Privacy Policy

Introduction

Your Estate Planner is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal data when you use our website and services.

This policy applies to all personal data we process as a data controller in connection with our estate planning services, including wills, lasting powers of attorney, trusts, and related consultations.

Data Controller

The data controller responsible for your personal data is:

Your Estate Planner
Frances
Email: hello@yourestateplanner.co.uk

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal data, please contact us using the details above.

What Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following types of personal data:

Information you provide directly

• Contact information: Your name, email address, telephone number, and postal address when you complete our contact forms or request a consultation
• Consultation information: Details you share during consultations, including information about your family circumstances, assets, and wishes for your estate planning documents
• Service-related information: Information necessary to prepare your wills, lasting powers of attorney, trusts, or other estate planning documents
• Communication records: Records of correspondence between us, including emails and notes from telephone calls or meetings

Information collected automatically

• Technical information: Your IP address, browser type, device type, and operating system
• Usage information: How you use our website, including pages visited and time spent on pages

How We Use Your Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

• To provide our services: Processing your enquiries, arranging consultations, preparing estate planning documents, and delivering our professional services
• To communicate with you: Responding to your questions, sending appointment confirmations, and keeping you informed about the progress of your documents
• To improve our services: Analysing how our website is used to improve user experience and service delivery
• To comply with legal obligations: Meeting our regulatory and legal requirements as a professional services provider
• To protect our legitimate interests: Maintaining records for professional indemnity purposes and defending against potential claims

Legal Basis for Processing

Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), we rely on the following legal bases for processing your personal data:

• Contract: Processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with you, or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract (e.g., responding to consultation requests and providing our services)
• Legal obligation: Processing is necessary to comply with our legal obligations (e.g., professional regulatory requirements)
• Legitimate interests: Processing is necessary for our legitimate interests, such as maintaining business records, improving our services, and protecting against claims, provided these interests are not overridden by your rights
• Consent: Where we send you marketing communications, we will obtain your consent first and you can withdraw this at any time

Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected:

• Enquiry data: If you enquire but do not proceed with our services, we retain your contact details for up to 12 months to follow up on your enquiry, unless you ask us to delete them sooner
• Client records: We retain records relating to estate planning documents we have prepared for a minimum of 6 years after our engagement ends, in accordance with professional requirements and limitation periods for potential claims
• Original documents: Where we hold original documents on your behalf (such as signed wills), we retain these securely until you request their return or transfer
• Website analytics data: Anonymised analytics data may be retained for up to 26 months

Third Parties

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data to any third parties.

We may share your personal data with the following categories of recipients only where necessary:

• Professional partners: Where your estate planning requires specialist input (e.g., complex tax advice), we may refer you to trusted professionals with your consent
• Regulatory bodies: Where required by law or professional regulations
• IT service providers: Who help us maintain our website and business systems, under strict data processing agreements
• Legal and professional advisers: If necessary to protect our legal rights or comply with legal proceedings

All third parties are required to respect the security of your personal data and to treat it in accordance with the law.

Cookies

Our website uses cookies to improve your browsing experience and help us understand how visitors use our site.

Types of cookies we use

• Essential cookies: These are necessary for the website to function properly and cannot be switched off
• Analytics cookies: We may use basic analytics cookies to understand how visitors interact with our website, such as which pages are most popular. This data is anonymised and used solely to improve our website

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our website.

Your Rights

Under the UK GDPR, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

• Right of access: You have the right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Right to rectification: You have the right to request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal data
• Right to erasure: You have the right to request that we delete your personal data in certain circumstances (also known as the "right to be forgotten")
• Right to data portability: You have the right to request a copy of your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format
• Right to object: You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances, including for direct marketing purposes
• Right to restrict processing: You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances
• Rights related to automated decision-making: You have the right not to be subject to decisions based solely on automated processing that significantly affect you

Please note that some of these rights are not absolute and may be subject to exemptions, particularly where we need to retain data for legal or professional reasons.

How to Make a Data Request

To exercise any of your rights, or if you have any questions about your personal data, please contact us:

• By email: hello@yourestateplanner.co.uk
• By post: Your Estate Planner, North Yorkshire

We will respond to your request within one month of receiving it. If your request is complex or you have made multiple requests, we may extend this period by up to two further months, but we will inform you of this within the first month.

To protect your privacy, we may ask you to verify your identity before processing your request.

Contact for Privacy Enquiries

If you have any concerns about how we handle your personal data, or if you wish to make a complaint, please contact:

Frances
Your Estate Planner
Email: hello@yourestateplanner.co.uk

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection. You can contact the ICO at ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113.

Updates to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date.

We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your personal data.

Last Updated

This Privacy Policy was last updated in January 2025.