Terms of Business
Opal & Ora Ltd
125 Sunnyside Parc, Illogan, Redruth, TR15 3LY
Last Updated: July 2026
1. Introduction
These Terms of Business set out the basis on which Opal & Ora Ltd (“we”, “us”, “our”) provides virtual assistance services.
They apply to all work carried out unless otherwise agreed in writing.
By engaging our services, you agree to these terms.
Where there is any conflict between these Terms of Business and an agreed Scope of Work, the Scope of Work shall take priority in relation to the specific services, fees, time allocation, notice period, and package details. Where the conflict relates to data processing, the Data Processing Agreement shall take priority.
2. Our services
We provide professional administrative and virtual assistance services to individuals, legal professionals, expert witnesses and small businesses.
The scope of work will be agreed in advance and may include ongoing support, fixed-fee projects, or ad hoc assistance.
We will always aim to deliver services with reasonable care, skill and attention to detail.
Our role is limited to administrative and virtual assistance support. We do not provide legal, clinical, financial, regulatory, compliance, strategic or other professional advice. Responsibility for professional judgement, advice, decisions, supervision, filing, service, deadlines, and final approval remains with you.
3. Engagement and onboarding
Before work begins, we will:
- Agree the scope of services;
- Confirm the appropriate package or pricing structure;
- Establish preferred communication methods and systems.
Work will commence once payment has been received and onboarding is complete.
4. Fees and payment
4.1 Payment terms
Ongoing services are invoiced monthly in advance;
Fixed-fee or project work is invoiced in advance of commencement;
Payment is due on receipt unless otherwise agreed;
Payment confirms your allocation of time and our availability for that period.
4.2 Hourly and additional work
Where work exceeds the agreed scope or package:
Additional time will be charged at our standard hourly rate;
Work will only proceed once agreed with you;
Such agreement may be given by email, written message, signed Scope of Work, or any other written instruction capable of being saved or recorded;
Time is recorded in 5 minute increments unless otherwise stated.
4.3 Non-payment
We reserve the right to:
Pause or withhold services where payment is overdue;
Decline to accept further work until accounts are brought up to date.
4.4 Unused time, rollover and refunds
Fees for ongoing services are charged in advance to reserve time and availability. Once a billing or service period has commenced, fees are non-refundable.
Unless expressly agreed in the applicable Scope of Work, unused time does not carry forward, roll over, generate a refund, create a monetary credit, or reduce future invoices.
Where a retainer is based on a weekly reserved allocation, unused time will expire at the end of the relevant week unless otherwise agreed in writing.
Where a Scope of Work expressly allows unused time to be carried forward, any carry-over will be limited to the amount, period and conditions set out in that Scope of Work.
Where services are brought to an end in accordance with the agreed notice period, any remaining unused time may, at our discretion, be used during the notice period, but will not be refunded or credited.
4.5 Fixed-term pricing and early cancellation
Where a reduced rate is agreed because you have committed to a fixed minimum term, that reduced rate is conditional on completion of the agreed term.
During a fixed minimum term, you remain liable for the agreed fees for that term unless otherwise agreed in writing. You may not cancel a fixed minimum term arrangement for convenience before the end of the term unless we agree in writing.
If we agree to early cancellation, reduction or material change before the end of the fixed minimum term, an early termination adjustment may become payable. This may include the difference between the reduced rate applied and the rate that would have applied to the shorter or reduced arrangement actually taken, any unpaid fees, any fees due for the applicable notice period or remaining fixed minimum term, and any other adjustment set out in the Scope of Work.
Any fixed minimum term, applicable rate, standard rate, notice period and early termination adjustment will be set out in the Scope of Work.
5. Scope of work and changes
We will carry out work based on the instructions and information you provide.
- If your requirements change or expand beyond the agreed scope:
- We will discuss and agree any revised scope and fees;
- Additional work will not be undertaken without your agreement.
We do not accept responsibility for delays or issues arising from incomplete, inaccurate or late information provided by you.
Any reduction, pause, substitution or material change to an agreed retainer, time allocation, scope of support, service level or fee must be agreed in writing. We are not required to agree any reduction or pause during a fixed minimum term unless expressly stated in the applicable Scope of Work.
6. Client responsibilities
You agree to:
- Provide clear instructions and relevant information;
- Respond to queries in a timely manner;
- Review work where required and confirm approval;
- Ensure that you have the right to share any materials or data provided to us.
Where work is provided for review or approval, you are responsible for checking it carefully and notifying us of any requested amendments within a reasonable time.
If no amendments are requested within 7 days, the work will be deemed approved, unless otherwise agreed.
Any amendments requested after approval, or after the 7-day review period has expired, may be treated as further work and charged accordingly.
7. Confidentiality
We treat all client information as strictly confidential. We will:
- Handle all information in accordance with professional standards;
- Restrict access to your data to authorised individuals only;
- Use secure systems for storage and communication.
We will not disclose your information to third parties except where required to provide our services or by law.
8. Data protection and data processing
We process personal data in accordance with UK GDPR and our Privacy Policy.
You remain the controller of your data, and we act as a processor where applicable.
Both parties agree to handle personal data responsibly and in compliance with applicable data protection laws.
Where we process personal data on your behalf as a processor, the parties will comply with applicable data protection law. Where required, our Data Processing Agreement will apply in addition to these Terms of Business and will set out the processing instructions, confidentiality obligations, security measures, sub-processor arrangements, and return or deletion of data at the end of the engagement.
