1. Introduction

This Data Protection page explains how Help Me Legal collects, uses, stores, shares and protects personal data in connection with the legal services we provide and the operation of our business.

Help Me Legal is committed to handling personal data lawfully, fairly, transparently and securely. We recognise the importance of protecting confidential and personal information provided to us by clients, prospective clients, employees, consultants, applicants, suppliers, professional contacts and other third parties.

This page should be read together with any client care letter, terms of business, privacy notice, website terms, cookie notice or other contractual documents issued by Help Me Legal from time to time.

2. Applicable Law

Help Me Legal processes personal data in accordance with applicable data protection legislation, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation, the Data Protection Act 2018 and any other applicable laws or regulations relating to privacy, confidentiality and data protection.

As a firm providing legal services, Help Me Legal is also required to comply with professional and regulatory obligations, including obligations relating to confidentiality, client care, anti-money laundering, conflicts of interest, file retention, professional indemnity insurance and co-operation with relevant regulators.

3. Data Controller

For the purposes of data protection law, Help Me Legal will usually act as a data controller in respect of personal data collected and processed in connection with the provision of legal services and the operation of the firm.

This means that Help Me Legal determines the purposes for which personal data is processed and the manner in which it is processed.

In limited circumstances, Help Me Legal may act as a data processor where it processes personal data strictly on behalf of another data controller. Where this applies, the relevant contractual arrangements will set out the respective obligations of the parties.

Data controller details:

Help Me Legal Solicitors, Soloman House, Belgrave Court, Fulwood, Preston, PR2 9PL
Telephone: 01772 282786
Email: wecare@helpmelegal.uk
Data protection point of contact: Saara Patel

4. Scope of this Page

This Data Protection page applies to personal data processed by Help Me Legal in relation to:

a. clients and prospective clients;

b. individuals connected with client matters;

c. employees, consultants, workers and job applicants;

d. suppliers, contractors and professional advisers;

e. referrers and business contacts;

f. website users and online enquirers;

g. witnesses, beneficiaries, executors, attorneys, deputies, family members, company officers and other parties involved in legal matters; and

h. any other individuals whose personal data is provided to, obtained by or processed by Help Me Legal.

5. Personal Data We May Collect

Help Me Legal may collect and process personal data including, but not limited to:

a. names, addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses;

b. dates of birth and identification details;

c. copies of passports, driving licences, utility bills, bank statements and other identity or verification documents;

d. financial information, including source of funds, source of wealth, bank details, asset details, income information, tax information and transaction records;

e. family information, including marital status, dependants, beneficiaries, relatives and relationship details;

f. employment, business, directorship, shareholder, partnership or professional information;

g. property ownership information, title information, mortgage information and transaction details;

h. legal instructions, correspondence, documents, evidence, statements and file notes;

i. information relating to disputes, claims, complaints, court proceedings or regulatory matters;

j. special category data, where relevant to the matter, including health information, religious beliefs, ethnic origin or other sensitive personal data;

k. criminal offence data, where relevant to the matter or required for legal, regulatory or anti-money laundering purposes;

l. website usage information, enquiry form submissions, IP addresses and technical data; and

m. any other information provided to Help Me Legal or obtained by Help Me Legal in connection with the provision of legal services.

6. How Personal Data Is Collected

Help Me Legal may collect personal data directly from individuals or from third parties.

Personal data may be collected through:

a. client enquiries;

b. client onboarding and identification checks;

c. meetings, telephone calls, emails and written correspondence;

d. website forms and online communications;

e. client documents and evidence;

f. information provided by professional advisers, accountants, solicitors, barristers, experts, agents, lenders, estate agents, insurers, courts, tribunals, regulators or public authorities;

g. publicly available sources, including Companies House, HM Land Registry, court records, insolvency registers, sanctions lists and other public databases;

h. anti-money laundering, identity verification and compliance providers;

i. recruitment processes; and

j. the ordinary operation of our business systems, including email, case management, accounting and document storage systems.

7. Purposes of Processing

Help Me Legal may process personal data for the following purposes:

a. assessing whether we can act for a client or prospective client;

b. carrying out conflict checks;

c. verifying identity and completing anti-money laundering checks;

d. assessing source of funds and source of wealth where required;

e. opening, managing and administering client files;

f. providing legal advice and legal services;

g. communicating with clients, third parties, professional advisers and other parties involved in a matter;

h. preparing documents, correspondence, applications, forms, agreements, statements and other legal materials;

i. representing clients in negotiations, transactions, proceedings or other legal matters;

j. complying with court, tribunal, regulator, law enforcement or public authority requirements;

k. managing billing, payments, client account records and debt recovery;

l. maintaining professional indemnity insurance and dealing with insurance notifications or claims;

m. handling complaints, service issues, audit requirements and regulatory enquiries;

n. maintaining business records and file archives;

o. complying with legal, regulatory, professional and contractual obligations;

p. managing recruitment, employment and internal administration;

q. improving our services, systems and business processes;

r. protecting the security and integrity of our systems, premises and confidential information; and

s. any other purpose reasonably connected with the provision of legal services or the operation of Help Me Legal.

