- Terms of Service - Attorney Ally Terms - Privacy Policy - AI Usage - Cooperative - Engagement Letter

DocFocus

What is Story.law?Types of Attorney AllyRelationship to a Vetted Ally's Joint Representation AgreementScope and EligibilityUser WarrantiesSoftware Referral FeeSoftware Referral Fee CalculationsFee LimitationsAccount, Seats, and Member ResponsibilityPermitted Use of the Ally AppAcceptable Use PolicySuspended AccountsBilling and Automated Time EntriesConfidentiality, Privilege, and Data SegregationDisclaimers and Limitations of LiabilityIndemnificationLimitation of LiabilityWarranty DisclaimerDispute Resolution — Good-Faith Informal Resolution (No Arbitration)MiscellaneousForce MajeureOrder of PrecedenceNoticesNo WaiverModificationAssignmentSeverabilityEntire AgreementRight to Refuse

Attorney Ally Terms of Service

These Attorney Ally Terms of Service ("Ally Terms") apply to the software application located at https://ally.story.law (the "Ally App") and certain services available through the Ally App (collectively, the "Ally Services"). The Ally App is made available only to law firm organizations — that is, to law firms that employ or are composed of one or more licensed attorneys. If you are not acting on behalf of a law firm organization, you are not permitted to access or use the Ally App.

These Ally Terms among a user of Ally App and Story LLP Software Inc are in addition to, and incorporate by reference, Story's general Terms of Service (the "General Terms") and Story's Privacy Policy. Where these Ally Terms address a topic specifically, the Ally-specific provision controls for your use of the Ally App; on all other topics, the General Terms continue to apply. Capitalized terms used but not defined in these Ally Terms have the meanings given to them in the General Terms.

We refer to each attorney or law firm employee using the Ally App collectively as "Attorney Allies" or "Allies" in these terms. However, we reserve a distinct status for Attorney Allies who lead or co-lead practices that have entered into and remain bound by the terms of a separate Referral and Joint Representation Agreement or similar joint legal representation agreement (each a "Joint Representation Agreement") for the provision of legal services as Co-counsel to clients of the Story Law firm (any such Allies, "Co-Counsel Allies"). For Co-Counsel Allies only, the terms of their applicable Joint Representation Agreement supersede these Ally Terms with respect to any matters addressed by the Joint Representation Agreement between the Story Law firm and the applicable Co-Counsel Ally.

1What is Story.law?

Story.law is a collaboration between California Limited Liability Partnership and law firm Story LLP and Story LLP Software Inc, a Delaware corporation, operated pursuant to an exclusive license and collaboration agreement between these entities. As in the General Terms, when we use "Story," "we," "us," and/or "our" in these Ally Terms, we mean Story LLP Software Inc ("Story Software") and not the Story LLP Law Firm ("Story Firm"), unless we expressly say otherwise. The Story Firm is not a party to these Ally Terms.

2Types of Attorney Ally

All Attorney Allies are law firm organizations with one or more lawyers. There are two types of Attorney Ally, and your type determines what you may do on the Ally App:

Vetted Allies are law firms that have completed Story's invitation and interview process, who have demonstrated sufficient licensure and positive review, and who can ethically participate in the Co-Counsel Alliance's ethical lawyer-to-lawyer fee sharing model, and thus are eligible to become Co-Counsel Allies.
Co-Counsel Allies are Vetted Allies who have executed a Referral and Joint Representation Agreement (a "Joint Representation Agreement") with Story LLP are eligible to take referred billable custom hourly work from Story (for example, client matters referred or routed to them through Story LLP).
Public Allies or Prospective Allies are law firms that wish to work in and alongside Story's ecosystem and/or with shared Story clients, or to use Story LLP Software Inc's products with their own clients who also use Story's products. Public Allies are not eligible to take work from Story unless and until they become Vetted Allies and sign at least one Joint Representation Agreement.

Any law firm using the Ally App is an Attorney Ally of one of these two types. Unless these Ally Terms expressly distinguish between Vetted Allies and Public Allies, all provisions apply to every Attorney Ally.

