Privacy policy

GetLawyer operates an online marketplace that connects clients with independent lawyers. We are the data fiduciary for personal data processed through our platform, subject to applicable Indian law, including the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (“DPDP Act”) and rules made thereunder, as they come into force and apply to our processing.

This policy applies to visitors, registered clients, lawyers who create listings, and anyone who contacts us. It does not govern how an independent lawyer processes your data after you engage them directly—they are responsible for their own professional and legal obligations.

Depending on how you use the platform, we may collect:

• Account data: name, email address, password (stored in hashed form via our auth provider), role (client or lawyer), and profile preferences.
• Lawyer profile data: headline, bio, practice areas, city and state, languages, years of experience, consultation fees, bar details you choose to provide, firm name, document uploads for verification, and subscription status.
• Client activity: appointment requests, messages sent through the platform, reviews you submit, and search or filter preferences.
• Payment-related data: subscription and billing metadata processed by our payment partner (e.g. Stripe). We do not store full card numbers on our servers.
• Technical data: IP address, browser type, device information, cookies, and logs used for security, rate limiting, and service improvement.
• Communications: information you send via our contact form or support channels.
• AI search queries: if you use semantic search, the text of your query may be sent to our embedding provider to rank lawyer profiles. We do not use your query to train public models on your behalf without disclosure.

We use personal data to:

• create and manage your account and authenticate you;
• display lawyer listings, enable search (including AI-assisted search), messaging, and appointments;
• verify lawyer identities and documents before profiles are approved or made public;
• process lawyer subscriptions and send related transactional notices;
• respond to support requests and enforce our Terms of use;
• detect fraud, abuse, and security incidents;
• comply with law and respond to lawful requests from authorities;
• improve the platform through aggregated or de-identified analytics where possible.

We process data on grounds including your consent (where required), performance of a contract with you, legitimate interests in operating a secure marketplace, and legal obligations.

We may share personal data with:

• Lawyers and clients you choose to interact with (e.g. your name and message content when you book or chat).
• Service providers who help us run the platform under contract, such as hosting and database (Supabase), authentication, email delivery (e.g. Resend), payments (Stripe), and AI embedding services when you use semantic search.
• Professional advisers (lawyers, auditors, insurers) where necessary.
• Authorities when required by law or to protect rights, safety, and integrity of the platform.

We do not sell your personal data to third parties for their independent marketing.

Data may be stored on servers operated by our providers, which can be located in India or other countries. Where data is transferred outside India, we take steps reasonably required by applicable law, such as contractual safeguards with processors.

We retain personal data for as long as your account is active and as needed to provide the service, resolve disputes, enforce agreements, and meet legal retention requirements. Lawyer verification documents may be kept for a period after account closure where required for compliance or dispute resolution. You may request deletion subject to exceptions below.

We use industry-standard measures including encryption in transit, access controls, row-level security on our database where configured, and rate limiting on sensitive endpoints. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure; you are responsible for keeping your login credentials confidential.

Subject to applicable law, you may have the right to:

• access and obtain a copy of personal data we hold about you;
• correct inaccurate or incomplete data via your account settings or by contacting us;
• withdraw consent where processing is consent-based;
• request erasure or restriction of processing in certain circumstances;
• nominate another person to exercise rights on your behalf in defined situations under the DPDP Act;
• lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Board of India or other competent authority when available.

To exercise rights, contact us at Contact us. We may need to verify your identity before responding.

We use essential cookies and local storage for authentication, session management, and security. We may use analytics or preference cookies in the future; if we do, we will update this policy and, where required, seek consent. You can control cookies through your browser settings, but some features may not work if essential cookies are disabled.

The platform is not directed at individuals under 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us data, contact us and we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

We may update this policy from time to time. The “Last updated” date at the top will change when we do. Material changes may be notified via the website or email where appropriate. Continued use after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated policy, to the extent permitted by law.

For privacy questions, requests, or complaints, reach us at Contact us or through our contact page.