These terms govern participation as a paid contributor to The Legal Examiner (“The Legal Examiner,” “we,” “us”).
By applying for and maintaining a contributor account, you agree to the following rules.
1. Purpose of the Platform
The Legal Examiner is a publishing platform for legal professionals to share perspectives, commentary, and analysis on law and justice.
We provide the infrastructure, audience, and tools — you control your content.
2. Contributor Accounts
A paid contributor account grants you access to submit articles for potential publication.
- Contributor fees are non-refundable, even if none of your submissions are approved.
- Accounts are personal and may not be shared or transferred.
3. Your Responsibility for Content
You are solely responsible for all content you submit, including text, images, and other media. You must own or have full legal rights to everything you submit, including:
- Original writing created by you.
- Images or media you created, purchased, or licensed for use.
Any third-party claims regarding copyright, trademark, privacy, or defamation are your responsibility — not ours.
4. DMCA & Legal Compliance
All content submitted to The Legal Examiner is considered user-generated content (UGC) under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).
We follow a strict notice-and-takedown process:
- If a valid DMCA complaint is received about content you submitted, it will be removed immediately.
- You will be notified and given an opportunity to respond.
- Repeated violations may result in termination of your account without refund.
5. Review, Approval, and Publication
All submissions are reviewed before publication.
- We may approve or reject a submission for any reason, including tone, topic, or alignment with our editorial focus.
- We do not edit submissions.
- If approved, your article is published exactly as you submitted it.
- If rejected, you may revise and resubmit, but we will not make changes for you.
6. Platform License
By submitting content, you grant The Legal Examiner a non-exclusive, worldwide license to:
- Publish and display your submissions on our sites and services.
- Promote your submissions through newsletters, social media, and other channels.
- Archive your submissions for record-keeping and legal compliance.
Important: You retain full ownership of your work and may republish it elsewhere.
7. No Guarantee of Publication
A paid contributor account provides the opportunity to submit, not a guarantee of publication.
- Publication decisions are at our sole discretion.
- Contributor fees are charged for access to the platform, not for publishing services.
8. Termination of Account
We may suspend or terminate your contributor account at any time if:
- You violate these terms.
- You submit content that creates legal or reputational risk for The Legal Examiner.
- You engage in harassment or abusive conduct toward staff, readers, or other contributors.
All terminations are without refund.
9. Limitation of Liability
The Legal Examiner is not liable for any damages, claims, or disputes related to content you submit or publish through our platform.
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless The Legal Examiner, its owners, and its affiliates against any claims arising from your content.
10. Updates to These Terms
We may update these guidelines from time to time.
The latest version will always be posted here. Continued use of your contributor account constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.
Summary
- You own your content.
- You are 100% responsible for the legality of your submissions.
- We review, but never edit.
- Publication is not guaranteed.
- Your fees are for access to the platform, not for publishing services.