About Be Wise Apps

Be Wise Apps is a dedicated resource providing legal, health and general information, not advice on any subject, prepared by a retired solicitor qualified in England and Wales, with over 30 years’ international experience.

Each Be Wise app takes a subject people usually meet at a stressful or high-stakes moment, a contract to sign, an injury, a health worry, a business venture abroad, and explains it in plain English, clearly enough to understand your position and ask better questions of a professional. The apps are free to use and need no account.

The apps

• Be Contract Wise (England & Wales)Very powerful, carefully prepared tools to draft and review simple or complex contracts in plain English, with every clause explained.
• Be Contract Wise (Scotland)The same drafting and review tools, built around Scots contract law and procedure.
• Be Consumer WiseKnow your rights when buying goods and dealing with faulty purchases.
• Be Small Claims Wise (England & Wales)Owed money? From the letter before claim to enforcing the judgment: check whether a claim is worth it, draft the documents, calculate interest and fees, and follow every deadline.
• Be Wellness WiseGeneral health information for you, your children, and older relatives.
• Be Solar WiseUseful information on solar panels, plug-in solar, home batteries and tariffs.
• Be University WiseCompare UK universities on official data, work out your UCAS points, find courses that could suit you and check living costs. For UK and international students.
• Be Software Architecture WiseA complete course in software architecture, from how software works to AI-enabled systems, with 117 narrated video lessons, optional chapter tests and a Be Wise certificate. For beginners and working engineers.
• Be EV WisePure EV, hybrid or plug-in hybrid? Compare cars on sale in the UK, understand batteries, fire risk, charging and grants, and find your shortlist.
• Be Pet WiseCare, health, and information guidance by species and breed.
• Be Crime Wise (England & Wales)Your rights if you're stopped, arrested, questioned or charged in England and Wales, with a spent convictions checker, a penalty points calculator and offence guides.
• Be Crime Wise (Scotland)The same guidance, built around Scottish criminal law and procedure.
• Be Injury Wise (England & Wales)Work out what your options are if you get hurt and the compensation you might be entitled to.
• Be Injury Wise (Scotland)The same guidance, built around personal injury regulations in Scotland.
• Be Rwanda WisePractical guidance on registering, operating, and meeting local regulatory requirements to succeed in business in Rwanda.
• Be Vietnam WiseDoing business in Vietnam for foreign and local investors, from company registration and tax to land, employment, mining, oil and gas.

Who prepares Be Wise Apps

Be Wise Apps is created and run by Jason Donovan, a retired solicitor qualified in England and Wales (LLB in European Legal Studies, LLM) who remains registered with the Solicitors Regulation Authority. His career in commercial law spans more than three decades: eight years with the international law firm Lovells, a partnership in a commercial foreign direct investment firm in Vietnam, in-house legal counsel at Premier Oil while it was listed on the London Stock Exchange, and further international and in-house roles. He holds a first-class master’s degree in oil and gas law. He is retired from practice, and he is not acting for you or providing legal services to you when you use the apps.

He led the Miss Universe Vietnam pageant project in 2007 and 2008 as Lead Project Coordinator, and was a Vice-President of the operating company.

He holds no legal qualification in Scotland and does not claim any authority to practise or advise on Scots law. The Scotland versions of the apps provide general information drawn from Scottish legislation and official Scottish sources, not advice; for advice on Scots law, consult a solicitor qualified in Scotland.

How the information is prepared

Guidance is written from primary and official sources: legislation, government and regulator websites, and recognised public bodies in each country the apps cover. Where the law differs between jurisdictions, the apps say so, for example with separate England & Wales and Scotland versions. Several apps have guide pages that are re-checked against official sources on a schedule, with a published “how we check” page, for example Be Rwanda Wise, Be Vietnam Wise, Be Solar Wise and the Be Wellness Wise library.

Most apps include an AI assistant for follow-up questions. The assistants are instructed to stay within their subject and to point to official sources, but AI answers can be wrong or out of date, so treat them as a starting point.

Information, not advice

Nothing on Be Wise Apps is legal, medical, financial or other professional advice, and using the apps does not create a lawyer–client, doctor–patient or any other professional relationship. The information does not take account of your full circumstances. Before you act on anything important, take advice from a suitably qualified professional. In a medical emergency, call your local emergency number.

Advertising

Some apps carry paid listings from advertisers such as law firms. Listings are clearly marked, and they are not endorsements, recommendations or referrals. Always check a professional’s credentials with their regulator before you instruct them.

Your privacy

The apps do not ask you to create an account, and analytics only run if you accept them. See Privacy & cookies for what happens to the information you enter.

Trade mark

The Be Wise name and logo are protected. Be Wise is trademark protected. No unauthorised use.

Contact

For corrections, partnership or advertising enquiries, use our contact form.