PRIVACY POLICY

This notice applies to every individual whose personal data we process in the course of practice as a firm of solicitors. It applies to you if you are a client, a user of our website or if you are a person referred to in our instructions, whether because you are employed by, or otherwise connected with a company, organisation or public body that has instructed us to act on its behalf, or because you are a witness, or are referred to in our instructions, you are our professional client, another lawyer or professional involved in a case in which we are acting, or a member of staff at the firm or a trainee.

Obtaining and processing your personal data

The data that we obtain and the reasons for and manner in which we process it varies with its source and nature. Our website uses cookies. This information is used to provide website users with a better experience and help us improve the website. If you are our client, we store the personal data that we receive in connection with your case from you, or our professional client on your behalf, as well as personal data of yours comprised in information from other people involved in the case, such as opponents, their lawyers and witnesses.

In respect of people who are not our clients, we obtain and store the names, contact, employment and other data of third parties, with whom we deal in the course of practice, and personal data of people comprised in our instructions and communications in cases in which we are instructed as well as when enquiries are made about the legal services we may be able to provide.

If you are a member of the firm, a paralegal or other member of staff, we obtain, store and use your name, contact details, work done by you, and other information about you that may be contained in the firm’s internal documents or that you give to us yourself.

The purposes for which we process the above personal data are the provision of legal services, the administration of our practice, research, practice development and marketing, training and assessing trainees, training trainees and work experience interns, and responding to any complaints. The processing of the above personal data may be necessary for those legitimate interests. Where we process your personal data for those legitimate interests, we will take into account your data rights and only so process them if we consider that they do not override our interests in relation to the data we hold and the use we make of them.

We lawfully process some of the above personal data in order to be able to comply with our legal obligations, such as accounting for tax purposes.

If your personal data reveals your racial or ethnic origin; political, religious or philosophical beliefs; trade union membership; health, sex life or sexual orientation; or criminal offences or related security matters, we will only process those data where you have given your explicit consent, where the processing relates to personal data which are manifestly made public by you, where the processing is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims, or where the processing is otherwise permitted by law.

We shall not usually rely on consent for processing personal information, other than when sending marketing communications. You may withdraw consent to receive marketing communications at any time. We do not sell personal data to third parties.

We will retain your personal data for so long as is necessary for the purposes identified above. This may vary depending on the context in which we acquired the data and the purpose for which we process the data, and, in the event of any sort of dispute for as long as is necessary to resolve it.

Appropriate technical and organisational measures are in place to prevent the loss, misuse or alteration of your personal data.

We may disclose your personal data to third parties where it is necessary or desirable in your interest in order to further any of the purposes set out above.

We will retain your data for at most one year beyond any limitation period that applies to any potential cause of action relating to your case.

You have the right to ask the firm:-

• to confirm whether we are processing your personal data;
• for a copy of them;
• to rectify them;
• complete them if they are incomplete;
• delete them
• restrict the extent of us processing of them; and
• return them to you for sending to another data controller or send them directly to another data controller.

You must verify your identity before we can comply with any such request. You also have the right to object to our processing of your personal data. We may be entitled or bound by law to refuse your request or objection. If so, we will give reasons.

You have the right to complain about our processing of your personal data, including how we respond to any request you may make about how we process your personal data, to the Information Commissioner’s Office or, for so long as the General Data Protection Regulation applies in the UK or data protection law permits, the Supervisory Authority of any member state of the European Union.