Terms of Use and Privacy

At a glance

The California Practical Guides explain how legal processes generally work in California. They are general information, not legal advice, and using them does not create an attorney-client relationship.

The guides do not ask for personal information. The topic navigator and guide search run in your browser, and what you click or type there is not sent to LIC or stored.

Visiting any website involves ordinary connection information, which hosting providers process. The main LIC website, hosted by GoDaddy, uses Google Analytics to count page visits and sets GoDaddy visitor cookies.

If you email LIC, your message travels by email. LIC cannot answer legal questions by email, and messages you send are not confidential or privileged. Please do not send confidential legal details.

This overview explains the full Terms and Privacy Notice below; it does not replace them.

Terms of Use

1. Acceptance and who may use the Website

These Terms govern the Legal Intelligence Center website, the California Practical Guides at tools.legalintelligencecenter.com, and related pages (the Website). Legal Intelligence Center is referred to as LIC, we, us, or our. By using the Website, you agree to these Terms to the extent an agreement is formed under applicable law. If you do not agree, please stop using the Website.

The Website is intended for a general adult audience. A person under 18 should use it with a parent or legal guardian. No account is required.

2. General legal information, not legal advice

The guides describe how California laws and processes generally work and link to the official sources that publish the rules and forms. They are written for everyone and do not take any person’s facts into account.

The guides do not determine anyone’s rights, eligibility, deadlines, or likely outcome. They do not recommend a legal strategy, form, business structure, filing, or course of action, and they do not prepare documents. They are not a substitute for advice from a qualified professional who has reviewed your circumstances.

3. No attorney-client relationship; not a law firm or referral service

LIC publishes educational information. It is not a law firm and does not provide legal representation or a lawyer referral, matching, or recommendation service. Reading a guide, using the topic navigator, or printing a page does not create an attorney-client relationship with LIC, its creator, or anyone else. The creator’s legal background does not mean a lawyer is reviewing your situation or accepting responsibility for your matter.

LIC is an independent private website. It is not affiliated with any government agency, court, law-enforcement agency, bar association, legal-aid organization, or other public entity.

Links to courts, agencies, legal aid organizations, and other resources are references, not endorsements of a provider for your particular needs. If you want legal services, contact a lawyer or legal aid organization directly and confirm whether they have agreed to help you and on what terms.

4. How the guides work

Each topic page includes a navigator that asks what you would like to read about and shows a list of guides on that subject. The navigator does not ask for facts about your situation, and anyone who makes the same choice sees the same list. The guides do not score, grade, or evaluate anything you do.

Each guide shows the official sources it relies on and the date its content was last reviewed. Time frames in the guides describe what the law generally provides; they are not a calculation of any deadline that applies to you.

5. Deadlines, emergencies, and urgent matters

The guides do not calculate, verify, monitor, extend, or preserve legal deadlines. If you have court papers, an agency notice, or an upcoming date, check the original document and the named court or agency promptly, or seek qualified help. Please do not wait for a reply from LIC about a time-sensitive matter.

The Website is not an emergency service. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911. For a mental health crisis, call or text 988.

6. California focus, sources, and changes in the law

The guides cover selected California topics. They do not cover every issue, and federal rules are mentioned only where they commonly apply. Choosing a topic does not establish which law applies to you. The laws of other states are not covered.

Laws, dollar limits, forms, fees, and court procedures change. A review date describes when content was checked, not a promise that it remains current or complete. Please use the linked official sources to confirm current information. The organizations cited have not reviewed or endorsed LIC’s guides.

7. Sensitive information and communications

You can use the guides without entering any personal information. Please do not type names, account numbers, or other private details into the guide search box; it is only for finding guides.

Email is separate from the guides. If you email LIC, we and our email provider receive what you send. Please send only what is needed for your question, and do not treat a general website or privacy message as a request for legal representation.

LIC cannot answer legal questions by email. Messages you send are not confidential and are not protected by the attorney-client privilege, and sending one does not make you a client or prospective client of LIC or its creator.

8. Outside websites and other sites that link here

Links may open websites run by courts, agencies, legal aid organizations, and other providers. Their content, terms, and privacy practices apply there. LIC does not control whether an outside page stays available or current.

Other websites may link to the guides. An independent website is responsible for its own pages, cookies, analytics, forms, and services. Any separately authorized use of LIC materials must accurately identify its operator, must not present the guides as individualized legal advice or claim attorney review that did not occur, and must not imply LIC’s endorsement.

9. Intellectual property and permitted use

Except for public-domain and third-party material, LIC owns or licenses its original explanations, page designs, artwork, and code. LIC does not claim ownership of laws, court opinions, government forms, facts, or general legal principles.