2.1Relationship to a Vetted Ally's Joint Representation Agreement

If you are a Vetted Ally, you also have a separate, signed Joint Representation Agreement with Story. To the extent any provision of these Ally Terms conflicts with your Joint Representation Agreement, the Joint Representation Agreement controls and supersedes the conflicting provision of these Ally Terms. On any topic not addressed by your Joint Representation Agreement, these Ally Terms continue to apply.

3Scope and Eligibility

These Ally Terms govern access to and use of the Ally App at ally.story.law, which is available only to law firm organizations. By accessing the Ally App, you represent and warrant that (a) you are a law firm with one or more licensed attorneys, (b) you are duly authorized to bind that law firm to these Ally Terms, and (c) all individuals you permit to access the Ally App under your organization are authorized members of your firm.

4User Warranties

In addition to the representations in the Scope and Eligibility section above, you represent, warrant, and covenant to Story that:

You are solely responsible for, and have any and all rights, licenses, permissions, and other consents necessary to submit, any information, time entries, invoices, communications, client or counterparty information, or other materials you provide to Story through the Ally App, and to grant Story the right to use, store, and process that information as contemplated by these Ally Terms and the General Terms. You acknowledge that this includes the transmission and storage of your data on third-party tools and platforms subject to reasonable confidentiality and security measures.
You are duly authorized and have the capacity to enter into these Ally Terms on your own behalf and on behalf of the law firm organization for which you create or use an Ally App account, and you will not execute any contract, or otherwise bind that organization, in the course of using the Ally App unless you are authorized to do so.
You have access to Story's Privacy Policy and consent to the data handling, security, and sharing practices described in it.

5Software Referral Fee

Any Attorney Ally — whether Vetted or Public — who invites a client to Story using the Ally App's invitation process, whether to subscribe or to try Story's free cap table diligence check, is entitled to receive a software referral fee solely in connection with a software license fee paid by a client. The software referral fee is NOT a lawyer-to-lawyer fee sharing arrangement. With respect to that client, subject to all of the following conditions:

New to Story. The invited person — identified by the email address to which the invitation was sent — must not have existed in Story's system before the invitation. No referral fee is payable for any person or organization already known to Story at the time of the invitation.
Paid only to the extent the client pays Story. The referral fee is calculated and payable only to the extent, and only on amounts, that the invited client actually pays Story for software services specifically. No referral fee is payable on amounts that are refunded, charged back, reversed, or otherwise not ultimately collected by Story. No software referral fee is payable on amounts that are paid for custom human legal services. If a referral fee has already been paid on an amount that is later refunded or charged back, Story may offset or recover that amount against future referral payouts.
Quarterly payouts. Referral fees are calculated and paid on a quarterly basis.
Limited to the initial subscription term. Referral fees are payable only for the duration of the invited client's initial, continuous subscription. If the invited client cancels or lapses and later returns or re-subscribes, the referral fee does not resume and no further referral fees are payable with respect to that client.

The referral fee is a software-side commercial arrangement between Story Software and the Attorney Ally. It is separate from, and must not be confused with, any legal-fee-sharing arrangement, which (where applicable) is governed exclusively by a Vetted Ally's Joint Representation Agreement and applicable rules of professional conduct. Allies are solely responsible for ensuring their receipt of any referral fee complies with the ethical rules of every jurisdiction in which they are licensed.

5.1Software Referral Fee Calculations

Our goal is to help human lawyers and clients cooperate to get more of what they deserve. Our Ally App and the client app at story.law are the surfaces through which we achieve this. We built this platform to help human lawyers and human clients cooperate better. Our expectation and hope is that you will enjoy using our experience together with your clients, and provide us with feedback we can use to make that experience better for everyone.

