Alex is Sprintlaw's co-founder and principal lawyer. Alex previously worked at a top-tier firm as a lawyer specialising in technology and media contracts, and founded a digital agency which he sold in 2015.
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If you run a small business or startup, you’ve probably seen a “legal statement” at the bottom of a website or in a footer link - and wondered if you need one too.
The tricky part is that people often use the phrase “legal statement” to mean different things. Sometimes they mean a short website disclaimer. Sometimes they mean a broader “legal notices” page. And sometimes they’re looking for a simple way to communicate the rules around using their site, relying on their content, or contacting them.
This guide breaks it down in plain English and gives you a practical legal statement template you can adapt for your Australian business - plus guidance on when a template is not enough (and when you should get it tailored).
What Is A Legal Statement (And What Is It Not)?
A legal statement is usually a short-form legal notice you publish (often on your website) to set expectations and help manage risk. It commonly includes things like:
- a general disclaimer (for example, that your content is general information and not professional advice)
- limitations on liability (to the extent allowed by law)
- intellectual property ownership (who owns your content, branding, and materials)
- acceptable use rules (what visitors can and can’t do)
- contact details and legal notices information
For many businesses, a “legal statement” is a supporting document - not the main event.
It’s important to know what a legal statement is not:
- It’s not a substitute for a Privacy Policy. Depending on your business and what data you collect, you may need a Privacy Policy - particularly if you’re an APP entity under the Privacy Act, or you collect personal information through things like contact forms, mailing lists, customer accounts, or tracking/analytics tools.
- It’s not the same as Website Terms. If you want enforceable rules about using your website, you’re generally looking for Website Terms & Conditions (or Terms of Use) rather than a short disclaimer.
- It doesn’t override Australian Consumer Law (ACL). You can’t “disclaimer away” legal rights that customers have under the ACL.
Think of your legal statement as your business saying: “Here are the basic legal ground rules and what you can reasonably rely on.”
Do You Actually Need A Legal Statement For Your Business?
Not every business needs a standalone “legal statement” page - but many do.
A legal statement is often a good idea if you:
- publish content that people could rely on (blogs, guides, calculators, templates, educational content)
- operate an online store or platform and want clear site-use boundaries
- work in a higher-risk space (health, finance, legal, construction, safety, children’s services)
- sell B2B services where your content might be forwarded internally or relied on by third parties
- use email marketing and want standard legal wording on outbound communications (sometimes as an email disclaimer)
If you’re not sure where it fits in your legal setup, a simple rule of thumb is:
- Privacy obligations? Start with a Privacy Policy.
- Customer relationship rules? Start with customer terms (online store terms, service agreement, or terms of trade).
- Website use rules? Start with Website Terms.
- General information and risk management? Add a legal statement/disclaimer.
And if you’re publishing “helpful information” content, it’s worth asking whether a reader could misunderstand it as advice. A clear disclaimer can help set expectations, and an appropriately drafted disclaimer is often part of a sensible risk-management setup.
What Should A Legal Statement Include In Australia?
There’s no one mandatory format for a legal statement in Australia. What you include depends on what your business does, what you publish, and how customers interact with you.
That said, here are the clauses we commonly see small businesses include (and why they matter).
1) General Information Disclaimer
This is the part that says your content is general information only and not tailored advice.
It’s especially relevant if your business posts:
- how-to guides
- industry explainers
- checklists and templates
- any “calculator” style tools
If you want your disclaimer to actually work in practice, it needs to match how you operate. If your site reads like personalised advice, a one-line disclaimer may not do much.
2) Limitation Of Liability (To The Extent Permitted By Law)
Many legal statements include wording that limits liability for loss or damage arising from reliance on website content or use of the website.
This is an area where you need to be careful. In Australia, there are consumer protections and unfair contract term issues that can affect whether (and how) your wording is enforceable - particularly if your website terms form part of a consumer or small business standard form contract.
It’s also why it helps to understand what makes terms enforceable in the first place - in contract law, it still comes back to core principles like offer, acceptance and consideration. If you want a refresher, what makes a contract legally binding is a useful starting point when you’re thinking about how your online terms and legal notices will operate.
3) Intellectual Property (IP) Ownership
This section tells readers that you own (or license) your branding and content - and that copying, reproducing, or reusing it without permission is restricted.
For startups, this is more important than it might feel on day one. Your website copy, product images, training materials, PDFs, course content, and branding can become valuable business assets.
4) Third-Party Links And Third-Party Content
If your site links out to other websites, embeds tools, or references third-party materials, your legal statement can clarify that:
- you’re not responsible for third-party websites
- you don’t endorse external content (unless you genuinely do)
- third-party terms may apply
5) Acceptable Use (Basic Rules For Visitors)
Some businesses include a short “acceptable use” section to discourage misuse - for example, attempting to hack the site, scrape content, post unlawful material, or interfere with other users.
If you operate a platform, marketplace, SaaS product, or community, you may need something more detailed (and integrated with your full Terms of Use).
6) Contact Details And Notices
This is a practical section that tells people how to contact you about legal concerns (for example, IP infringement claims or misuse of content).
It can also clarify that sending you an email doesn’t create a professional relationship (where relevant), and that you may not be able to respond to all enquiries.
7) If You Use Email Disclaimers
If your team regularly communicates sensitive information by email (quotes, scopes, designs, contracts, customer details), you might also consider an Email Disclaimer as part of your broader “legal notices” approach.
