equity for violations of these Terms, including blocking access from a particular Internet address.
12. Governing Law and Venue
These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Any action arising out of or relating to these Terms shall be filed only in a state or federal court located in Virginia, and you consent and submit to the personal jurisdiction of such courts. Contractual venue is the City of Virginia Beach, Virginia. The failure of either party to enforce any right hereunder shall not constitute a waiver of any term or condition of these Terms.
13. Privacy
Your use of the Web Site is also subject to Provider’s Privacy Policy, which is incorporated by reference.
Limited exception to sharing of information: A user who provides information via forms on this Web Site permits the sharing of the information submitted for the limited purpose of referring the user to an attorney in their area, in a practice area this firm does not handle, at the user’s request, or in any other circumstance in which The Merna Law Group, P.C. believes the user might benefit from the services of the referred attorney. To revoke this authorization, email jmerna@mernalaw.com.
14. Entire Agreement; Severability; Changes
These Terms incorporate by reference all notices and disclaimers contained on the Web Site, including the Privacy Policy and the Disclaimer, and constitute the entire agreement between you and Provider with respect to access to and use of the Web Site. If any provision is found unlawful, void, or unenforceable, that provision shall be deemed severable and shall not affect the validity and enforceability of the remaining provisions.
Provider reserves the right to change these Terms at any time. Updated versions will appear on this Web Site and are effective immediately upon posting. You are responsible for reviewing these Terms periodically. Continued use of the Web Site after any change constitutes your consent to that change.
Last updated: September 13, 2026