You may read, print, and save guides for your own personal, non-commercial use, and you may share links to them. Copying the guides into another product, selling them, or republishing substantial portions requires LIC’s written permission, except where the law allows.

10. Prohibited uses

Except where a restriction is prohibited by law, do not:

• Copy, sell, or systematically reproduce substantial protected content for another product without permission.
• Remove proprietary notices, impersonate LIC, or falsely suggest sponsorship, endorsement, or affiliation.
• Present a guide as an individualized legal opinion, verified legal finding, or professional service.
• Use automated tools to extract substantial content, bypass safeguards, introduce malware, or interfere with the Website.
• Test security without authorization or access nonpublic systems.
• Use the Website for unlawful, fraudulent, abusive, or misleading conduct.

11. Accessibility

LIC aims to make its resources usable by people with disabilities. If a page or control is difficult to use, email us the page address, the barrier, and a format that would help. We will make reasonable efforts to assist. These Terms do not limit any applicable accessibility rights.

12. Availability and changes to content

LIC may revise, add, remove, or discontinue guides and features at any time. The Website may experience interruptions, maintenance, or errors, and LIC does not promise uninterrupted availability. Printed or saved copies may become out of date as guides are updated.

13. Disclaimer of warranties

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE WEBSITE, GUIDES, LINKS, AND RELATED MATERIALS ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE.” LIC DISCLAIMS EXPRESS, IMPLIED, AND STATUTORY WARRANTIES, INCLUDING ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, CURRENCY, RELIABILITY, MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, SECURITY, AND AVAILABILITY.

This section does not exclude a warranty, remedy, or right that cannot lawfully be excluded.

14. Limitation of liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, LIC AND ITS OWNERS, CREATORS, CONTRACTORS, SERVICE PROVIDERS, AND LICENSORS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR LOST DATA, LOST OPPORTUNITIES, MISSED DEADLINES, OR DECISIONS BASED ON WEBSITE CONTENT.

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, LIC’S TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY FOR DIRECT DAMAGES ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO THE WEBSITE WILL NOT EXCEED $100.

These limits do not apply to fraud, willful misconduct, gross negligence, nonwaivable privacy or data-security obligations, death or personal injury caused by negligence where liability cannot be limited, or other nonwaivable rights.

15. Restriction or termination of access

LIC may restrict or end access when it reasonably believes someone has violated these Terms, threatened security, infringed rights, or used the Website unlawfully or harmfully. Provisions that by their nature continue after use ends remain effective, subject to applicable law.

16. Governing law and venue

These Terms and disputes concerning the Website are governed by California law, without regard to conflict-of-law principles. To the extent permitted by law, proceedings concerning these Terms or Website use will be brought in state or federal courts located in Riverside County, California, and each party consents to those courts’ jurisdiction. This provision does not prevent a consumer from exercising a right or using a forum that cannot lawfully be waived.

17. Changes to these Terms

LIC may revise these Terms and will show the updated date. Material changes will receive additional notice or consent when required by law. Continued use after an update constitutes acceptance only to the extent applicable law permits.

18. Severability, waiver, assignment, and entire agreement

If a provision is unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain effective and the affected provision will be limited only as necessary. Failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver. You may not assign these Terms without LIC’s written consent. LIC may assign them in connection with a lawful reorganization, merger, acquisition, or transfer of the Website, subject to applicable privacy requirements. These Terms and the Privacy Notice are the entire agreement about your use of the Website, and no provision waives rights or duties that applicable law makes nonwaivable.

19. Contact

Questions about these Terms may be sent to:

Legal Intelligence Center
Created by John T. Rankin
legalintelligencecenter@gmail.com

Privacy Notice

1. Scope

This notice covers the California Practical Guides at tools.legalintelligencecenter.com, the main LIC website at legalintelligencecenter.com, and information you send directly to LIC. Independent websites that link to the guides are responsible for their own practices.

2. What the guides do not collect

The guides have no accounts, sign-up forms, uploads, or comment features. The topic navigator and guide search run entirely in your browser: what you click or type there is not sent to LIC, is not saved in browser storage, and is gone when you leave the page. The guides site does not set cookies of its own.