8. Lawful Bases for Processing

Help Me Legal will only process personal data where there is a lawful basis for doing so.

Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

a. Contract
Processing may be necessary to enter into, perform or administer a contract with a client, employee, supplier or other party.

b. Legal Obligation
Processing may be necessary to comply with legal, regulatory or professional obligations, including anti-money laundering obligations, tax obligations, accounting obligations, court requirements, regulatory duties and file retention requirements.

c. Legitimate Interests
Processing may be necessary for the legitimate interests of Help Me Legal or a third party, provided those interests are not overridden by the rights and freedoms of the individual. Legitimate interests may include providing legal services, managing client relationships, operating the firm, protecting confidential information, preventing fraud, maintaining records, handling complaints and defending legal claims.

d. Consent
In limited circumstances, Help Me Legal may rely on consent. Where consent is relied upon, the individual may withdraw consent at any time, subject to any other lawful basis that may permit or require continued processing.

e. Vital Interests
Processing may be necessary to protect someone’s vital interests in exceptional circumstances.

f. Public Task
In limited circumstances, processing may be necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority.

9. Special Category Data

In some matters, Help Me Legal may need to process special category data. This may include information relating to health, disability, racial or ethnic origin, religious or philosophical beliefs, political opinions, trade union membership, genetic data, biometric data, sex life or sexual orientation.

Special category data will only be processed where permitted by law and where relevant to the matter or the operation of the firm.

The additional lawful conditions relied upon may include:

a. the individual has given explicit consent;

b. processing is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims;

c. processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest;

d. processing is necessary for employment, social security or social protection obligations;

e. processing is necessary to protect vital interests; or

f. another condition permitted by applicable data protection legislation applies.

10. Criminal Offence Data

Help Me Legal may process criminal offence data where relevant to a legal matter, required for regulatory compliance, required for anti-money laundering purposes, necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims, or otherwise permitted by law.

Criminal offence data will be processed with appropriate safeguards and only where there is a lawful basis and a permitted condition for doing so.

11. Client Confidentiality and Legal Professional Privilege

Help Me Legal recognises the importance of client confidentiality and legal professional privilege.

Information provided to us by clients or relating to client matters will be handled in accordance with our legal, professional and regulatory obligations. We will not disclose confidential client information unless authorised by the client, required or permitted by law, required by a court or tribunal, required for regulatory purposes, necessary for the conduct of the matter, necessary to protect our legal position, or otherwise permitted under our professional obligations.

Legal professional privilege may apply to certain communications and documents. Where privilege applies, Help Me Legal will take reasonable steps to protect that privilege.

12. Sharing Personal Data

Help Me Legal may share personal data where necessary and lawful.

Personal data may be shared with:

a. courts, tribunals and dispute resolution bodies;

b. barristers, solicitors, legal executives, consultants and other legal professionals;

c. accountants, tax advisers, financial advisers, surveyors, valuers, medical professionals, experts and other professional advisers;

d. HM Land Registry, Companies House, HM Revenue & Customs and other public bodies;

e. banks, lenders, insurers and professional indemnity insurers;

f. estate agents, managing agents, landlords, tenants, buyers, sellers and transaction parties;

g. identity verification, anti-money laundering and compliance service providers;

h. IT, cloud storage, case management, email, document management, accounting and payment service providers;

i. debt recovery agents or enforcement agents, where necessary;

j. regulators, supervisory authorities, ombudsman schemes and law enforcement agencies;

k. auditors, quality assurance reviewers and compliance consultants;

l. third parties where disclosure is required by law, permitted by law or necessary for the conduct of a client matter; and

m. any other person or organisation where the client has authorised disclosure or where disclosure is reasonably necessary for the provision of legal services.

Help Me Legal will not sell personal data.

13. International Transfers

Help Me Legal will generally seek to store and process personal data within the United Kingdom or other jurisdictions that provide appropriate protection for personal data.

Where personal data is transferred outside the United Kingdom, Help Me Legal will take steps to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, where required by law. These safeguards may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, international data transfer agreements, contractual protections, technical safeguards or other lawful transfer mechanisms.

14. Data Security

Help Me Legal takes reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, disclosure or destruction.

