Privacy Policy

We may collect, use, store and transfer different kinds of personal data about you. The type of data we collect about you depends on your relationship with us. For example, if you are a client using our legal services, if you are a visitor to our website or a subscriber to our newsletters. In all cases, we have grouped together the different kinds of data we may or are likely to collect from you:

• Identity Data includes first name, maiden name, last name, username or similar identifier, marital status, title, date of birth and gender. This will also include information such as your passport, driving licence, utility bills or national identity card.
• Contact Data includes billing address, delivery address, email address and telephone numbers.
• Financial Data includes details such as your income and information about your bank accounts including details about payments to and from you. This may also include your credit history and records relating to you, your partner or anyone else you are financially linked with.
• Transaction Data includes details about facts relevant to the services that we are providing to you such as intended business or property purchase and so on.
• Technical Data includes internet protocol (IP) address, your login data, browser type and version, time zone setting and location, browser plug-in types and versions, operating system and platform, and other technology on the devices you use to access our website and our case management system Practice Evolve.
• Usage Data includes information about how you use our website, products and services.
• Marketing and Communications Data includes your preferences in receiving marketing from us and our third parties and your communication preferences.

If you fail to provide personal data

Where we need to collect personal data by law, or under the terms of a contract we have with you, and you fail to provide that data when requested, we may not be able to perform the contract we have or are trying to enter into with you (for example, to provide you with legal advice). In this case, we may have to cancel a service you have with us but we will notify you if this is the case at the time.

How your personal data is collected depends on your relationship with us. For example, if you are a client using our legal services, if you are a visitor to our website or a subscriber to our services. We use different methods to collect data from and about you including through:

• Direct interactions. You may give us your Identity, Contact and Financial Data by speaking to us direct, filling in forms or by corresponding with us by email, phone, post or otherwise. This includes personal data you provide when you:
  – create an account on our website or on our case management system Practice Evolve;
  – subscribe to our service or publications;
  – request marketing to be sent to you;
  – give us feedback or contact us.

• Automated technologies or interactions. As you interact with our case management system or our website, we may automatically collect Technical Data about your equipment, browsing actions and patterns. We collect this personal data by using cookies, server logs and other similar technologies. We may also receive Technical Data about you if you visit other websites employing our cookies. Please see our cookie policy for further details.

• Third parties or publicly available sources. We may receive personal data about you from various third parties and public sources, especially concerning money laundering, passport and driving licence authenticity, company directorships and the like.

• Identity and Contact Data from publicly available sources such as Companies House and the Electoral Register based inside the UK and the EU.

• Technical Data from the following parties:
  • analytics providers such as Google based outside the EU;
  • search information providers such as Search Flow based inside the UK.

Where we obtain personal data from third party suppliers, we always ensure that these suppliers are bound to respect data protection laws and your privacy rights pursuant to their contract with us.

We will only use your personal data when the law allows us to. Most commonly, we will use your information or personal data to:

• Provide legal services to you.
• Provide and service your relationship with us.
• Comply with legal obligations for the prevention of financial crime and money laundering.
• Maintain our legitimate interests and your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests.

Generally, we do not rely on consent as a legal basis for processing your personal data although we will get your consent before sending third party direct marketing communications to you via email or text message. You have the right to withdraw consent to marketing at any time by contacting us.

Purposes for which we will use your personal data

We will generally process your information in order to meet our contractual obligations to you, where we have a legitimate interest to do so, where we are permitted by law or to comply with applicable laws and regulation.

We have set out below, in a table format, a description of all the ways we plan to use your personal data, and which of the legal bases we rely on to do so. We have also identified what our legitimate interests are where appropriate.

How we retain your personal information

We will retain your personal information in accordance with applicable laws. We will take reasonable steps to destroy or anonymise personal information we no longer need for the purposes we have set out above.

Our retention periods are:

The recipients of your data depends on your relationship with us. For example, if you are a client using our legal or accountancy or financial services, if you are a visitor to our website or a subscriber to our services. In all cases, we have grouped together the different kinds of recipients of your data as follows:

• Internal staff. Our office based and remote working staff may have access to your data to provide you with the services and support for which you engage us. These staff are directly employed employees in the traditional sense of employees.

• External staff. We may also instruct consultant solicitors to manage or assist on matters as circumstances dictate. They are prior to engagement required to sign our contract for services and are therefore always subject to our robust data management policies.

• Third party service providers. Where necessary or required we may also share information with:
  • Regulatory authorities to comply with our legal obligations.
  • Credit reference agencies to check your identity in accordance with our obligations.
  • Property search companies to identify any issues that might influence your decision to buy or sell a property.
  • Insurers for the purpose of providing you with appropriate financial cover for an identified insurable risk, or in connection with any claim made by you against us.
• Agents, brokers, lenders or other solicitors involved in your transaction representing other party(ies) in your matter to enable them and us to fulfil our obligations to you.

