Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

This Privacy Policy applies to Sombat, an inheritance legal services practice operating from 160 Charoen Nakhon Road, Khlong San, Bangkok 10600, Thailand. We act as the data controller for personal information collected through our website and in the course of our professional services.

If you have questions about how your data is handled, you may contact us at [email protected] or by telephone at +66 86 705 3928.

2. Data We Collect

Information you provide directly

• Name — so we can address you appropriately and identify your enquiry.
• Email address — to respond to your message or send documents securely.
• Telephone number (if provided) — to follow up at a time that suits you.
• Message content — the details of your enquiry or the information you share in a form or email.

Information collected automatically

When you visit our website, standard server logs may record your approximate location (country/city level), browser type, device type, pages viewed, and session duration. This data is not linked to your identity. We may also use analytics cookies — see Section 5 for details.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use personal data for the following purposes:

• To respond to your enquiry or contact request.
• To provide legal services you have engaged us for, including preparing documentation, representing you in formal proceedings, and communicating about your matter.
• To fulfil obligations required under Thai law and relevant professional regulations.
• To understand how our website is used so that we can improve it (analytics only, aggregated data).

We do not use personal data for unsolicited marketing and will not contact you with promotional messages unless you have explicitly requested them.

Legal basis for processing (PDPA, Thailand)

Under Thailand's Personal Data Protection Act B.E. 2562 (PDPA), the primary basis for processing data submitted through our website is your consent (given when you submit a contact form). For ongoing legal service engagements, processing is necessary for the performance of a contract or to comply with a legal obligation.

4. Data Sharing

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data. We may share it in limited circumstances:

• Regulatory and court requirements — where Thai law obliges us to disclose information to courts, official registrars, or government agencies in the course of an estate matter.
• Professional colleagues — where your matter requires the involvement of a notary, interpreter, or specialist adviser, and only to the extent necessary.
• Service providers — trusted third parties who assist with website hosting and analytics, bound by data protection obligations. They do not use your data for their own purposes.

Any third party with whom we share data is required to treat it with confidentiality consistent with professional and legal standards.

5. Cookies

Our website uses cookies — small text files stored in your browser. The types we may use are:

• Essential cookies — necessary for the website to function (e.g., storing your cookie preference). These cannot be disabled.
• Analytics cookies — help us understand how visitors use the site so we can improve it. These are optional.
• Preference cookies — remember settings you have chosen. Optional.

You can manage your cookie preferences at any time via our Cookie Policy page. Withdrawing consent for optional cookies will not affect your ability to use the site.

6. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected:

• Enquiry data (contact form submissions with no resulting engagement): up to 12 months.
• Client matter files: retained for 10 years following the close of a matter, in accordance with professional obligations under Thai legal regulations.
• Website analytics data: aggregated and anonymised; individual session data retained for up to 14 months.

After retention periods expire, data is securely deleted or anonymised.

7. Data Security

We take reasonable and appropriate steps to protect personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. Measures include:

• HTTPS encryption for all website data in transit.
• Access to client data restricted to professional staff with a legitimate need.
• Physical and digital security at our office premises.
• Regular review of our data handling practices.

In the unlikely event of a data breach that may affect your rights, we will notify you and the relevant authority in accordance with applicable law.

8. Your Rights

Under the PDPA and applicable data protection principles, you have the following rights:

• Right to access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification — ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to erasure — request deletion of data we no longer have a lawful basis to hold.
• Right to restrict processing — ask us to pause processing in certain circumstances.
• Right to data portability — receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format where technically feasible.
• Right to object — object to processing based on legitimate interest.
• Right to withdraw consent — where processing is based on your consent, you may withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing prior to withdrawal.

To exercise any of these rights, please write to us at [email protected]. We will respond within 30 days. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

9. International Data Transfers

We are a Bangkok-based practice and process most data within Thailand. Where third-party service providers (such as analytics or cloud hosting) involve data transfer outside Thailand, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place consistent with PDPA requirements.

10. Third-Party Links

Our website may occasionally link to external resources. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those third-party sites. We encourage you to read their policies before sharing personal information with them.

11. Children

Our services are intended for adults (18 years and over) in connection with estate and inheritance matters. We do not knowingly collect personal data from minors. If you believe a minor has submitted data through our website, please contact us promptly.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal obligations. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date at the top. Continued use of our website following a change constitutes acceptance of the revised policy. For significant changes, we will take reasonable steps to notify you.

13. Contact

For any questions or concerns about this policy or how your data is handled, please contact:

• Email: [email protected]
• Telephone: +66 86 705 3928
• Post: Sombat, 160 Charoen Nakhon Road, Khlong San, Bangkok 10600, Thailand

If you believe your rights have not been respected, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with Thailand's Personal Data Protection Committee (PDPC) or the relevant supervisory authority.