Therefore, if any Ally whether a Public or Co-Counsel Ally, introduces and invites their client to use our platform to work better together, we provide them with quarterly software referral fee equal to 20% (rounded to the nearest whole cent, a "Software Referral Fee") of package subscription fees actually received by Story Software and not subject of chargeback, dispute, or refund from a user organization that meets the following conditions:

An Ally App user (of any role) invites a client of the Ally Organization to Story.law using the Invitation process triggered by clicking the "Invite a Client" button on the Dashboard page of the Ally App or similar in-app mechanism (a "Platform Invitation"). A Platform Invitation is one of two types:
- an invitation to subscribe to a story.law legal operations and general counsel package, which sends a custom message drafted by the Ally and a Story-branded proposal that allows the invited client to subscribe to Story.law packages; or
- an invitation to try free, which sends a custom message drafted by the Ally and a link to Story.law's free cap table diligence check. Trying the check costs the invited client nothing, and they may choose to subscribe to Story.law packages afterwards.
The organization invited, the user person or the user's email do not exist in Story's database at the time of referral.
The invited client subscribes to a software package within six (6) months following the Platform Invitation, including by clicking the subscribe button in the proposal or by subscribing after trying the free cap table diligence check.
The invited client makes at least one payment.
The invited client maintains a continuously active subscription from the start of its initial subscription while making subsequent payments, if any.
The Ally App user making the invitation and the other personnel at the Ally organization have NOT committed any act of actual or alleged fraud, misrepresentation, gross negligence, willful misconduct, or criminal activity of any kind in the Invitation process or its performance of the terms and conditions of these Ally terms.

The Software Referral Fee applies with respect to amounts actually received by Story for a package subscription, and excludes any add-ons, features, matter-based fees. If a client keeps a continuous subscription but downgrades or upgrades that subscription to a lower or higher tier, the 20% fee will be calculated against the amount of new payment once the change takes effect, in consideration of any proration for the subscription term determined in Story Software's sole discretion.

5.2Fee Limitations

Fees are paid to Ally organizations only. Ally Organizations are solely responsible for determining how to distribute Software referral Fee proceeds to user within their firm. In order to receive a Software Referral Fee based on a Platform Invitation of any seat holder in its Ally App account, Ally Organizations must have:

a valid Ally App account in good standing
to have configured an account on Story's contractor payment platform and provided W-9 details in their profile or otherwise to Story.law be legally eligible to receive the Software Referral Fee
and
Story reserves the right to remove any use for any of its software platforms at any time, provided that ethical obligations with respect to client documents will be honored.

6Account, Seats, and Member Responsibility

Seat management. Each Attorney Ally is responsible for provisioning, updating, and de-provisioning its account seats as necessary to ensure that only appropriate, authorized members of the firm have access to the Ally App and to any client or counterparty information available through it. When a member leaves the firm or changes roles, you are responsible for promptly updating or removing that member's access. Given the privileged and confidential nature of information accessible through the Ally App, prompt seat hygiene is a material obligation under these Ally Terms.
Responsibility for members' actions. You are responsible for all actions taken by the members of your organization in connection with the Ally App, including their compliance with these Ally Terms, the General Terms, the Acceptable Use Policy, and all applicable law and rules of professional conduct. Any act or omission by one of your members is treated as your act or omission. You must accurately identify yourself as an administrator or let us know to invite someone with authority to bind your law practice to these Ally App Terms; only an authorized signatory of the firm can create and configure an Ally App account.

7Permitted Use of the Ally App

Attorney Allies may use the functionality of the Ally App to support Story subscribers — for example, to collaborate with, advise, or service clients and counterparties who use Story's products.
Vetted Allies may, in addition, take work from Story and act as co-counsel with the Story Firm in accordance with their Joint Representation Agreement.
All use of the Ally App remains subject to the Acceptable Use Policy in the General Terms. The General Terms' restriction on using the Services to build or operate a competing product does not prohibit an Attorney Ally subject to an effective Joint Representation Agreement, or otherwise expressly authorized, from using the Ally App as contemplated here.

