Privacy Policy

The Firm. “We”, “us”, “our” and the “Firm” mean Lawple Advisors, a registered partnership firm of advocates having its office at One BKC Centre, Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai. We determine the purposes for which, and the manner in which, the personal data described in this Policy is processed.

Personal Data. “Personal Data” means any information that relates to an identified or identifiable individual.

Applicable law. This Policy is published in accordance with the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules, 2011. It is also intended to meet the requirements of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and the Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025 (together, the “DPDP Law”), as and when their provisions come into force.

Clients. Where you are our client, this Policy applies together with our Terms of Service and your engagement letter with us. Information you share with us as a client is additionally protected by our professional duty of confidentiality.

Visitors and enquiries. When you contact us through the Website, by email or by telephone, we collect your name, contact details, organisation and the content of your message.

Clients. When you engage us, we collect identity and contact details, details of ownership and control, billing information and the information required for your matter.

Persons connected with a matter. In the course of our work, we receive Personal Data relating to persons other than our clients, such as directors, employees, investors, counterparties and their advisers.

First Close. Where you apply for or attend a First Close session, we collect your name, contact details, professional background and the information in your application. Applications are submitted through a third-party platform, which has its own privacy terms.

Professional contacts. We hold the business contact details of persons with whom we deal professionally, including details obtained from publicly available sources such as regulatory registers.

Applicants. Where you apply to work with us, we collect the information contained in your application and curriculum vitae.

Technical data. When you visit the Website, we may collect technical information such as your IP address, browser type, device type and the pages you view.

Sensitive personal data. We do not seek sensitive personal data through the Website. In the course of an engagement, we may receive such data, including financial information and official identity documents, where required for onboarding, a regulatory filing or your matter.

Sources. We collect Personal Data:

1. (i)directly from you;
2. (ii)from our clients and their advisers, in the course of a matter;
3. (iii)from publicly available sources, including regulatory and corporate registers; and
4. (iv)automatically, through your use of the Website.

Data relating to other persons. Where you provide Personal Data relating to another person, you confirm that you are entitled to share it with us and that, where required, the person has been informed of this Policy.

Purposes. We use Personal Data only for the following purposes:

1. (i)responding to enquiries and communications;
2. (ii)carrying out conflict checks and client onboarding;
3. (iii)providing legal services, including preparing regulatory applications and filings;
4. (iv)invoicing, collecting fees and maintaining our accounts;
5. (v)administering First Close, including reviewing applications and organising sessions;
6. (vi)sharing our Insights and other professional updates with persons who have requested them or with whom we have a professional relationship;
7. (vii)operating, securing and improving the Website; and
8. (viii)complying with our legal, regulatory and professional obligations.

No other use. We do not use Personal Data for any purpose incompatible with those set out above. We do not sell Personal Data, and we do not use it for advertising.

Opting out of updates. You may ask us at any time to stop sending you our Insights or other updates.

Basis. We process Personal Data on one or more of the following bases:

1. (i)your consent;
2. (ii)your having voluntarily provided the data to us for a specified purpose;
3. (iii)the performance of our engagement with you or with our client; and
4. (iv)compliance with law, or with an order of a court or other authority.

Withdrawal of consent. Where processing is based on your consent, you may withdraw it at any time by writing to the Grievance Officer. Withdrawal does not affect processing carried out before it, and may mean that we are unable to continue providing the relevant service.

Use of cookies. The Website may use cookies and similar technologies that are necessary for its operation or that help us understand how it is used. We do not use cookies for advertising.

Your choice. You may disable cookies through your browser settings. Parts of the Website may not function properly if you do so.

Recipients. We disclose Personal Data only:

1. (i)to our partners, personnel and consultants who require it for their work;
2. (ii)to service providers who host or process data on our behalf, under obligations of confidentiality;
3. (iii)to counsel, advisers and other persons engaged on a matter, in accordance with our client’s instructions;
4. (iv)to regulators and authorities, where a filing or application so requires; and
5. (v)where required by law, a court, a regulator or a Bar Council.

Service providers. We require our service providers to protect Personal Data to a standard no lower than that set out in this Policy and to use it only on our instructions.

Cloud services. We use cloud-based email, document storage and practice management tools. Some of these are hosted outside India, and Personal Data may accordingly be transferred to and stored in other countries.

Safeguards. We transfer Personal Data outside India only to recipients that maintain a level of data protection comparable to that required under Indian law, and never to a country to which such transfer is restricted by the Government of India.

AI tools. We may use artificial intelligence tools to assist in our work. We select tools and configurations that do not use the data we process to train public models, and enable zero-retention settings where available.

Measures. We maintain reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect Personal Data against unauthorised access, loss, alteration and disclosure. These include access controls, encryption where appropriate and confidentiality obligations on our personnel.

Breach. No method of electronic transmission or storage is entirely secure. Should a breach affecting your Personal Data occur, we shall notify you and the relevant authority as the law requires.

Principle. We retain Personal Data only for as long as is necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, or as required by law.

Periods. In particular:

1. (i)client files are retained for eight (8) years after a matter closes, in accordance with our Terms of Service;
2. (ii)enquiries that do not result in an engagement are retained for two (2) years;
3. (iii)First Close applications are retained for two (2) years, or for as long as the applicant remains a participant; and
4. (iv)applications to work with us are retained for one (1) year.

Deletion. At the end of the applicable period, Personal Data is securely deleted or anonymised.

Rights. Subject to applicable law, you may:

1. (i)ask whether we hold Personal Data relating to you, and obtain a summary of it;
2. (ii)ask us to correct or update Personal Data that is inaccurate or incomplete;
3. (iii)ask us to erase Personal Data that is no longer required;
4. (iv)withdraw your consent, as set out in Section 5.2; and
5. (v)once the relevant provisions of the DPDP Law are in force, nominate another individual to exercise your rights in the event of your death or incapacity.

Exercising your rights. Requests may be addressed to the Grievance Officer. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.

Limits. We may be unable to act on a request where the data is subject to legal privilege or to our duty of confidentiality to a client, or where we are required by law to retain it.

Persons under eighteen. The Website and our services are not directed at persons under the age of eighteen (18) years. We do not knowingly collect Personal Data from such persons without the consent of a parent or lawful guardian.

Links. The Website may contain links to third-party websites and platforms, including the platform through which First Close applications are submitted. We are not responsible for their privacy practices.

Contact. Any question, request or grievance regarding this Policy or our handling of Personal Data may be addressed to our Grievance Officer.

Grievance Officer. Shubham Soni, Founder and Partner, Lawple Advisors, One BKC Centre, Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai. Email: shubham@lawple.com.

Response. We shall acknowledge a grievance promptly and resolve it within one (1) month of receipt.

Further recourse. Once the relevant provisions of the DPDP Law are in force, a person who is not satisfied with our response may approach the Data Protection Board of India.

Amendments. We may amend this Policy from time to time and shall publish the current version on the Website, with the date of the last update. Where a change is material, we shall take reasonable steps to bring it to your attention.

Governing law and jurisdiction. This Policy is governed by the laws of India, and the courts at Mumbai shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute relating to it.