Circle Standards
Effective date: 14 September 2026
The standards of conduct expected of members. Referenced by the Platform Terms and by the Complaints and Reporting Policy. They are the basis of any sanction.
1. Application
1.1 These standards apply to all members — providers and agents — and to every representative of a member organisation, including team members added to an account.
1.2 An organisation is responsible for the conduct of its representatives.
1.3 They apply across every Circle environment: the platform, the forums, online meetings, and correspondence between members that arose through the network.
2. Basis
2.1 Circle is a closed network in which members work with each other's clients. Its value rests on every participant being someone a client can be passed to without risk to the sender's reputation.
2.2 Three principles follow: state the truth about yourself, behave professionally, and do not use the network as an advertising channel.
3. Accuracy about yourself
3.1 The jurisdictions, services, licences and qualifications stated in a profile, and in any Circle surface on which a member describes their practice, are accurate. A member claims only jurisdictions in which they actually practise.
3.2 A member does not claim status, accreditation or relationships with government bodies that they do not hold.
3.3 A member does not promise — within the network, or to a client who came through it — guaranteed approvals, guaranteed timelines, or outcomes that depend on a sovereign decision.
3.4 A member does not offer or perform services built on circumventing programme requirements, fabricating grounds, or concealing material facts from authorities.
4. Conduct in the network
4.1 A professional tone in every interaction. Personal attacks, abuse and discrimination are not acceptable.
4.2 Self-promotion is prohibited in every environment. A member wishing to make an offering known to the network presents at a practice briefing, or, once Circle opens the Service Catalogue, contributes an entry to it.
4.3 Mass messaging to members — commercial offers, mailings, invitations to outside events — is not acceptable.
4.4 Contacts obtained through the network are not used for mailings and are not passed to third parties.
5. Conduct in deals
5.1 A member responds to a request only where they can genuinely perform the work in the jurisdiction stated.
5.2 Agreements with another member are honoured: the terms, timelines and scope agreed.
5.3 A member replies to a counterparty within a reasonable time and does not leave a referred client without an answer.
5.4 Where a member can no longer continue, they say so rather than disappear.
5.5 A member does not bypass the partner the network introduced them to in order to work with that partner's client directly.
6. Confidentiality
6.1 Information about a client received from another member is used only for that matter.
6.2 The content of closed meetings, recordings and material available to members is not distributed outside the network.
6.3 The identity of a member, disclosed at the deal stage, is not passed to third parties.
7. Keeping information current
7.1 A member keeps their organisation's details current: jurisdictions, services, licences, contact person.
7.2 A member informs Circle of material changes: a change of control, loss of a licence, sanctions restrictions, or proceedings affecting their ability to provide services.
8. What is not a breach
8.1 Professional disagreement, argument on the merits, criticism of an approach.
8.2 Declining to answer a request or declining to work together.
8.3 Working with the same clients or jurisdictions as another member. Competition inside the network is normal.
8.4 A commercial dispute in itself, provided both sides conducted themselves in line with §5.
9. Consequences of a breach
9.1 Removal of content — for a breach in the forum; applied by the community manager.
9.2 Warning — on a repeat breach; recorded.
9.3 Restriction — temporary closure of access to particular functions.
9.4 Exclusion without refund — for a serious breach or systematic disregard of these standards.
9.5 Restriction and exclusion are decided by the Founder. The member is given the opportunity to respond before a decision, except where delay would harm other members.
9.6 Facts surfacing after approval may also be grounds; in that case the status is re-reviewed under Circle's verification procedure.
10. What Circle does not do
10.1 Circle is not a party to deals between members, does not handle funds, and does not arbitrate commercial terms, payments, commissions or scope of work.