8Acceptable Use Policy

You agree to abide by the following Acceptable Use Policy at any time you use the Ally App:

You may only use the Ally App for lawful activity. It is your responsibility to comply with all applicable laws and rules of professional conduct. We may, in our sole discretion, cooperate in law enforcement investigations relating to your use of the Ally App, provided we will comply with the requirements of attorney–client privilege at all times.
You may not use or reference the Ally App to build a product or service that competes in any way with Story or replaces or replicates the Ally Services. If you are an owner, operator, or employee of a business whose products and services can be deemed to compete with Story, you may not install or use the Ally App in any manner whatsoever. This restriction does not apply to an Attorney Ally subject to an effective Joint Representation Agreement, or otherwise expressly authorized, using the Ally App as contemplated by these Ally Terms.
You agree not to charge your firm's seatholders or any third party any fee to use the Ally App.
You will not provide any information through the Ally App that introduces a security risk to yourself or your firm. You are responsible for taking reasonable measures to protect your own privacy and security when using the Ally App.
You may use the Ally App only for your firm's professional and business purposes in connection with the Ally Services, and in accordance with these Ally Terms.
You may not transfer your seat or access to others, or allow others to access the Ally App through your own access, without Story's prior, express written permission. You may not create an Ally App profile for anything other than a natural, human attorney or law firm employee.
You may not interfere with or damage the Ally App, and may not take any action in connection with the Ally App which presents a risk of interference with or damage to it, including, without limitation, through the use of viruses, bots, harmful code, denial-of-service attacks, ransomware, keystroke loggers, backdoors, packet or IP address spoofing, forged routing, or any similar methods or technology that may exist now or come to exist in the future.
Except as specifically enabled by the standard functionality of the Ally App, you may not copy, rip, or capture any content encountered on the Ally App.
You may not use the Ally App to reverse engineer, recreate, duplicate, mimic, and/or otherwise recreate all or any part of the Ally App. You may not use manual or automated software, devices, scripts, robots, other means or processes to access, "scrape," "crawl," "spider," or use an automated mechanism such as a bot to interact in any way with any portion of the Ally App.
You may not use or email into the Ally App, or upload, access, provide, download, screenshot, transmit, or promote in connection with the Ally App, any of the following:
- Information about minors
- Material that infringes or violates the intellectual property rights, privacy rights, and/or any other rights of anyone else (including without limitation Story)
- Materials or communications which imply or state, directly or indirectly, that you are affiliated with or endorsed by Story unless you have entered into a separate written agreement with Story that expressly permits such statements
- Any action which attempts to override the privacy and security features of the Ally App or disrupt it, in any manner
- Bully, demean, abuse, insult, or verbally attack members of the Story team, the Story Attorney Alliance, or any other member of the Story community

8.1Suspended Accounts

If Story encounters evidence of suspicious activity in connection with your account, including, but not limited to, evidence that the account is being used by someone who is not authorized to do so, you acknowledge that Story, in its sole discretion, may opt to temporarily disable your account or the related organizational account for a reasonable amount of time in order to investigate. In the event that Story disables your account, you understand that, absent a subpoena or court order, no information about your account will be provided to anyone outside Story, including you or any authorized contact, until the investigation is complete. You acknowledge that Story will not be liable for any delays caused by these policies and procedures.

9Billing and Automated Time Entries

The Ally App may generate automated time entries to reflect activity within the platform. Automated time entries will not be billed automatically. They are provided for your review and convenience only, and no automated time entry will be charged to a client, counterparty, or any other person unless and until an authorized member of your firm reviews and affirmatively approves it in accordance with your own billing practices and applicable rules of professional conduct. You remain solely responsible for the accuracy, propriety, and ultimate billing of any time entry.

Any fees payable by an Attorney Ally to Story for access to the Ally App (for example, subscription or seat fees) will be quoted to you before they are charged and are otherwise governed by the Fees provisions of the General Terms.

10Confidentiality, Privilege, and Data Segregation

Attorney Allies acknowledge that the Ally App is built around the preservation of attorney–client privilege and the strict segregation of client and counterparty information. You agree to use the Ally App's audience-routing, visibility, and access controls as designed, and to take reasonable measures to prevent any disclosure that could waive privilege or improperly commingle the information of different clients or matters. You remain independently responsible for your own professional obligations of confidentiality and competence with respect to your clients. You agree to maintain adequate and appropriate legal malpractice insurance coverage for all legal work you do in connection with this Ally App. An Invitation does not necessarily result in any attorney-client relationship between the Story Firm and the invited prospective client.

11Disclaimers and Limitations of Liability

11.1Indemnification

EXCEPT AS PROHIBITED BY LAW, YOU AGREE TO INDEMNIFY AND HOLD STORY AND ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, PARTNERS, AND AGENTS HARMLESS FOR ANY INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGE, HOWEVER IT ARISES (INCLUDING ATTORNEYS' FEES AND ALL RELATED COSTS AND EXPENSES OF LITIGATION, OR AT TRIAL OR ON APPEAL, IF ANY, WHETHER OR NOT LITIGATION IS INSTITUTED), WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE, OR OTHER TORTIOUS ACTION, OR ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THESE ALLY TERMS, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY CLAIM FOR PERSONAL INJURY OR PROPERTY DAMAGE, ARISING FROM THESE ALLY TERMS AND ANY VIOLATION BY YOU OF ANY FEDERAL, STATE, OR LOCAL LAWS, STATUTES, RULES, OR REGULATIONS, EVEN IF STORY HAS BEEN PREVIOUSLY ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

11.2Limitation of Liability

EXCEPT AS PROHIBITED BY LAW, IF THERE IS LIABILITY FOUND ON THE PART OF STORY (WHETHER OF STORY SOFTWARE OR THE STORY FIRM), IT WILL BE LIMITED TO THE AMOUNT PAID BY YOU TO STORY FOR ACCESS TO THE ALLY APP, AND UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL THERE BE CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES AVAILABLE AGAINST STORY. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF PUNITIVE, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE PRIOR LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU TO THE EXTENT YOU RESIDE OR ARE SUBJECT TO THE LAW OF THAT STATE.

To the extent that Story recommends a third-party product or service that is not an Attorney Ally, STORY IS NOT LIABLE FOR ANY FAILURE OF PRODUCTS OR SERVICES OFFERED OR ADVERTISED AT THOSE SITES. A THIRD PARTY MAY HAVE TERMS OR A PRIVACY POLICY DIFFERENT FROM THAT OF STORY, AND THE THIRD-PARTY WEBSITE AND/OR SERVICE MAY PROVIDE LESS SECURITY THAN THE ALLY APP.

11.3Warranty Disclaimer

Story provides certain automated services through the Ally App — for example, automated time entries and data drawn from Story's automated legal work product — which are designed to support your work with shared clients but are not offered, and should not be relied upon, as independent legal advice. STORY SOFTWARE SHALL NOT BE DEEMED TO PROVIDE LEGAL ADVICE THROUGH THE ALLY APP, AND STORY SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR LEGAL MALPRACTICE ON THE BASIS OF THE OUTPUTS OF ITS AUTOMATED SERVICES. YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT STORY CAN ONLY PROVIDE AUTOMATED OUTPUTS BASED ON INFORMATION PROVIDED TO IT, AND THAT SUCH OUTPUTS MAY BE INACCURATE, INCOMPLETE, OR WRONG IF THE UNDERLYING INFORMATION IS INACCURATE, INCOMPLETE, OR WRONG.

As between Story and an Attorney Ally, each Attorney Ally remains solely responsible for its own legal advice and the professional services it provides to its clients, and Story does not assume and expressly disclaims any liability for the Ally's legal work. Each of the Story Firm and an Attorney Ally remains responsible for any malpractice claims against it based on the specific non-automated human legal services it provided. Story.law's fully-automated legal services and contract processes are not offered as legal advice, but as a standard best practice at an accessible price point.