3. Information processed during a visit

• Website delivery and security: like any website, our hosting providers (Cloudflare for the guides site and GoDaddy for the main website) may process your IP address, the page requested, the time, browser details, and security events.
• Analytics: the guides site does not currently use Google Analytics. The main LIC website uses Google Analytics 4 to count page visits. Google may process browser and device details, approximate location, and pages viewed.
• Main-website cookies: GoDaddy, which hosts the main website, sets cookies that distinguish visitors and sessions (for example _tccl_visitor, _tccl_visit, and _scc_session) and a cookie that remembers that the entry notice was closed. Browsers also send cookies set for legalintelligencecenter.com to the guides site; the guides pages do not read or use them.
• Fonts: some main-website sections load fonts from Google, which involves ordinary connection information. The guides site does not load outside fonts.
• Messages you send: if you email LIC, we and our email provider receive your address, your message, and delivery information.

See the Cloudflare privacy policy and the GoDaddy privacy notice for their own descriptions of service-related processing.

4. How information is used

• To deliver pages and keep the Website working.
• To maintain security, investigate technical problems, and prevent misuse.
• To understand general use of the main website through analytics.
• To respond to messages you choose to send.
• To comply with law and protect rights and safety.

LIC does not use information from the Website to decide anyone’s legal rights or eligibility, for profiling, for advertising, or to train AI models.

5. Page addresses

Each topic and guide has its own page address, such as a page about security deposits. Page addresses can appear in your browser history, in hosting records, and in any link you share. Words typed into the guide search box are not added to the page address.

6. Who receives information

• Hosting, security, email, and analytics providers (currently Cloudflare, GoDaddy, and Google), only as needed for their service.
• Professional advisers or authorities when reasonably necessary to obtain advice, comply with law, respond to valid legal process, or protect rights and safety.
• A lawful successor in a reorganization or transfer of the Website, subject to applicable notice requirements.

7. No sale or targeted advertising

LIC does not sell personal information, share it for cross-context behavioral advertising, or use it for targeted advertising, and does not offer financial incentives for personal information. LIC does not link analytics to Google Ads or advertising personalization. A different use would require an updated notice and any consent or opt-out the law requires.

8. Google Analytics, cookies, and privacy choices

On the main LIC website, Google Analytics 4 currently runs with analytics storage set to “denied,” so it sends page-view signals without setting _ga cookies. If that setting changes, it may use first-party cookies such as _ga to distinguish browsers and sessions. LIC’s analytics settings exclude User-ID, Google Signals, advertising personalization, and Google Ads linking.

You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings or use the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on. Legally recognized opt-out preference signals, including Global Privacy Control, will be honored where applicable law requires. The Website does not change its behavior in response to browser “Do Not Track” signals, and LIC does not track visitors across other websites. Google describes its practices in Safeguarding your data.

9. Quick exit

Pages about family and safety include a Quick exit button that replaces the page with a weather website. It does not erase browser history, saved files, or records kept by device-monitoring software. Private or incognito browsing and clearing history are separate steps in your browser.

10. Retention

Because the guides do not collect personal information, there is nothing from your guide use for LIC to retain. Information LIC receives separately, such as an email, is kept only as long as reasonably needed to respond, maintain security, resolve a request, or meet a legal requirement. Hosting, email, and analytics providers keep their own operational records under their terms.

11. Security

Not collecting guide activity reduces what could be exposed. No website or device is completely secure, and anyone with access to your device or browser may see pages you visited. LIC uses safeguards appropriate to the information it handles but does not promise a particular certification or protection against every risk.

12. Your privacy rights and requests

Depending on where you live and whether a law applies to LIC, you may have rights to access, correct, or delete personal information, to learn who received it, and to opt out of sale, targeted advertising, or certain profiling. You may exercise applicable rights without unlawful discrimination.

To make a request, email legalintelligencecenter@gmail.com with “Privacy Request” in the subject line and describe the request. We may ask for information reasonably necessary to verify the request. We will respond within the time required by applicable law. If you have a right to appeal a decision, email the same address with “Privacy Appeal” in the subject line. You may also contact the California Privacy Protection Agency or the California Attorney General.

13. Children

The Website is intended for a general adult audience and is not directed to children under 13. LIC does not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child sent LIC personal information, please contact us so we can take appropriate steps.

14. Location of processing

The guides are designed for California topics. Hosting, analytics, and email providers may process information in the United States or other countries where they operate, and protections may differ by location.

15. Changes to this notice

LIC may update this notice when features, providers, or legal requirements change, and will show the updated date. Materially different collection or use will be explained, with any required choices or consent, before it begins.

16. Contact

For privacy questions, requests, appeals, or complaints:

Legal Intelligence Center
legalintelligencecenter@gmail.com

Privacy resources

• Google Privacy Policy
• Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on
• Cloudflare privacy policy
• GoDaddy privacy notice
• Google Fonts and privacy
• California Privacy Protection Agency