Direct marketing sits under two sets of rules at once: UK GDPR for the data and PECR for the channel.
The distinctions are where businesses trip up. The stakes have risen too, because the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 lifted the maximum PECR fine from the low hundreds of thousands to UK GDPR levels.
Marketing is also the most visible thing you do, so it is the easiest for a regulator or a competitor to check.
We advise on what your marketing can lawfully do.
We help with:
- email and SMS marketing, consent and the soft opt-in;
- business to business marketing and the corporate email position;
- cookies, tracking, retargeting and lookalike audiences;
- bought, rented and legacy lists of uncertain origin; and
- sign-up wording, preference centres and unsubscribe handling.
We tell you which of your current practices are fine, which need a change of wording and which need to stop, and we leave you with records that back you up if anyone asks.
The aim is not to shrink your marketing, it is to let you run it hard without the compliance question hanging over every send.
Our Approach
Legal advice that makes running and growing your business easier.
We start with your business, not the law.
Before we open a document, we want to understand what you are trying to do commercially. The legal answer is only useful if it serves that.
We get to the point.
You get a clear view of what matters and what does not, in plain English, with the real risks separated from the noise.
We give you an answer.
Not a menu of options and a shrug. We tell you what we would do, why, and where there is a genuine judgment call for you to make.
We stay available.
Whether you work with us on a single project or on a subscription, we are here for the follow-up question. We would always rather you asked.
Ways of working together
Fixed-fee projects
A single, defined piece of work for an agreed fixed fee, communicated before we engage. Reviewing a contract, drafting your terms, handling a negotiation.
No surprises and no hidden fees
Flagship Subscription
Ares Access
Ongoing support on a fixed monthly subscription, for businesses that need commercial legal input regularly rather than as the occasional one-off.
- Dedicated lawyer
- Fixed monthly fees
- Commercial advice on demand
From £500 plus VAT per month
Data Protection Health Check
No surprises and no hidden fees
Any questions?
Phone: 02382 420035
