Safe Setup Guide: Perplexity for Legal Research
How to configure Perplexity before using it for research in England and Wales: the AI data setting, sharing, what not to search for, and how to check what it finds
Privacy & Professional Conduct Notice
This guide helps you configure Perplexity safely, but you remain responsible for complying with the SRA Standards and Regulations. Never input confidential client information without proper safeguards.
Overview
Perplexity is a search tool that answers a question in prose and links to the web pages it drew on. It is useful for background reading and for finding recent developments. It searches the open web, so it is not a substitute for a legal research service.
On a personal plan, Perplexity says it uses your search queries to improve its AI models unless you turn that off. On an Enterprise plan it says your data is never used for training.
Every vendor fact below was checked against Perplexity's own pages on 29 September 2026. The pages are listed under "Sources checked" at the end of this guide. Settings and prices change, so follow the links before you rely on them.
Setup time: about 5 minutes Suitable for: general research that contains no client information
Plans and prices
Perplexity's pricing page showed prices in US dollars when viewed from the UK on 29 September 2026. Neither a price in pounds nor whether the prices include VAT could be confirmed. Check the amount at checkout.
| Plan | Price Perplexity publishes | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 a month | Personal plan |
| Pro | $20 a month | Personal plan |
| Max | $200 a month | Personal plan |
| Enterprise | $34 per seat a month when billed annually | The page lists "Guaranteed no training on your data", user permissions and single sign-on |
What Perplexity says about your data
| Free, Pro and Max (personal) | Enterprise | |
|---|---|---|
| Used to improve Perplexity's models | Yes, unless you turn off the AI Data Usage setting | Never used to train or fine-tune Perplexity's models |
| Used by other model providers for training | No. Perplexity says its agreements with providers such as OpenAI and Anthropic prohibit it | Same |
| Search history | Sessions are stored in your History indefinitely until you delete them | Administrators can set retention under Organization Settings |
| Personal information | Kept while the account is active. Removed within 30 days of deleting the account | Not checked |
| Where data is stored | Not stated on the pages checked | Not stated on the pages checked |
Two points that are easy to miss:
- Where Perplexity stores data could not be found. None of the pages checked gave a storage location. Ask Perplexity before using it for anything that contains personal data.
- File retention is described in two ways. Perplexity's Enterprise help page refers to a seven-day deletion policy for files attached to sessions. Its data deletion page says files are kept for 30 days by default. It is not clear which applies to which plan. Treat an uploaded file as retained for at least 30 days, and delete the session to remove it.
Perplexity's help centre now calls a conversation a "session". Older pages, and some of its own articles, still say "thread".
Step 1: Use a work account
- Create the account with your work email address.
- Keep work research out of any personal Perplexity account.
Step 2: Turn off AI Data Usage (personal plans)
Perplexity's help page says:
- Go to your profile.
- Open Settings.
- Find the AI Data Usage toggle and turn it off.
Perplexity says this stops it using your search data to improve its AI models.
Step 3: Check how sessions are shared
Select the Share button at the top right of a session. Perplexity lists these options:
- Private. Only you, as the author, can view the session, even if the link has been pasted somewhere public.
- Anyone with the link. Anyone who has the link can open the session and pass it on.
- Anyone in my org with the link. Enterprise only.
Keep work sessions set to Private. If you have shared one by mistake, change it back to Private.
Step 4: Delete what you no longer need
Sessions stay in your History until you delete them.
- One session: open your History, select the three-dot menu beside the session, and delete it.
- All sessions: open your History, select the three-dot menu at the top right, and choose Delete all threads. Perplexity says this cannot be undone.
To remove an uploaded file, delete the session it was attached to.
Step 5: Enterprise settings
If your firm has Perplexity Enterprise, ask your administrator to confirm the settings under Organization Settings, in the Data and privacy section. Perplexity says this is where data retention, including Enforce Incognito Mode, the AI model and provider settings, and audit log settings are found.
Your professional duties
This section summarises published rules and guidance. It is not legal advice, and it has not yet been reviewed by a solicitor.
- Confidentiality. Paragraph 6.3 of the SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors, RELs, RFLs and RSLs requires you to keep the affairs of current and former clients confidential unless disclosure is required or permitted by law or the client consents. A search query can disclose a client's affairs as readily as a document can.
- Competence. Paragraph 3.2 requires the service you provide to be competent, and paragraph 3.3 requires you to keep your professional knowledge and skills up to date.
- Supervision. Under paragraph 3.5, where you supervise or manage others you remain accountable for the work carried out through them.
