A Guide On Finding Data Breach Lawyers Near Me
It can be a challenge to find data breach lawyers ‘near me.’ While your primary concern should always be a solicitor’s ability to handle your case with diligence and professionalism, you may wish to work with a local solicitor for ease of communication in face-to-face meetings.
That’s why we have created this guide to finding the right data breach solicitor for your case. We’ve provided information on the eligibility criteria to begin a data breach claim, alongside some possible data breach scenarios to aid your understanding.
You may also be wondering what your potential claim could be worth if it succeeds. You will find information on how data breach compensation figures are reached for the two types of damage, as well as a guideline compensation table to illustrate this.
At the end of our guide is a brief section on the No Win No Fee agreement the highly experienced data breach solicitors from our panel can offer their services under.
If any questions arise during your reading of our guide or you would like free advice, contact our advisors today. The team can also provide a free assessment of your eligibility to claim. You can speak to an advisor at any time using the contact details provided here:
- Call us on 020 3870 4868.
- Complete our ‘claim online‘ form to receive a callback.
- Click the live chat button at the bottom of this page.
Browse Our Guide
- Finding Data Breach Lawyers Near Me
- Can You Claim With A Data Breach Lawyer?
- What Are Examples Of Data Breach Claims?
- Examples Of Data Breach Compensation Amounts
- How To Get Help From A No Win No Fee Data Breach Lawyer
- Learn More About How Data Breach Lawyers Can Help You
Finding Data Breach Lawyers Near Me
Finding data breach lawyers ‘near me’ is a concern for a lot of claimants. Working with a local solicitor makes it much easier for face-to-face meetings, and if you have problems or concerns, you can easily attend the office. A local may also have a strong reputation, having been recommended to you by neighbours, colleagues or friends.
However, you do not need to use a local solicitor for your claim. Cases can be handled remotely, with key documents being sent via email and your solicitor setting up phone or video calls.
The most important thing when choosing a solicitor is to make sure they will handle your case with a high standard of professionalism and expertise. Do they have experience with data breach claims? Are they reviewed well by clients? Can you trust them to represent your case well and get you the compensation you are seeking?
To find out more about how one of the dedicated data breach solicitors from our panel could help you with your claim, or to ask any questions you may have regarding the claims process, talk to our advisors today.
Can You Claim With A Data Breach Lawyer?
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s independent body for protecting information rights, defines a personal data breach as a security incident that results in the unauthorised disclosure of, access to, unlawful destruction, alteration or loss of personal data. This definition includes both human error and deliberate action data breaches, such as cyber-attacks.
Personal data is any information which can be used to identify you. This includes your name, phone number, national insurance number and home address.
There are two different parties that may handle your personal data. A data controller is the organisation that decides how and why your personal data is to be processed. A data processor is an external organisation or agency that is contracted to process data on the controller’s behalf. Not every controller will make use of external processing services.
Both data controllers and processors are required to upload the standards set out by the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), as together these form data protection law.
To be able to make a personal data breach compensation claim, you will need to be able to prove:
- The data breach was caused by a data controller or processor failing to adhere to data protection law.
- Your personal data was involved in this data breach.
- You suffered financial losses or psychological injuries due to this personal data breach.
Contact our advisors today for a free assessment of your eligibility to start a personal data breach claim using the contact information at the top of this page.
What Are Examples Of Data Breach Claims?
As aforementioned, your personal data could be breached due to human error or a cyber security incident. Some examples of data breaches you may be able to claim compensation for include:
- Inadequate physical security measures in your employer’s administrative department meant HR documents were not locked away. This caused the documents to become lost, resulting in an unauthorised person gaining access to the HR records of a number of employees, including yourself.
- Your bank failed to update its cybersecurity software. Consequently, a cyber attack on the bank resulted in your credit card details being stolen. Multiple fraudulent purchases were later made in your name.
- Following a child custody dispute, the court sent a letter containing details of your new address to your old address where your abusive ex-partner still lived. This resulted in your ex-partner turning up at your new address, causing considerable distress and necessitating another relocation.
You can find out if you are eligible to claim data breach compensation for your particular circumstances by talking to one of our friendly and dedicated advisors. Our team are available 24 hours a day via the information provided below. They can also help answer any questions you may have, such as ‘Can I only work with data breach lawyers near me?’.
Examples Of Data Breach Compensation Amounts
One of the many tasks data breach lawyers could provide support with is the calculation of a potential compensation figure for your claim. Data breach compensation can be awarded for both material and non-material damage. Non-material is the psychological harm you have expereinced due to your personal data being breached.
