Privacy Policy

ELM (Legal Services) Ltd (“we”, “us”, “our”) is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal data. It applies to:

Visitors to our website (elm-online.co.uk)
Individuals contacting us for information
Clients engaging us for legal services

By visiting our website or using our services, you accept and consent to the practices described below.

For the purposes of the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR, the data controller is:
ELM (Legal Services) Ltd
765 Fishponds Road, Fishponds, Bristol, BS16 3BS
ICO Registration Number: Z892291X

Data We May Collect

We may collect and process the following data:

Information you provide: via website forms, phone, email, social media, or service instructions. This includes name, address, email, phone, payment details, and photographs.
Information from third-party data providers.
Information we collect automatically: technical details (IP address, browser type/version, time zone, browser plug-ins, operating system, platform) and browsing activity (clickstream, page response times, errors, interaction details).
Information from other sources: including marketing partners, payment processors, analytics providers, and credit agencies.

Where We Collect Your Information

We collect personal data from the following sources:

Directly from you: when you fill in forms on our website, contact us by phone or email, meet with us, or complete paper or electronic service instructions.
Automatically through your use of our website: when you visit our site, we collect technical information and browsing behaviour through cookies and analytics tools.
From third-party sources: we may obtain data from marketing partners, business partners, subcontractors, payment processors, analytics providers, or credit reference agencies.
From publicly available sources: we may collect data from public registers (such as Companies House), online directories, social media platforms (where appropriate and lawful), the Electoral Register, or other publicly accessible sources.
From other ELM services and websites: if you use our other services, we may combine that data to improve our services and communications.

Lawful Basis for Processing

We process your personal data under the following lawful bases:

Consent: when you submit forms, contact us, or sign up for updates. You can withdraw consent at any time by emailing info@elm-online.co.uk.
Legitimate Interest: we process certain personal data on the basis of legitimate interests, where we believe the processing is necessary for our business operations and will not override your rights or freedoms. Before relying on legitimate interests, we carefully balance our needs against your privacy rights through a Legitimate Interests Assessment. This includes activities such as:
- promoting and marketing our legal services to potential and existing clients;
- managing our business operations efficiently;
- improving and developing our services, website and client experience;
- handling queries, complaints, and claims;
- preventing fraud and ensuring the security of our systems and services.
Contractual Necessity: we collect data to fulfil legal service contracts (such as Wills, Trusts, LPAs) and process payments.

Data Retention

We retain personal data only as long as necessary, specifically:

Data may be kept for six years after death or cancellation of services to meet legal, regulatory, and contractual obligations, and to resolve any future questions or claims.
Retention periods are reviewed regularly.
Data is kept only as long as required for original purposes or legal obligations.
Once no longer required, data is securely deleted or anonymised.

Cookies

Our website uses cookies to distinguish you from other users, improve your experience, and help us improve the site.

How We Use Your Data

Fulfilling contracts and providing services.
Sending updates about similar services.
Sending marketing communications (with consent where required).
Notifying you about service changes.
Improving our website and services.
Analysing advertising and audience performance.
Making personalised recommendations.
Ensuring site security and fraud prevention.

Disclosure of Your Information

We may share your data with:

Group companies, subsidiaries, and affiliates.
Business partners, suppliers, and subcontractors for service delivery.
Advertisers (aggregated, non-identifiable data).
Analytics and search providers.
Credit reference agencies.

We may also disclose data:

If we sell or acquire business assets.
If ELM (Legal Services) Ltd is acquired.
To comply with legal obligations or protect rights, property, or safety.

Where We Store Your Personal Data

All information you provide to us is stored on secure servers. We do use third-party suppliers to manage our IT systems, including cloud service providers. As a result, your information may be transferred outside the United Kingdom.

Where we transfer your data outside of the United Kingdom we apply safeguards, including:

Transfers only to countries with an adequacy decision.
Use of Standard Contractual Clauses or the UK International Data Transfer Agreement.
Contracts imposing strict data protection obligations.

We take all steps reasonably necessary to protect your data under UK law.

Security

We store your data on secure servers. Payment transactions are encrypted. If you have a password for part of our site, you are responsible for keeping it confidential. While we use strong protections, no internet transmission is completely secure. Once received, we apply strict measures to prevent unauthorised access.

Your Rights

You have the following rights regarding your personal data:

Right to Access – request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to Rectification – correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to Erasure (“Right to be Forgotten”) – request deletion of your data when no longer needed.
Right to Restrict Processing – limit how we use your data in certain circumstances.
Right to Data Portability – receive your data in a portable format or have it transferred to another organisation.
Right to Object – object to processing, including for direct marketing.

You can exercise these rights via our Data Privacy Request page or by contacting us directly. We will respond within one month. There is no fee unless the request is excessive, repetitive, or unfounded.

Complaints

If you wish to raise a concern or complaint, contact:

James D Emsley
ELM (Legal Services) Ltd
765 Fishponds Road
Fishponds, Bristol, BS16 3BS
Email: info@elm-online.co.uk

If you do not receive a response within 30 days or are dissatisfied, you may contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

Third-Party Links

Our site may include links to other websites. We are not responsible for their privacy practices; please check their privacy policies before providing data.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy occasionally. Any changes will be posted here and, where appropriate, notified by email. Please check regularly.