Cookie Policy

Legal Buddha

This policy explains how Legal Buddha uses cookies and similar technologies on legalbuddha.com, what each one does, why we use it and how long it lasts. It should be read with our Privacy Policy.

1 What cookies and similar technologies are

A cookie is a small text file that a website asks your browser to save on your device. Websites use cookies to recognise your browser from one page or visit to the next. Browsers also offer other ways for a website to save small pieces of information, called "session storage" and "local storage". In this policy we call cookies and these other techniques "cookies and similar technologies".

2 Summary

Legal Buddha sets one cookie: a sign-in cookie that is strictly necessary to keep you signed in. We also save two small items in your browser's storage, one to stop you having to retype a question and one, used only by our experts, to remember a sound setting. Our payment provider, Stripe, sets its own cookies on its own payment page. Our website analytics do not use cookies at all.

We do not use advertising cookies, we do not track you across other websites, and we do not use cookies or similar technologies to build a profile of you.

3 The cookie we set

3.1 Sign-in cookie

What it is. A first-party cookie, meaning it belongs to legalbuddha.com and is sent only to our website. It is marked "Secure", so your browser sends it only over an encrypted (HTTPS) connection. Its name begins with "sb-" and ends with "-auth-token". If the information in it is large, your browser may store it in two or more numbered parts, such as "-auth-token.0" and "-auth-token.1". It is set for us by our authentication provider, Supabase, when you sign in, whether you use an emailed sign-in link or a password.

What it does. It records that you are signed in. It contains a sign-in token, a second token used to renew your sign-in without asking you to log in again, and basic details of your account, including your account identifier and email address. It does not contain your questions, answers, messages, documents or payment details. Each page you open uses it to check who you are before showing you anything private, and it allows new messages to appear in a conversation you have open.

Why it is necessary. Your questions, answers, documents and conversations are private. Without this cookie we could not tell that a request comes from you, so we could not let you view your own questions and answers, send follow up messages, buy or download anything, or keep other people out of your account. This is why it is a strictly necessary cookie.

How long it lasts. It stays in your browser after you close it, so you do not need to sign in again on every visit. It is set to last for 30 days and is renewed while you use the site, so it expires only if you do not visit for 30 days, after which you will need to sign in again. It is deleted when you log out. If you use a shared or public device, please log out when you have finished.

4 Similar technologies we use

These are not cookies. They are small items saved in your browser and they are never used to identify you to anyone else.

4.1 Your question draft

What it does. When you start a question on our homepage and continue to the next step, or while you write a question on the ask page, your draft and its category are saved in your browser's session storage. This means you do not have to type the question again when you move to the next step, or if something goes wrong when you submit it.

Why we use it. To provide the question form you have asked to use.

How long it lasts. Until you submit the question or close the browser tab, whichever comes first. The draft stays on your device. It is not sent to us until you submit the question, and it is never placed in a web address.

4.2 Inbox alert sound (experts only)

What it does. Experts can choose to hear a sound when a new question arrives in the inbox. If an expert switches the sound on, one setting, "on" or "off", is saved in the browser's local storage so that the choice is remembered on the next visit. It contains no personal information. Customers do not see this feature and it is not saved for them.

Why we use it. It is used only because the expert chose to switch the sound on.

How long it lasts. Until the expert switches the sound off or clears the site's data from their browser.

5 Website analytics

What we use. We use Vercel Web Analytics, provided by our hosting provider, Vercel, to see in general terms which pages of Legal Buddha are visited and how the site performs. We use these statistics to find problems and to improve the service.

Cookies and storage. Vercel Web Analytics does not use cookies. It does not save anything on your device, in cookies, session storage or local storage, and it does not need your consent to run.

What it records. Like any website, we receive the information that your browser sends when it asks for a page. The analytics record which page was visited, the address of the page that led there, and general details such as browser, operating system, device type and country. We do not send your name, your email address or the content of any question, answer or message to the analytics.

What it is not used for. The statistics are used to understand overall use of the site. They are not used for advertising, they are not used to follow you across other websites, and they are not used to build a profile of you.

6 Payments

When you pay, you are taken to a payment page hosted by Stripe. Stripe sets its own cookies on that page, on its own website and under its own control, to process the payment securely and to prevent fraud. We do not control those cookies and they are not set on legalbuddha.com. You can find out more in Stripe's own cookie and privacy policies. Card details are entered on Stripe's page and are not seen or stored by Legal Buddha.

7 What we do not use

We do not use advertising cookies. We do not use cookies or similar technologies to track you across other websites or to build a profile of you. We do not use social media buttons, embedded videos or advertising networks that would place their own cookies on our pages. The fonts on our pages are served from legalbuddha.com and are not loaded from an outside font service.

8 Why there is no cookie banner

The law does not require us to ask for your consent to use cookies and similar technologies that are strictly necessary to provide a service you have asked for, and our analytics do not use cookies or save anything on your device. For these reasons we do not show a cookie banner. If we later introduce any advertising, non-essential cookies or analytics that save information on your device, we will update this policy and ask for your consent first where the law requires it.

9 Controlling cookies and similar technologies

You can block or delete cookies, and clear session storage and local storage, in your browser settings. If you block or delete the sign-in cookie you will be signed out and will not be able to sign in again, and parts of Legal Buddha will not work. Logging out from your account also deletes the sign-in cookie. Blocking storage will not stop you using the site, but you may need to retype a question if something goes wrong during submission. Experts can also switch off the inbox alert sound on the inbox page.

10 Changes to this policy

We may update this policy to reflect changes in the service, providers or law. We will publish the revised policy on this page. If a change means we start using non-essential cookies or similar technologies, we will ask for your consent first where the law requires it.

11 Contact

You can contact us through the support function in your Legal Buddha account.