Those responsible for valuing non-material damage in your claim can make reference to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG), alongside any medical evidence you have provided, such as a psychologist report.
The JCG publication contains compensation guidelines for various different injuries. We have used the guideline amounts for psychological harm in our table here. The top entry is not a JCG figure, however.
Compensation Table
Please be advised that this table has been included to act as guidance only
| Type of Injury | Severity | Guideline Compensation Figure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very Serious Psychological Harm with Substantial Material Damage | Very Serious | Up to £500,000+ | The data subject will have experienced very serious psychological harm as well as significant material damage such as lost income and relocation costs. |
| General Psychiatric Damage | Severe (a) | £66,920 to £141,240 | Marked problems relating to work, life and personal relationships with a very poor prognosis. |
| Moderately Severe (b) | £23,270 to £66,920 | A much more optimistic prognosis, but there are significant problems relating to work, personal relationships and life. | |
| Moderate (c) | £7,150 to £23,270 | The injured person will have experienced substantial improvement and the prognosis of their condition will be positive. | |
| Less Severe (d) | £1,880 to £7,150 | Awards in this bracket will consider the length of disability period and the impact on sleep and daily activity. | |
| Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder | Severe (a) | £73,050 to £122,850 | Permanent and severe effects across all aspects of life that prevent function at anything approaching the pre-trauma level. |
| Moderately Severe (b) | £28,250 to £73,050 | A better prognosis than the above bracket but the injured person will nonetheless be experiencing considerable disability for an extended period. | |
| Moderate (c) | £9,980 to £28,250 | The injured person will have mostly recovered and not be experiencing and any continuing effects will not be causing gross disablement. | |
| Less Severe (d) | £4,820 to £9,980 | Recovery within one to two years. Any persisting symptoms will be minor. |
Material Damage
Material damage refers to the financial impact of a personal data breach. The cost of having personal data exposed can be varied and quite severe in some cases. We have provided some possible examples here:
- You could claim for a loss of earnings due to time taken off work to recover from psychological injury.
- If your address has been exposed you may need to relocate or acquire home security measures. You could claim for the costs associated with this.
- Unauthorised persons gaining access to your bank or pension login credentials could steal money or make unauthorised purchases in your name.
There are other examples of material damage that you could receive data breach compensation for. However, regardless of the financial harm you are claiming for, you will need to provide evidence of it. This could include payslips and bank statements.
To get a more personalised estimate of the value of your data breach claim, speak to our advisors today.
How To Get Help From A No Win No Fee Data Breach Lawyer
Instead of finding a data breach lawyer ‘near me,’ you could instead work with one of the highly experienced data breach solicitors form our expert panel. Call our advisors today for a free assessment of your eligibility to claim.
If eligible, a solicitor from our panel could offer their services under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), which is a No Win No Fee contract that gives claimants some highly desirable benefits. In most cases, claiming under a CFA means that there are no upfront or ongoing fees for the solicitor’s work on your claim. You will also not pay a service fee should the claim fail.
You will receive data breach compensation for the damage you have suffered should the claim succeed. A percentage of this compensation will be taken as the solicitor’s success fee. Because success fees are legally capped at 25%, this means that you will still keep the majority of the compensation awarded to you.
To get further guidance regarding data protection claims, free advice or an assessment of your eligibility to begin a claim at no cost to you, talk to our advisors today using the following:
- Call us on 020 3870 4868
- Complete our ‘claim online‘ form to receive a callback.
- Click the live chat button at the bottom of this page.
Learn More About How Data Breach Lawyers Can Help You
You can learn about how data breach lawyers can help you make a claim by reading these guides:
- Find out how could be eligible to make a landlord data breach claim here.
- Learn more about making a universal credit data breach claim with this guide.
- Read our guide on the eligibility criteria to make a foster care data breach claim.
We have also provided these external resources that you may find useful:
- A personal data breach can cause a considerable amount of stress. You can get support and guidance on dealing with stress through the NHS website.
- The Information Commissioner’s Office has published this resource on taking your case to court and claiming compensation.
- Get guidance on securing your devices from the National Cyber Security Centre.
We’d like to thank you for reading this guide to finding data breach lawyers near me. You can our advisors with any questions you may have. The team can also assess your eligibility to begin a personal data breach claim for free. Get in touch today using any of the contact details provided above.
