Privacy policy

This policy explains what information Counselado collects when you use counselado.com, why, who helps handle it, how long it is kept and the choices you have.

Who runs the site and how to reach us

Counselado is an independent legal information site, in English and Spanish, with a directory of law firms across the United States. The site is operated by Web Leveling, based in Harris County, Texas. When this policy says "Counselado", "we", "us" or "our", it means the operator of counselado.com. "You" means anyone who visits the site or writes to us.

The fastest way to reach us about privacy is the contact form; start your message with "Privacy request". You can also write to the email address below.

hello@counselado.com

The short version

• You can read every guide and browse the directory without giving us your name or email address.
• We collect what you choose to send through a form and what our web host records to deliver and protect the site.
• Google Analytics, Microsoft Clarity and the Google Maps embed load only after you choose Accept or switch them on in Cookie settings, and never when your browser sends a Global Privacy Control signal.
• Counselado does not sell personal information for money.
• You can ask to see, correct or delete your information through the contact form.

Information you give us

The contact form. The contact page has a form processed by Netlify Forms, the form service of our web host, Netlify. It collects your name, your email address, the topic you pick and your message. The form also has a hidden spam trap field that people never see or fill in. We keep what you wrote, the details you gave and our reply, so we can answer you and follow up.

Law firm correspondence. When a law firm writes to us to claim, correct or remove a listing, or to buy a plan, we keep the messages and the business details it gives us. Payments are made through Square payment links. Square handles card data, and Counselado never sees it.

Reviews. When reviews are available, the review form collects what it asks for on the form, and this policy is updated before it opens.

What not to send. The contact form is not a way to reach a lawyer, and nobody at Counselado reads it as a legal matter. Please do not send confidential or time-sensitive information, details of your case, court papers, Social Security or other government ID numbers, or bank account numbers. The form never asks for them. If your matter is urgent or has a deadline, contact a lawyer directly.

Information collected automatically

Server logs kept by our host. Like every website, counselado.com is delivered by servers that record basic technical details of each request, such as your IP address, the page requested, the date and time, your browser and device type and the page that sent you. Netlify keeps these logs to deliver the site, keep it secure and prevent abuse. We do not use them to build a profile of you.

Settings stored in your browser. The site stores your cookie choice (wl-cookie-consent) and your light, dark or system theme (counselado-theme) in your browser's local storage. These stay on your device and are not sent to us.

With your consent only. If you choose Accept, or switch Analytics on in Cookie settings, the site loads:

• Google Analytics 4, which shows which pages are read, how visitors arrive, roughly where they are (city or region, worked out from the IP address), what device and browser they use and how long they stay.
• Microsoft Clarity, which records how visitors use a page, such as clicks, scrolling and mouse movement, to produce heatmaps and session replays. Clarity masks text typed into form fields.
• Google Maps, on law firm pages. The map is a Google embed: Google sets its own cookies and receives your IP address when the map loads.

If you decline, ignore the panel, or your browser sends a Global Privacy Control signal, none of these loads and none of their cookies is set. The cookie policy lists each cookie and how long it lasts.

Information about law firms in the directory

The directory lists law firms with information such as name, address, phone number, website and hours, taken from public business data. Most of this is information about a business. Some practices are run by one lawyer under their own name, from a home address or with a personal phone number. If that is you, ask us through the contact form to correct your listing, hide your street address or remove the listing.

How we use information

• Answer your message and follow up: your contact form details.
• Keep the directory accurate: public business information and what law firms send us.
• Run paid plans for law firms: firm contact details and correspondence.
• Understand how the site is used and improve it: Google Analytics and Microsoft Clarity data, only with your consent.
• Deliver the site, keep it secure and stop spam: server logs and the spam trap field.
• Meet legal duties and protect our rights: any of the above, as needed.

We make no decisions about you by automated processing alone, and we do not use your information to train artificial intelligence models.

