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The Assurance Desk
SME Comply logo

SME Comply review

Advisory firm

A small UK firm, founded by a solicitor, combining an outsourced DPO with commercial and intellectual property legal advice for small and medium businesses.

Relevant if you run a small business and want DPO support and legal advice from one place

Price Not published
Indemnity cover Not published
How it uses AI Not published
Facts last checked

Not published means we did not find it on the firm's own pages.

SME Comply scores

Six scores, each 1 to 5. The evidence for each is further down.

Help when things go wrong 2/5
Qualifications of the people who do the work 3/5
What it publishes about fees 2/5
Knowledge of your sector 2/5
Independence from what it sells 3/5
Who carries the risk if the advice is wrong 1/5

What SME Comply offers, and what it publishes

You get an outsourced DPO from a firm that can also act as your legal counsel and complaints officer. The firm says its founder, Gary O'Reilly, is a regulatory and privacy solicitor with over 15 years' experience. Its FAQ says the company is not regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, but the solicitors who work for it are.

SME Comply does not publish a price. Its costs page offers hourly, fixed-fee or subscription billing, but shows no figures. The firm says the subscription includes a suite of legal documents and up to one hour of business legal advice each month. It does not publish its indemnity cover.

We found no team page; only its founder is named with credentials. It lists AI and technology law as a specialism, but we found no sector specialists or sector case studies. It does not say how it uses AI in its own work. We found no software for sale.

Strengths

  • Founded by a practising regulatory and privacy solicitor with a stated 15+ years' experience, rather than a generalist consultant
  • Transparently discloses that SME Comply Ltd itself is not SRA-regulated, while the solicitors working for it are
  • Combines DPO services with wider outsourced legal counsel, useful for SMEs wanting one point of contact for compliance and contracts
  • Offers a flexible subscription pricing model in addition to hourly and fixed-fee options

Things to check

  • Does not publish specific prices
  • SME Comply Ltd itself is not authorised or regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority
  • No professional indemnity insurance disclosure or wider named team page found

Common questions

Does SME Comply publish its prices?

No. Its costs page describes hourly, fixed-fee and subscription options but shows no figures.

Is SME Comply regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority?

No. Its FAQ says it 'is not authorised or regulated by the Solicitor's Regulation Authority, however the solicitors that work for us are'.

Who founded SME Comply?

Gary O'Reilly. The firm describes him as a regulatory and privacy solicitor with an MBA and over 15 years' experience in risk, compliance and litigation.

Evidence for each SME Comply score

Show our working

Notes behind each thing to check

  • Does not publish specific prices (The Costs page describes hourly, fixed-fee and subscription payment models but shows no actual figures (smecomply.co.uk/costs/, checked 2026-07-17).)
  • SME Comply Ltd itself is not authorised or regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (The firm's own FAQ states: 'SME Comply Ltd is not authorised or regulated by the Solicitor's Regulation Authority, however the solicitors that work for us are' (smecomply.co.uk/faq/, checked 2026-07-17).)
  • No professional indemnity insurance disclosure or wider named team page found (Only founder Gary O'Reilly is named with credentials; no PI insurance statement or list of other named staff was found on the pages checked (smecomply.co.uk/sme-comply/, checked 2026-07-17).)
Six criteria, each scored 1 to 5, with the evidence for each.
CriterionScoreEvidence
Help when things go wrong 2/5 The Legal Services page references support when clients 'need advice on cybersecurity and/or a data breach' but gives no case-level ICO liaison detail, named staff or outcomes (smecomply.co.uk/legal-services/).
Qualifications of the people who do the work 3/5 Founder Gary O'Reilly is named with a stated solicitor/MBA background, but no other named staff or their individual credentials are published (smecomply.co.uk/sme-comply/).
What it publishes about fees 2/5 The Costs page explains hourly, fixed-fee and subscription models in general terms but publishes no actual figures (smecomply.co.uk/costs/).
Knowledge of your sector 2/5 Positioning is generalist 'SME' support with AI and technology law mentioned as a specialism area, but no named sector specialists or sector case studies were found (smecomply.co.uk/).
Independence from what it sells 3/5 No commercial software product was found being sold, but the firm also discloses no explicit independence policy beyond noting its own non-SRA-regulated status (smecomply.co.uk/faq/).
Who carries the risk if the advice is wrong 1/5 No professional indemnity insurance or liability terms are disclosed on the pages checked (smecomply.co.uk/sme-comply/, smecomply.co.uk/faq/).

Sources for SME Comply

  • Registered at Companies House as SME Comply Ltd (Company number 11795308, incorporated 29 January 2019, status: Active, registered office 7 Simon De Montfort Drive, Evesham, WR11 4NR) (Companies House, checked 17 July 2026)
  • Discloses its own regulatory status separately from its solicitors' status ('SME Comply Ltd is not authorised or regulated by the Solicitor's Regulation Authority, however the solicitors that work for us are.') (smecomply.co.uk, checked 17 July 2026)
  • Publishes DPO and broader legal service scope (Services include Outsourced Data Protection Officer, Data Protection Advice, Outsourced Legal Counsel, Outsourced Complaints Officer, and general commercial/IP legal services) (smecomply.co.uk, checked 17 July 2026)
  • Publishes its pricing model type but not specific figures (Costs page describes hourly, fixed-fee, or a subscription model ('access to a suite of legal documents...as well as business legal advice for up to one hour each month') but shows no prices) (smecomply.co.uk, checked 17 July 2026)
  • Names its founder with credentials; no wider team page with individual staff was found (Gary O'Reilly is described as a regulatory and privacy solicitor with 15+ years' experience and an MBA, stated to have advised 'the largest European local authority on GDPR/data protection matters') (smecomply.co.uk, checked 17 July 2026)

Founder Gary O'Reilly is described as a regulatory and privacy solicitor with an MBA and 15+ years' experience (stated on smecomply.co.uk/sme-comply/) Team includes SRA-regulated solicitors, though SME Comply Ltd itself is not SRA-regulated (stated on smecomply.co.uk/faq/)

First DPO or AI policyAfter a breach or ICO contactExposed to the EU AI Act

Where this firm appears

If you represent this firm and something here is wrong or out of date, email hello@theassurancedesk.com with the evidence.

This is an independent editorial guide, not legal advice.