9. Communication and availability
Our standard communication hours are Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, excluding bank holidays, unless otherwise agreed.
We aim to respond to communications within a reasonable time during standard communication hours. Immediate responses, urgent support, continuous monitoring and out-of-hours availability are not included unless expressly agreed in the applicable Scope of Work.
We may complete agreed work outside standard communication hours where this is suitable for the task and our internal scheduling.
10. Turnaround times
Turnaround times will depend on the nature and complexity of the work, as well as our workload at the time.
Timeframes are estimates unless expressly agreed as a deadline.
Where applicable, these will be set out within the Scope of Work.
You remain responsible for identifying and communicating any critical, court, tribunal, statutory, regulatory, limitation, filing, service, or client deadlines.
We are not responsible for any deadline unless it has been expressly notified to us in writing and accepted by us as part of the agreed scope of work.
Where inbox, diary, task list or system monitoring forms part of the agreed services, monitoring will be carried out at the frequency set out in the Scope of Work. Unless expressly agreed, monitoring is not continuous or real-time.
11. Limitation of liability
We will carry out our services with reasonable care and skill. However, to the fullest extent permitted by law, we are not liable for any indirect, consequential or special loss, including loss of profit, loss of revenue, loss of opportunity, loss of anticipated savings, loss of goodwill, loss of reputation, or loss of data, whether arising in contract, tort, negligence, breach of statutory duty or otherwise.
Our total aggregate liability for all claims arising in relation to any matter shall be limited to the fees paid by you under the relevant Scope of Work for the services provided in the three-month period immediately preceding the event giving rise to the claim.
We do not guarantee any particular outcome, result, commercial benefit, case progression, client response, professional decision, or third-party action arising from the services.
We are not responsible for:
- decisions made based on work we have prepared;
- verifying the accuracy of information provided to us unless expressly agreed in writing;
- outcomes dependent on third parties or external factors;
- professional, legal, clinical, regulatory, compliance, strategic, or commercial decisions made by you or any third party.
Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability where it would be unlawful to do so.
12. Intellectual property
Unless otherwise agreed:
- You retain ownership of your original materials;
- You are granted full use of any documents or work we prepare for you.
We may retain templates, systems, and underlying know-how developed in the course of our work.
13. Continuity of service
As a small, coordinated team, we aim to provide consistent and uninterrupted support.
Where necessary, another team member may assist to ensure continuity.
14. Term and termination
14.1 Ongoing services
For services provided on a rolling monthly basis, we require one calendar month’s notice for changes and two calendar months’ notice for cancellation, unless otherwise agreed in the Scope of Work.
Where services are agreed for a fixed minimum term, the term, pricing, notice period, and any early termination provisions will be set out in the Scope of Work.
14.2 Immediate termination
We may terminate services immediately where:
- Payment is not made;
- There is misuse of services;
- Continued engagement is not appropriate.
15. Suspension of services
We reserve the right to pause services where:
- Payment is overdue;
- Required information or access is not provided;
- There are concerns regarding compliance or risk.
Suspension of services does not affect your obligation to pay any fees already due or payable under the agreed package, Scope of Work, notice period or fixed minimum term.
Suspension of services does not pause, extend or reduce any agreed notice period, service period, fixed minimum term or payment obligation.
16. Third-party systems
We may work within your systems or use agreed third-party platforms (such as email, cloud storage or collaboration tools).
While we take care in selecting secure systems, we cannot be responsible for failures or disruptions arising from third-party platforms beyond our control.
Where we are required to work within your systems, you are responsible for providing appropriate access, permissions, instructions, and any necessary training or system-specific guidance. We are not responsible for delays, errors, or inability to complete work where access, permissions, information, or system functionality is unavailable, restricted, inaccurate, or withdrawn.
17. Force majeure
We are not liable for delays or failure to perform services due to events beyond our reasonable control.
18. Conflicts of interest
We will take reasonable steps to identify any potential conflict of interest before accepting work.
You agree to provide sufficient information for us to assess whether a conflict may arise. If we identify a conflict or potential conflict, we may decline, pause, or terminate the relevant work.
18. Conflicts of interest
We will take reasonable steps to identify any potential conflict of interest before accepting work. You agree to provide sufficient information for us to assess whether a conflict may arise. If we identify a conflict or potential conflict, we may decline, pause, or terminate the relevant work.
19. Non-solicitation
During our engagement and for six months afterwards, you agree not to solicit or engage any Opal & Ora team member directly to provide services outside Opal & Ora, without our prior written agreement.
20. Consumer cancellation rights
Where you engage us as a consumer, you may have a statutory right to cancel within 14 days of entering into the agreement. If you ask us to begin work during that cancellation period, you agree that we may charge for any work carried out before cancellation.
Once services have been fully performed with your agreement, your cancellation rights may no longer apply. This does not affect any rights you may have under consumer law.
21. Changes to these terms
We may update these Terms of Business from time to time.
The most current version will be provided or made available to clients.
22. Governing law
These Terms of Business are governed by the laws of England and Wales.
Any disputes shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.
23. Contact
If you have any questions about these Terms of Business, please contact:
Opal and Ora Ltd
Email: hello@opalandora.co.uk
125 Sunnyside Parc
Illogan
Redruth
England
TR15 3LY
Opal and Ora Ltd is a limited company registered in England and Wales (registered no.17192221).