These measures may include:

a. secure IT systems and access controls;

b. password protection and user authentication;

c. secure email and document management procedures;

d. restricted access to client files;

e. confidentiality obligations for staff and consultants;

f. secure storage of paper records;

g. data backup and recovery procedures;

h. anti-virus, firewall and cyber security protections;

i. staff training and compliance procedures; and

j. policies for the secure disposal of documents and data.

No system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. However, Help Me Legal will take reasonable steps to protect the personal data it processes and to respond appropriately to suspected data security incidents.

15. Data Retention

Help Me Legal will retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or for such longer period as may be required or permitted by law, regulation, professional obligation, insurance requirement or legitimate business need.

Retention periods may vary depending on the nature of the matter, the type of data, applicable limitation periods, regulatory requirements, insurance requirements and the need to retain records for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.

Client files may be retained for a period specified in the relevant client care letter, terms of business or file closing correspondence. In some cases, files or documents may need to be retained for longer periods, particularly where they relate to wills, trusts, probate, property, tax, corporate matters, vulnerable clients, litigation, long-term arrangements or matters where future claims may arise.

At the end of the applicable retention period, Help Me Legal may securely delete, destroy or anonymise personal data, unless there is a lawful reason to retain it for longer.

16. Individual Rights

Individuals may have certain rights under data protection law in relation to their personal data.

These rights may include:

a. the right to be informed about how personal data is used;

b. the right of access to personal data;

c. the right to request correction of inaccurate personal data;

d. the right to request erasure of personal data;

e. the right to restrict processing;

f. the right to object to processing;

g. the right to data portability;

h. rights relating to automated decision-making and profiling; and

i. the right to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

These rights are not absolute. Help Me Legal may be entitled or required to refuse, limit or delay a request where an exemption applies, where disclosure would affect the rights of others, where legal professional privilege applies, where the request is manifestly unfounded or excessive, or where continued processing is required or permitted by law.

17. Subject Access Requests

Individuals may request access to personal data held by Help Me Legal.

Any subject access request should be made in writing using the contact details set out on this page. Help Me Legal may request information to verify the identity of the person making the request and may seek clarification where the request is unclear or broad.

Help Me Legal will respond to valid requests within the time period required by law, subject to any permitted extension or applicable exemption.

18. Accuracy of Personal Data

Help Me Legal will take reasonable steps to ensure that personal data is accurate and kept up to date where necessary.

Individuals are asked to notify Help Me Legal promptly if any personal data provided to us changes or if they believe that information held by us is inaccurate.

19. Marketing Communications

Help Me Legal may use contact details to provide information about legal services, updates, events or other information that may be relevant to clients, former clients, prospective clients or professional contacts.

Marketing communications will only be sent where permitted by law. Individuals may opt out of marketing communications at any time by using the unsubscribe method provided or by contacting Help Me Legal directly.

Opting out of marketing communications will not prevent Help Me Legal from sending service-related, contractual, regulatory or matter-related communications.

20. Website and Technical Data

When individuals use the Help Me Legal website, we may collect limited technical information relating to the use of the website.

This may include IP addresses, browser type, device information, pages visited, referral source, time spent on pages and other website analytics data.

This information may be used to operate the website, monitor performance, improve functionality, maintain security and understand how users interact with the website.

Where cookies or similar technologies are used, further information may be set out in a separate cookie notice or cookie banner.

21. Data Breaches

Help Me Legal will take reasonable steps to identify, investigate and respond to personal data breaches.

Where required by law, Help Me Legal will notify the Information Commissioner’s Office and, where applicable, affected individuals.

Not all data security incidents will require notification. Each incident will be assessed by reference to the nature of the data, the circumstances of the incident, the risk to individuals and the firm’s legal and regulatory obligations.

22. Third-Party Websites

The Help Me Legal website may contain links to third-party websites.

Help Me Legal is not responsible for the content, security, privacy practices or data protection compliance of third-party websites. Individuals should review the privacy information provided by any third-party website before submitting personal data to that website.

23. Complaints

Individuals who have concerns about the way Help Me Legal handles personal data should contact us in the first instance using the details set out on this page.

Help Me Legal will consider data protection concerns and complaints in accordance with its legal and professional obligations.

Individuals may also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Information Commissioner’s Office
Website: www.ico.org.uk
Telephone: 0303 123 1113

24. Changes to this Page

Help Me Legal may update this Data Protection page from time to time to reflect changes in law, regulation, professional guidance, business practice, technology or the way we process personal data.

The version published on our website will apply from the date of publication and will replace any previous version.

25. Contact Details

Questions about this Data Protection page or the way Help Me Legal processes personal data should be directed to:

Help Me Legal Solicitors, Soloman House, Belgrave Court, Fulwood, Preston, PR2 9PL
Telephone: 01772 282786
Email: wecare@helpmelegal.uk
Data protection point of contact: Saara Patel
Last updated: 8 July 2026