Email disclaimers won’t fix everything - but they can help set expectations around confidentiality, intended recipients, and viruses or security issues, especially for B2B businesses.
Legal Statement Template (Website Legal Statement Example)
Below is a practical legal statement template designed for many Australian small businesses. It’s intentionally written in plain English, but still structured in a way that can be used on a website “Legal Statement” or “Legal Notices” page.
Important: Treat this as a starting point. If your business operates in a regulated space, provides professional services, sells to consumers, or publishes advice-like content, you should consider having it tailored to match your actual risk profile and legal obligations.
If you want this to sit neatly alongside your other website documents, many businesses also publish it near their Website Terms and Privacy Policy links (usually in the footer), so it’s consistently accessible.
How To Use A Legal Statement Template Without Creating New Risks
Templates are helpful because they give you momentum - and as a founder, momentum matters. But legal documents only protect you if they reflect what you actually do.
Here are a few practical ways to use a template safely and effectively.
Match The Disclaimer To Your Business Model
If you’re a consultant, agency, coach, or service provider, your website might include case studies, pricing guidance, or “what you should do” style content. That can blur into advice.
In those cases, it’s worth aligning your legal statement with your actual customer journey, including what happens when someone:
- submits an enquiry
- books a call
- receives a quote or proposal
- purchases your services
If you use quotes often, it also helps to be clear when a quote is binding (and when it’s not). In many industries, misunderstandings happen at the quoting stage, so it’s worth being consistent with your approach to quoting and contracting - including whether a quotation is legally binding in your particular situation.
Don’t Accidentally Contradict Your Customer Contract
A common mistake is having a legal statement that says one thing, and customer terms that say another.
For example:
- Your legal statement says “we are not liable for any loss”, but your customer contract includes warranty commitments or service guarantees.
- Your legal statement says “information is general only”, but your onboarding emails promise tailored advice or outcomes.
Consistency matters because contradictions can create disputes, confusion, and enforcement problems.
Remember You Can’t Contract Out Of The ACL
If you sell goods or services to consumers (and many small businesses do), the Australian Consumer Law applies.
This is where some templates can cause harm if they’re too aggressive. A “no refunds ever” type clause can be misleading, and it may create compliance issues rather than protecting you.
Even things like how you talk about warranties and timeframes can matter. If you’re selling products and you’re unsure how consumer guarantees interact with your policies, it helps to have clarity around topics like Australian Consumer Law warranty expectations before you finalise your disclaimers and website copy.
Link It To The Right Supporting Documents
A legal statement usually works best when it’s part of a small suite of documents, such as:
- Privacy Policy: explains how you collect, use, store and disclose personal information (and may be required depending on your business, what information you collect, and whether the Privacy Act applies to you).
- Website Terms & Conditions: sets enforceable rules for using your website, including acceptable use, IP, and limitations of liability.
- Customer Contract / Terms of Trade: governs what happens when someone actually buys from you (deliverables, fees, timelines, refunds, liability allocation).
In other words: a legal statement helps you manage risk around your information and website, but your customer contract manages risk around your sales and delivery.
Common Mistakes With Legal Statements (And How To Avoid Them)
Most problems we see with legal statements aren’t about bad intentions - they’re about using generic wording that doesn’t match the business.
1) Copy-Pasting From Overseas Websites
Australian businesses are subject to Australian laws, including the ACL and privacy requirements. Overseas templates often reference the wrong laws (or assume you can exclude liability in ways you can’t here).
2) Making Overly Broad Claims
Statements like “we accept no liability for anything” can be unrealistic and sometimes problematic. It’s usually better to use balanced wording that limits liability “to the maximum extent permitted by law” and makes clear that non-excludable rights remain.
3) Not Updating The Statement As You Grow
Your risks change as your business changes.
For example, you might start as a simple brochure website, then later add:
- online payments
- a subscription feature
- downloads and templates
- a community area or user accounts
As you expand, you may need to move beyond a basic legal statement and build a more complete set of website terms and platform rules.
4) Forgetting Your Privacy Obligations
A legal statement is not a privacy policy. If you collect personal information, publish a properly drafted privacy policy and make sure it reflects what you actually do with data (including the tools you use behind the scenes).
5) Thinking A Legal Statement Replaces Proper Contracts
This is a big one for service-based businesses. Your footer disclaimer won’t solve disputes about scope creep, late payment, timelines, or ownership of deliverables.
That’s what tailored customer contracts (and, if you hire, clear employment documentation) are for.
Key Takeaways
- A legal statement template is a useful starting point for setting basic legal expectations on your website, but it’s not a substitute for your core legal documents.
- A strong legal statement commonly covers general information disclaimers, limitation of liability (to the extent permitted by law), intellectual property ownership, third-party links, acceptable use, and contact details.
- You can’t use a legal statement to remove customer rights under the Australian Consumer Law, so your wording needs to be careful and accurate.
- Templates work best when they’re customised to your business model and aligned with your Privacy Policy, Website Terms, and customer contracts.
- If your business is in a regulated area or your website content could be relied on as “advice”, it’s worth getting your legal statement (and related documents) reviewed and tailored.
If you’d like a consultation on putting the right legal statements and website documents in place for your business or startup, you can reach us at 1800 730 617 or team@sprintlaw.com.au for a free, no-obligations chat.
