Although data breach claims are becoming an increasingly established and important area of legal expertise, trusted data breach lawyers can still be few and far between.
There are some inexperienced firms trying to capitalise on the trend of data breach cases, claiming to have expertise that they do not possess. This is something to watch out for, and it is disappointing to see so many inexperienced companies and disreputable scammers taking advantage of claimants for gain.
At Your Lawyers – The Data Leak Lawyers – we have a long-established reputation for handling data breach cases. We are currently sitting on the Steering Committee responsible for conducting the first GDPR group action case in the UK, against British Airways. We have been fighting for the rights of data breach victims as far back 2014, which is a great deal longer than most other firms.
Scammers and data breaches
In the worst-case scenario for a victim looking to claim, some people may, unfortunately, fall prey to the misleading tactics of scam artists. In recent cons targeting data breach victims, fake websites have been set up promising people compensation for personal data leaks. Websites may ask victims to register by entering their personal information and card details, which are suspected to be used for the purposes of fraud.
Unfortunately, such websites reflect an all too common trend in fraud resulting from data breaches. In addition, hackers who have stolen private details may claim to be the company affected by the data breach, sending phishing messages to victims in order to trick them into handing over further personal data.
The problem of inexperienced companies
Victims of data breaches can be at risk from inexperienced companies. Unlike scammers, these companies may be offering genuine legal services, but they may not be as knowledgeable in this area of law as they claim to be.
For example, some law firms with different specialisms may think they can simply adapt this to data breach claims. However, this is not as simple as it sounds. Data protection law is a niche area of expertise that requires specific legal skills. If an underqualified law firm takes on your data breach claim, you may miss out on getting your maximum compensation amount. It may be that the firm you instruct may not explore every possible avenue of your case.
We have seen other firms pushing low settlements, which is incredibly alarming.
Moreover, claims management companies may also try to take on your claim. These companies should not be seen as trusted data breach lawyers, and the employees may even have no legal training. They may simply ‘manage’ your claim and may even sell it on to another law firm, a practice which we have no part in at all, and never have.
That being said, we all need to start somewhere. We started with data privacy matters back in 2014, but the issue is also about marketing. We have seen firms advertise themselves as the leading firms, and others who, in our view, exaggerate their specific data claims experience. We always say that the proof is in the experience, which we will go into below.
Trusted data breach lawyers- our past experience
We are here to reassure you that our expertise and experience means we really are trusted data breach lawyers. Your Lawyers – the Data Leak Lawyers – has been representing clients in a variety of data breach cases for many years; a great deal longer than most of the firms now out there. We pioneered legal action in some of the most severe and infamous breaches, like the 56 Dean St Clinic data breach of 2015. We are also involved in large group actions involving hundreds of thousands of victims, such as the British Airways, Equifax and Virgin Media data breaches.
We have now launched over 50 different group actions and we represent thousands of clients for cases, which is a testament to how long we have been doing this for.
Through our thorough knowledge of data protection and our extensive case history, we are able to explore the right avenues of compensation for our clients to ensure their claims cover all the damages they have suffered.
If you would like to receive free, expert advice on a data breach claim, please contact us today here.