• Other government departments such as HMRC, Companies House, HM Land Registry to fulfil your and our legal obligations.

• Accountants, tax advisers, experts and barristers required to work on your matter.

• Our auditors and external assessment bodies to achieve and maintain any regulatory or quality assurance standards and accreditations which meet our legal obligations and enable us to provide quality legal services to you.

From time to time, we may share your personal data which involves transferring it to third parties who may be established outside the European Union Area (EEA).

Whenever we transfer your personal data out of EEA, we ensure a similar degree of protection is afforded to it by ensuring at least one of the following safeguards is implemented: 

• We will only transfer your personal data to countries that have been deemed to provide an adequate level of protection for personal data by the European Commission.
• Where we use certain service providers, we may use specific contracts approved by the European Commission which give personal data the same protection it has in Europe.
• Where we use providers based in the US, we may transfer data to them if they are part of the Privacy Shield which requires them to provide similar protection to personal data shared between Europe and the US.

Opting out

You can ask us to stop sending you marketing messages at any time by following the opt-out links on any marketing message sent to you or by contacting us at any time.

Where you opt out of receiving these marketing messages, this will not apply to personal data provided to us as a result of a service or other transactions.

Cookies

Our website uses cookies to distinguish you from other users of our website. This helps us to provide you with a good experience when you browse our website and also allows us to improve our site.

We may also use Google Analytics cookies to obtain an overall view of visitor habits and visitor volumes to our Website.

For detailed information on the cookies we use and the purpose for which we use them see our cookie policy.

We have put in place appropriate security measures to prevent your personal data from being accidentally lost, used or accessed in an unauthorised way, altered or disclosed. We have put in place procedures to deal with any suspected personal data breach and will notify you and any applicable regulator of a breach where we are legally required to do so.

However, no internet-based site can be 100% secure and we cannot be held responsible for unauthorised or unintended access that is beyond our control.

Under certain circumstances, you have rights under data protection laws in relation to your personal data.

Request access to your personal data (commonly known as a “data subject access request”). This enables you to receive a copy of the personal data we hold about you and to check that we are lawfully processing it.

Request correction of the personal data that we hold about you. This enables you to have any incomplete or inaccurate data we hold about you corrected, though we may need to verify the accuracy of the new data you provide to us.

Request erasure of your personal data. This enables you to ask us to delete or remove personal data where there is no good reason for us continuing to process it. You also have the right to ask us to delete or remove your personal data where you have successfully exercised your right to object to processing (see below), where we may have processed your information unlawfully or where we are required to erase your personal data to comply with local law. Note, however, that we may not always be able to comply with your request of erasure for specific legal reasons which will be notified to you, if applicable, at the time of your request.

Object to processing of your personal data where we are relying on a legitimate interest (or those of a third party) and there is something about your particular situation which makes you want to object to processing on this ground as you feel it impacts on your fundamental rights and freedoms. You also have the right to object where we are processing your personal data for direct marketing purposes. In some cases, we may demonstrate that we have compelling legitimate grounds to process your information which override your rights and freedoms.

Request restriction of processing of your personal data. This enables you to ask us to suspend the processing of your personal data in the following scenarios:

• If you want us to establish the data’s accuracy.
• Where our use of the data is unlawful, but you do not want us to erase it.
• Where you need us to hold the data even if we no longer require it as you need it to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.
• You have objected to our use of your data but we need to verify whether we have overriding legitimate grounds to use it.

Request the transfer of your personal data to you or to a third party. We will provide to you, or a third party you have chosen, your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format. Note that this right only applies to automated information which you initially provided consent for us to use or where we used the information to perform a contract with you.

Withdraw consent at any time where we are relying on consent to process your personal data. However, this will not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before you withdraw your consent. If you withdraw your consent, we may not be able to provide certain products or services to you. We will advise you if this is the case at the time you withdraw your consent.

If you wish to exercise any of the rights set out above, please contact us.

No fee usually required

You will not have to pay a fee to access your personal data (or to exercise any of the other rights). However, we may charge a reasonable fee if your request takes excessive time to comply with, is clearly unfounded or repetitive. Alternatively, we could refuse to comply with your request in these circumstances.

What we may need from you

We may need to request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and ensure your right to access your personal data (or to exercise any of your other rights). This is a security measure to ensure that personal data is not disclosed to any person who has no right to receive it. We may also contact you to ask you for further information in relation to your request to speed up our response.

Time limit to respond

We try to respond to all legitimate requests within one month. Occasionally it could take us longer than a month if your request is particularly complex or you have made a number of requests. In this case, we will notify you and keep you updated.