Cookie Policy

Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. They help websites remember your preferences, understand how the site is used, provide functionality and measure performance. Cookies may be “session” or “persistent”, and “first-party” or “third-party”. Similar technologies (web beacons/pixels, local storage and device fingerprinting) are treated the same as cookies under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR). When we say “cookies”, we mean all of these.

No. You do NOT need to accept cookies to use most of our Website. Strictly necessary cookies are always set because they make the Website work, but they do NOT track you or invade your privacy.

All other cookies require your consent. If you reject them, the Website will still work; we simply cannot measure how the Website performs. You are always in control and can change your preferences at any time through our cookie preference centre.

When you first visit our Website you will see a cookie banner with clear, equally prominent choices: Accept All, Reject All, and Manage Preferences. No non-essential cookies are set until you make a choice; accepting and rejecting are equally easy; continuing to browse does NOT count as consent; we do NOT use “cookie walls”; and you can withdraw consent at any time.

Strictly necessary (essential): session management, security, load balancing, and storing your cookie choices. Exempt from consent under PECR.

Analytics / performance: help us understand how visitors use the Website so we can improve it. We anonymise IP addresses, do NOT track you across other sites, and report in aggregate. Consent required.

Functional: remember your preferences (such as language or text size) to provide enhanced features.

Marketing: we do NOT currently use marketing or advertising cookies. If we introduce them, we will update this policy and request your explicit consent first.

Some cookies are set by third parties that provide services on our Website. Where we use Google Analytics (provider: Google LLC, USA), it sets cookies such as _ga (2 years), _ga_* (2 years) and _gid (24 hours). IP addresses are anonymised, advertising features and remarketing are disabled, and data is retained for 26 months. Data transferred to the USA is protected by Standard Contractual Clauses. You can reject analytics cookies through our banner, or use the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.

You can control cookies through our cookie preference centre (accessible from the footer of every page), through your browser settings, and through privacy browser add-ons. To withdraw consent, return to the preference centre and switch off the categories you no longer want. Blocking all cookies may affect how the Website functions.

If you do NOT want to accept any cookies, you may be able to change your browser settings so that cookies, including those that are essential, are NOT accepted. If you do this, you may lose some of the functionality of our Website.

The Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 introduced limited exemptions from cookie consent, for example for certain first-party statistical (analytics) cookies where we give clear notice and an easy opt-out, and for website-appearance cookies. It also increased maximum penalties for cookie breaches under PECR to UK GDPR levels. Where we rely on an exemption, we will still tell you and give you an easy opt-out.

Because cookies can involve personal data, their use is governed by both PECR and the UK GDPR. You have all your usual data protection rights in relation to cookie data, including access, deletion and restriction. See our Privacy Policy for how we handle personal data.

We may update this Cookie Policy when we add or remove cookies, when third-party services change, when the law changes, or when we improve our cookie management. We will post the updated policy here with a new “Last updated” date.

If you have any questions or concerns about our use of cookies, contact us at contact@e-counsel.io. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at www.ico.org.uk, by phone on 0303 123 1113, or by post to Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.