- Not misleading anyone. Paragraph 1.4 says you do not mislead or attempt to mislead your clients, the court or others.
- Responsibility for output. The SRA's Risk Outlook report on AI (20 November 2023) says you "remain responsible and accountable for the outputs from AI you are using".
- Law Society guidance. "Generative AI – the essentials" says that if you are using a free, online generative AI service where you have no operational relationship with the vendor other than use, you should not put any confidential data into the tool. It also advises being able to say where data is processed, who processes it, how and where it is stored, and who has access to it.
- Data protection. Where a query contains personal data, the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 are relevant. The Information Commissioner's Office says a restricted transfer of personal data outside the UK must be covered by UK adequacy regulations, appropriate safeguards or an exception. Where Perplexity stores data could not be confirmed.
Follow your firm's own AI and information security policy where it is stricter than this guide.
What not to search for
Do not put into a query or an uploaded file:
- client names, or facts that would identify a client or matter
- the name of the other party to a matter, alongside anything about the dispute or transaction
- privileged communications or advice
- personal data about anyone, including health information and financial details
- the terms of a confidential settlement
Ask the general question, not the client's question:
- Identifying: "Can XYZ Ltd rely on the force majeure clause to end its supply contract with ABC Ltd?"
- Safer: "How have the courts of England and Wales interpreted force majeure clauses in commercial supply contracts?"
What Perplexity is useful for
- background reading on an unfamiliar area or industry
- finding recent news, consultations and regulator announcements
- finding the primary source for something you have seen reported
- technical and commercial context for a matter
What it is not for
- a complete search of case law or legislation. Use Westlaw UK, Lexis+ UK or another legal research service
- checking whether a case is still good law
- anything that needs the client's facts to answer
Checking output
Perplexity links to its sources. That makes checking easier. It does not make it optional.
- Open every source the answer relies on, and confirm it says what the answer says
- Judge the source. A judgment, a statute or a regulator's own page carries weight. A blog post summarising them does not
- Cases: find every case in a law report or on a service such as Westlaw UK, Lexis+ UK, BAILII or The National Archives' Find Case Law, and read it
- Legislation: check the text and whether it is in force, for example on legislation.gov.uk
- Jurisdiction: web results may be about another country's law. Confirm the source is about England and Wales
- Currency: confirm the authority has not been overruled, amended or repealed
- Cite the source, not Perplexity
The Law Society's guidance says that for documents going to court you must review final versions to make sure all citations are verified, and that the court expects to impose severe sanctions for the misuse of AI in legal research or court documents other than in exceptional circumstances.
If client information goes in by mistake
- Delete the session.
- If the session had been shared, set it to Private before deleting it.
- Tell the person your firm's policy names, usually the compliance officer for legal practice (COLP) or the data protection lead.
- Record what was entered, when, and whether AI Data Usage was on.
The ICO says a notifiable personal data breach must be reported to it without undue delay and not later than 72 hours after you become aware of it. Whether an incident is notifiable is for your firm to assess. Paragraph 7.11 of the SRA Code requires you to be honest and open with clients if things go wrong.
Quick checklist
Before first use
- Account created with a work email address
- AI Data Usage turned off (personal plans)
- Your firm's AI policy read
Every search
- No client names, identifying facts or personal data
- Session left as Private
- Every source opened and read
- Every authority checked in a legal research service
- Session deleted when no longer needed
Sources checked
All read on 29 September 2026.
Perplexity
- Pricing
- What data does Perplexity collect about me? (last modified 14 September 2026)
- How long Perplexity retains your search and personal data (3 September 2026)
- Are third-party model providers training on my data? (14 September 2026)
- Data retention and privacy for Enterprise organizations (3 September 2026)
- Self-Serve Data Deletion (3 September 2026)
- GDPR Compliance at Perplexity (14 September 2026)
- What is a Session? (29 September 2026)
- What is Perplexity Pro? (3 September 2026)
Rules and guidance
- SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors, RELs, RFLs and RSLs (version in effect from 11 April 2025)
- SRA Risk Outlook report: the use of artificial intelligence in the legal market (20 November 2023)
- Law Society: Generative AI – the essentials (page dated 1 October 2025)
- ICO: International transfers guide
- ICO: Personal data breaches guide
Need help?
If you have a question about this guide, or find that a setting has moved, contact hello@counsel.directory.
Review status: this guide has not yet been reviewed by a solicitor.
Disclaimer: This guide is general information about configuring a software product. It is not legal advice and it is not advice on your professional obligations. You remain responsible for complying with the SRA Standards and Regulations, data protection law and your firm's policies. Perplexity supplements a legal research service and does not replace one.