Who handles information for us

We share personal information with the service providers that help run the site, each under its own terms and privacy commitments:

• Netlify (United States): hosts the site, keeps server logs, and receives and stores form submissions.
• Google (United States): Google Analytics 4 and the Google Maps embed, only with your consent.
• Microsoft (United States): Microsoft Clarity, only with your consent.
• Square (United States): handles card payments for law firm plans, through its own payment links.

We may also disclose information when the law requires it, such as for a valid subpoena or court order; to protect the rights, property or safety of the site, its visitors or others; or as part of a sale or transfer of the site, in which case the new owner must honor this policy for the information it receives.

Counselado does not sell personal information for money. Analytics and maps load only with your consent and never under a Global Privacy Control signal; the providers above handle the data they receive under their own terms.

How long we keep information

• Contact form messages: deleted 24 months after our last reply.
• Law firm correspondence: kept while the firm's listing exists.
• Analytics data: kept by Google and Microsoft for the retention periods set in each tool; the cookie policy lists cookie lifetimes.
• Server logs: kept by Netlify for its own limited period.
• Directory listings: kept while the directory runs and the firm is open, unless the firm asks for removal.

Your choices

• Cookies and analytics: choose "Cookie settings" or "Your privacy choices" in the footer of any page to change your answer. Turning analytics off stops the tools from loading on your next page view. The cookie settings page explains the choices.
• Global Privacy Control: if your browser sends this signal, it counts as a decline of analytics and maps, automatically. It is a browser-level signal, so set it again on each browser you use.
• Your browser: you can block or delete cookies and local storage in your browser settings. The site still works without them.

Your rights under US state privacy laws

Several US states, including Texas and California, give residents privacy rights. Which ones apply depends on where you live and whether the law covers this site, but every US visitor who asks can use these:

• Know and access the personal information we hold about you, where it came from, why we use it and who receives it.
• Delete personal information we collected from or about you, subject to exceptions the law allows.
• Correct inaccurate personal information.
• Opt out of the sale of personal information, targeted advertising and profiling. Counselado does not sell personal information for money, and a Global Privacy Control signal is honored automatically.
• Non-discrimination: using any of these rights never changes the site you get.
• Appeal: if we decline a request, reply through the contact form with "Appeal" in your message. If you are still not satisfied, you can contact your state attorney general.

How to make a privacy request

1. Send a message through the contact form or to the email address above that starts with "Privacy request". Say what you would like us to do and which state you live in.
2. Use the email address you gave us before, if any, so we can find your information. We may ask a follow-up question to confirm who you are, and we use what you give us only to answer the request.
3. We answer within the time the law where you live allows, and tell you if we need longer.

Requests are free. You can also have an authorized agent act for you with your signed permission.

Visitors from outside the United States

Counselado is written for people in the United States and is operated from there. If you use the site from another country, your information is transferred to and processed in the United States, where privacy laws may differ from yours.

Children

The site is written for adults. It is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you think a child sent us information, tell us through the contact form and we will delete it.

Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control

A Global Privacy Control signal from your browser is honored automatically: analytics and maps do not load, and the signal counts as an opt-out under the US state laws that recognize it. Do Not Track is an older setting with no agreed standard, and we do not respond to it separately; because analytics and maps load only with your consent, a visitor who does nothing is not tracked by them.

Security

The whole site is served over encrypted HTTPS. The forms have spam protection, and access to form messages and analytics accounts is limited to the people who need it. No website is completely secure, so if a breach affects your personal information, we will notify you and the authorities as the law requires.

Links to other websites

The site links to state bars, court websites, law firms' own websites and other sources. Those sites have their own privacy policies, and this policy does not cover them.

Changes to this policy

We update this policy when the site changes and change the date on the page each time. If a change needs your consent, the cookie panel asks again first.

Contact

For any question about this policy or your information, write to us through the contact form or at the email address above. This policy is also available in Spanish. If the two versions differ, the English version controls.