Staff Terms & Conditions

1.1 Relationship: Staff members may be employees, independent contractors, interns, volunteers, or agents of the Firm. The specific terms of engagement (remuneration, hours, duration) are governed by separate agreements and relevant South African law including the Labour Relations Act, 1995 (Act 66 of 1995) and the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, 1997 (Act 75 of 1997).

1.2 At-Will Employment (where applicable): Where permitted by South African law, employment is at-will and may be terminated by either party in accordance with applicable notice periods and legal requirements.

1.3 Probation: New staff members serve a probationary period as specified in their employment contract. During probation, performance and conduct will be evaluated.

2.1 Access Granting: System access is granted based on role and necessity. Access levels are determined by management and may be modified or revoked at any time.

2.2 Authorized Use Only: Staff may only use firm systems for authorized business purposes. Personal use must be minimal and must not interfere with work duties or consume excessive resources.

2.3 BYOD Policy: Staff using personal devices for work must ensure devices are secured with passwords, encryption, and up-to-date security software. The Firm may remotely wipe firm data from personal devices upon termination or if a device is lost/stolen.

2.4 Monitoring: Staff acknowledge that their use of firm systems, including email, internet, and platform activity, may be monitored for compliance, security, and performance purposes. No expectation of privacy exists on firm systems.

2.5 Account Recovery: Staff can reset their username and password through the admin portal. Clients can only reset their password via email as they authenticate using their email address.

3.1 Confidential Information: All client data, case information, financial data, business strategies, trade secrets, and proprietary systems are confidential. Staff must protect this information from unauthorized access or disclosure.

3.2 Non-Disclosure: Staff shall not disclose confidential information during or after their engagement. This obligation is perpetual and survives termination indefinitely.

3.3 Data Protection: Staff must comply with POPIA (Act 4 of 2013), GDPR (where applicable), and the Firm's data protection policies. Personal data may only be processed for legitimate business purposes.

3.4 Breach Notification: Any actual or suspected data breach must be reported to the Compliance Officer within 1 hour. Deliberate concealment of a breach is a serious disciplinary offense.

4.1 Legal Ozzie: The AI assistant is provided as an assistive tool. Staff must:

• Review and validate all AI-generated content before use
• Not input client data into unauthorized external AI tools
• Not rely on AI alone for legal advice or decision-making
• Report AI errors or anomalies to the system administrator

4.2 Zero Data Training: The Firm, NexGen Nova, and Groq Cloud are contractually bound to NOT use any staff or client data for AI model training. Staff must not upload firm data to external AI platforms that may use data for training.

4.3 Software Restrictions: Staff may not install, download, or use unapproved software on firm devices. All software installations require prior authorization from IT/system administration.

5.1 Code of Conduct: Staff must conduct themselves professionally, ethically, and in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.

5.2 Conflicts of Interest: Staff must declare any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest immediately. Staff must not use their position for personal gain.

5.3 Anti-Discrimination: The Firm maintains a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination, harassment, and workplace bullying based on race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or any other protected characteristic.

5.4 Gifts & Hospitality: Staff may not accept gifts, hospitality, or benefits that could reasonably be perceived as influencing business decisions. Any gift valued over R500 must be declared.

6.1 Assignment of IP: All intellectual property created by staff in the course of their engagement (including legal documents, templates, processes, software, and methodologies) is automatically assigned to and becomes the sole property of Mavuya Inc Attorneys.

6.2 Pre-Existing IP: Staff must disclose any pre-existing intellectual property brought to their role. Such pre-existing IP remains the staff member's property but may be licensed to the Firm for business use.

6.3 NexGen Nova Technology: The MavuyaOS platform, AI integration, security systems, and underlying code are the intellectual property of NexGen Nova. Staff must not copy, modify, reverse-engineer, or redistribute any platform components.

7.1 Staff Liability: Staff are personally liable for damages resulting from:

• Intentional misconduct or gross negligence
• Unauthorized disclosure of confidential information
• Violation of laws or regulations
• Theft, fraud, or misappropriation of firm or client assets

7.2 Firm Liability: The Firm's liability to staff is limited to the extent provided by South African labour law and the specific terms of the staff member's employment contract.

7.3 Technology Disclaimer: NexGen Nova provides the platform "as is" and disclaims all warranties. The Firm is responsible for ensuring the platform meets its practice requirements.

8.1 System Access: Upon termination of engagement (for any reason), system access will be revoked immediately. Staff must return all firm property, documents, and data.

8.2 Surviving Obligations: The following obligations survive termination indefinitely:

• Confidentiality and non-disclosure obligations
• Intellectual property assignments
• Indemnification provisions
• Dispute resolution provisions

8.3 Final Payment: Final remuneration will be processed in accordance with applicable law and the staff member's contract, subject to deduction of any amounts owed to the Firm.

9.1 Internal Resolution: Disputes shall first be addressed through the Firm's internal grievance procedure. Staff should raise concerns with their direct supervisor or HR.

9.2 CCMA: Employment disputes may be referred to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) in accordance with the Labour Relations Act.

9.3 Arbitration: Non-employment disputes shall be resolved through arbitration in accordance with AFSA rules, held in South Africa.

9.4 Governing Law: These terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa.