Privacy Policy

Who we are

Expat Law Group [LEGAL ENTITY NAME · TBC] is a boutique Cuenca law firm registered in Ecuador (RUC [TBC]). We are the "controller" of personal information collected through this website and through our client engagements.

You can reach us at info@expatlawgroup.com or on WhatsApp at +593 97 922 2991. The same address handles all questions about this policy or your personal data.

What we collect

We collect personal information in three ways:

From the intake form on this website: your name, email address, phone number, country, the matter you would like help with, and whatever context you write in the free-text field. The form is voluntary and you decide what to share.

From email and WhatsApp conversations: the content of messages you send to our shared email (info@expatlawgroup.com) or WhatsApp number, including any attachments.

During a client engagement: identification documents, passport scans, financial records, family records, property records, and any other documents needed for the specific legal matter we have agreed to handle. We only ask for what the matter requires.

The website does not use third-party advertising trackers. It uses minimal first-party storage for language preference and basic analytics (see our Cookies page).

How we use it

We use your personal information to:

• Respond to your enquiry and decide whether your matter is one we can help with.
• Carry out the legal work we have agreed to do for you, including filings with Ecuadorian government bodies and communications with counterparties.
• Send you fee quotes, engagement letters, invoices, and progress updates.
• Maintain a record of our work for compliance, accounting, and professional-responsibility purposes.
• Improve the website, the intake form, and our internal processes.

The legal bases under the Ecuadorian LOPDP are your consent (for the intake form), the performance of our engagement contract (for client work), and compliance with our legal and professional obligations as licensed attorneys.

Who we share it with

We do not sell or rent your personal information. We share it only with:

• Ecuadorian government bodies required to process your matter (immigration office, civil registry, notaries, courts, tax authority).
• Counterparties and their counsel where the matter requires it (for example, the other party in a divorce or a property sale).
• Our service providers, who process information on our behalf under confidentiality obligations: our hosting provider (Google Cloud, region us-central1), our email service provider (AWS Simple Email Service, region us-east-1), our messaging service provider (Evolution API for WhatsApp), and similar back-office tools.
• Foreign counsel when a matter has international dimensions and you have consented to the referral.
• Where required by law, including court orders and tax-authority requests.

Some of our service providers process data outside Ecuador. We take reasonable steps to ensure equivalent protections are in place.

How long we keep it

Intake-form submissions that do not become engagements: kept for 12 months from the date of submission, then deleted.

Client files: kept for the duration of the engagement and for at least 7 years after the matter closes, in line with Ecuadorian professional-responsibility and tax-record requirements. We may keep documents longer where the law requires it (for example, lifetime documents like wills or certain corporate records).

Email and WhatsApp conversations associated with a client matter are retained on the same schedule as the file they relate to.

How we protect it

Personal information is stored on a private database hosted by Google Cloud. Access is restricted to the three members of our team. We use industry-standard transport encryption (HTTPS), authentication, and regular backups. Documents you upload through our client portal are stored in encrypted object storage with access logging.

No system is perfectly secure, and we will tell you promptly if we ever become aware of a breach affecting your information.

Your rights

Under the Ecuadorian LOPDP, you have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you.
• Correct information that is inaccurate or out of date.
• Delete information that is no longer needed for the purpose it was collected (subject to legal retention obligations on client files).
• Object to processing in specific circumstances.
• Withdraw consent at any time for processing based on consent (such as marketing or non-engagement contacts).
• Lodge a complaint with the Ecuadorian Superintendency of Personal Data Protection if you believe your rights have been breached.

To exercise any of these rights, email info@expatlawgroup.com. We will respond within 15 business days.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision. Material changes will be flagged on this page for at least 30 days before they take effect.

Contact us

For any question about this policy or your personal data, write to info@expatlawgroup.com or message us on WhatsApp at +593 97 922 2991.