12Dispute Resolution — Good-Faith Informal Resolution (No Arbitration)

Unlike the General Terms, your use of the Ally App at ally.story.law is not subject to binding arbitration. Instead:

You and Story agree to work together in good faith to resolve any dispute, controversy, or claim arising out of or relating to your use of the Ally App informally, including by meeting and conferring (by telephone or videoconference) for a reasonable period before either party commences any formal proceeding.
The mandatory-arbitration, class-action-waiver, and jury-trial-waiver provisions of the General Terms do not apply to disputes arising from your use of the Ally App.
This section governs only disputes arising from use of the Ally App. If you are also a Co-Counsel Ally, dispute resolution relating to your Joint Representation Agreement is governed by that agreement. If you separately use the client-facing Services as a Story client or user, the General Terms (including their arbitration provisions) continue to govern that separate use.
Any dispute under this Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the state of California and subject to the state and federal courts having jurisdiction over San Francisco, California.

13Miscellaneous

The following provisions mirror the Miscellaneous provisions of the General Terms — Force Majeure, Notices, No Waiver, Modification, Assignment, Severability, Entire Agreement, and Right to Refuse — adapted for your use of the Ally App, except that the dispute-resolution mechanism for the Ally App is as set forth in the Dispute Resolution section above rather than the arbitration provisions of the General Terms.

13.1Force Majeure

Story shall not be considered in breach of or in default under these Ally Terms or any contract with you, and shall not be liable to you for any cessation, interruption, or delay in the performance of its obligations under these Ally Terms by reason of earthquake, flood, fire, storm, lightning, drought, landslide, hurricane, cyclone, typhoon, tornado, natural disaster, act of God or the public enemy, epidemic, famine or plague, action of a court or public authority, change in law, explosion, war, terrorism, armed conflict, labor strike, lockout, boycott, or similar event beyond our reasonable control, whether foreseen or unforeseen (each a "Force Majeure Event"). If a Force Majeure Event continues for more than 60 days in the aggregate, Story may immediately terminate these Ally Terms and shall have no liability to you for or as a result of any such termination.

13.2Order of Precedence

In the event of a conflict among the agreements that govern your relationship with Story, the following order of precedence applies: (1) a Vetted Ally's signed Joint Representation Agreement; (2) these Attorney Ally Terms of Service; and (3) the General Terms of Service. Any Engagement Letter Agreement you may separately hold with the Story Firm as a client governs that client relationship and is outside this order of precedence.

13.3Notices

You agree to provide notice to Story under these Ally Terms by emailing help@story.law. You agree that any in-app notice or email sent to any email address associated with your Ally organization will constitute notice to an Ally user under these Ally App Terms.

13.4No Waiver

The failure of Story to enforce any right or provision of these Ally Terms will not constitute a waiver of future enforcement of that right or provision.

13.5Modification

Story reserves the right to modify these Ally Terms at any time consistent with the Modification provisions of the General Terms. The date of the last modification will be posted at the end of these Ally Terms. By continuing to access or use the Ally App, you agree to be bound by any modified Ally Terms. Story may, but is not obligated to, provide additional notice of updates to these terms.

13.6Assignment

You may not assign or transfer these Ally Terms, by operation of law or otherwise, without Story's prior written consent. Any attempt by you to assign or transfer these Ally Terms without such consent will be null and of no effect. Story may assign or transfer these Ally Terms, at its sole discretion, without restriction. Subject to the foregoing, these Ally Terms will bind and inure to the benefit of the parties, their successors and permitted assigns. These Ally Terms do not and are not intended to confer any rights or remedies upon any person other than the parties.

13.7Severability

If for any reason a court of competent jurisdiction finds any provision of these Ally Terms invalid or unenforceable, that provision will be enforced to the maximum extent permissible and the other provisions of these Ally Terms will remain in full force and effect.

13.8Entire Agreement

These Ally Terms, together with the General Terms and Privacy Policy incorporated by reference, constitute the entire agreement between you and Story regarding your use of the Ally App, and supersede all prior written or oral agreements regarding that use. Additional terms may apply to a Vetted Ally's Joint Representation Agreement; in the event of a conflict, the Order of Precedence above controls.

13.9Right to Refuse

You acknowledge that Story reserves the right to refuse service to anyone.

These Attorney Ally Terms were last updated on: October 20, 2026