Privacy Policy

CounselO is an online legal consultation platform founded and led by Lawyer and Legal Counsel Omar Al-Baghdadi, with 30+ years of legal practice. We provide professional legal consultation services for matters in Saudi Arabia via WhatsApp and email, in Arabic and English.

We collect only the information necessary to deliver your legal consultation:

• Contact details you provide — name, phone number (WhatsApp), and email address
• Legal matter details — the facts, documents, contracts, and background information you share when requesting a consultation
• Communication records — messages and correspondence exchanged between you and our legal team via WhatsApp or email
• Payment information — payment confirmation details (we do not store card numbers or banking credentials)
• Technical data — basic browser and device information collected automatically when you visit our website (IP address, browser type, pages visited)

We use the information you provide solely for the following purposes:

• To review your legal matter and deliver your consultation
• To communicate with you about your consultation and any follow-up queries
• To process and verify consultation fee payments
• To maintain records required by applicable Saudi laws and professional obligations
• To improve the quality and efficiency of our legal service
• To comply with applicable Saudi laws and regulatory obligations

All information you share with CounselO is handled under applicable professional confidentiality and data-protection obligations for matters in Saudi Arabia. This means:

• We do not share your legal matter details, documents, or personal information without your consent, except where disclosure is required or permitted by applicable law
• Your information is accessible only to the members of the CounselO legal team directly responsible for your consultation
• Confidentiality continues after the consultation to the extent required by applicable professional, contractual and legal obligations
• We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to any person, company, or data broker

Our consultations are conducted via WhatsApp and email. By contacting us through these channels, you acknowledge:

• WhatsApp messages are transmitted via Meta's encrypted infrastructure — please review WhatsApp's own privacy policy for information on their data practices
• Email communications may be subject to standard internet transmission risks — we recommend using secure email where possible for highly sensitive matters
• Consultation content received by CounselO is handled confidentially under applicable professional, privacy and data-protection obligations, regardless of transmission method, subject to legally required or permitted disclosures
• We do not proactively contact you by WhatsApp or email for marketing purposes without your consent

Our website uses standard cookies and analytics tools to understand how visitors use our site. We use this data only to improve the website experience:

• Session cookies: necessary for the website to function correctly and to maintain your language preference
• Analytics cookies: we may use tools such as Google Analytics to understand aggregate traffic patterns — no personally identifiable information is shared
• We do not use advertising cookies or track your activity across third-party websites
• You can disable cookies in your browser settings — this will not affect your ability to contact us or receive a consultation

We process personal data under Saudi Arabia's Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL), relying on an appropriate legal basis for each processing activity:

• Contract performance: to provide the legal consultation services you have requested
• Legitimate interests: to maintain professional records and improve our service
• Legal obligation: to comply with applicable Saudi regulatory and professional requirements
• Consent: where we ask for your explicit permission for any additional processing

We do not share your personal information with third parties except in the following limited circumstances:

• With your explicit consent: only where you have specifically authorised us to share your information
• Legal obligation: where disclosure is required by a court order or applicable law
• Service providers: third-party tools necessary to operate our website (e.g. hosting, analytics) — these providers are contractually prohibited from using your data for any other purpose
• We do not transfer your personal data outside Saudi Arabia without appropriate safeguards

We retain your personal information and consultation records for as long as necessary to:

• Fulfil the purpose for which it was collected (delivering your consultation)
• Meet our legal and professional record-keeping obligations under Saudi law
• Defend any legal claims that may arise from the consultation
• After the applicable retention period, your data is securely deleted or anonymised

Subject to applicable exceptions, Saudi Arabia's Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL) may provide the following rights in relation to your personal data:

• Right of access: to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Right of correction: to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
• Right of deletion: to request deletion of your personal data where we no longer have a legal basis to retain it
• Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time
• Right to object: to object to our processing of your data in certain circumstances
• To exercise a data right, contact info@counselo-legal.com; we will respond within the period required by the applicable regime

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, loss, or disclosure:

• Access to consultation files is restricted to authorised CounselO legal team members only
• Electronic communications are handled through encrypted channels where available
• Our website uses HTTPS encryption for all data transmitted between your browser and our server
• We conduct regular reviews of our data security practices and update them as necessary

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable law. When we do:

• The updated policy will be published on this page with a revised 'Last updated' date
• For material changes, we will notify active clients via email
• Your continued use of CounselO's services after any update constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy