Client or Potential Client Privacy Notice

This privacy notice is issued by Louisa Ghevaert Associates Ltd and sets out:

• What data we collect from you.
• How we use it.
• Why we need it.
• Who we share it with.
• How long we keep it for.

We are committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. You should read this Privacy Notice together with our Privacy Policy.All personal identifiable information about you that you provide to us, or is given to us from a third party will only be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy and this Privacy Notice.We may change our Privacy Policy and our Privacy Notices from time to time by updating our website. You should check our website regularly to ensure that you are happy with any changes we make.

Who does this notice apply to?

This notice applies to individuals who instruct Louisa Ghevaert Associates Ltd (Us) to carry out work for them. It also includes individuals who request quotes or generally enquire about our services, either in person, via our website, over the telephone or via other forms of communication.This notice also includes the directors, partners, owners and other personnel acting on behalf of businesses that are our clients or enquire about our services.It does not include any company or corporate body itself.

Our promise to you

You are protected not just by the laws on data protection but by our professional duty of confidentiality to you as our client.

This means that all our dealings with you and any personal data we have about you is confidential (and may be the subject of legal professional privilege). Therefore we can promise:

• To keep your personal data safe and confidential;
• Not to sell your personal data.  

What data do we collect?

We collect a variety of personal data depending on the services which you ask us to provide. This may include:

•  Information you provide to our staff when you enquire about our services – your name, address, contact details and specific details related to your enquiry;
• Matter related information; letters, documents, photographs and other information that you supply to our staff relating to the work we are to do for you or that you would potentially like us to do for you;
• Where appropriate, medical records, reports and opinions from expert professionals;
• Financial information such as bank details or credit and debit card details;
• Your voice may be recorded if you call one of our offices or a member of staff;
• All forms of communication you use to contact us, including letters, emails, faxes, SMS, and instant messaging.We may ask for, and keep copies of, identification documents which you provide.

Changes to your data

It is important that the personal data we hold about you is accurate and current. Please keep us informed if your personal data changes during your relationship with us.

What do we do with the information and why do we need it?

The principal purpose of our collecting, processing and holding your personal data is to allow us to provide you with legal services and other incidental services.

Much of the data we ask for is needed to carry out the work you have asked us to do or to meet our legal/ regulatory obligations, so it is likely we will be unable to continue working for you if you do not provide it. If so, we will tell you at the time.

Your contact details and the specifics of your enquiry will be passed on to the relevant member of staff, so we can reply to your enquiry and provide our services to you.

Where the services you require cannot only be provided by us but may require you to instruct other solicitors we may share your data with them. This is necessary to ensure that the work which we do for you and which they do for you is consistent and meet your needs.

We may also use this data for analytical purposes to improve the services we offer and better understand our clients’ needs.

Information you give us relating to the work we are doing for you is used for the purposes of providing our services to you and fulfilling our legal obligations to and our contract with you.

Financial information is used solely to process any financial transactions necessary to complete the work we are doing for you.

We may use contact information from your data for the purposes of offering further services to you under our legitimate business interests.

We will use and store a copy of your identification documentation to verify your identity, protect ourselves and our clients from fraud and to meet our legal obligations under anti-money laundering regulations and other laws.

Please not that we may process your data for a variety of purposes. If you would like further information, please contact us at enquiries@louisaghevaertassociates.co.uk.

Who has access to the data?

Details of new enquiries and existing clients are available to the staff of various third parties necessary for us to provide our services to you.

We may share your data with other organisations to fulfil our legal obligations to confirm your identity and abide by anti-money laundering regulations.

We may share your information with expert witnesses, the other side’s solicitor, medical experts or with other parties for the purposes of pursing or defending any claim you may have and in providing our services to you in respect of your matter.

To market our services to you we may share your name, email address and, if applicable, your job title with an Email Marketing Service Provider. These companies send emails on our behalf and manage your subscription to our mailing lists. You will not receive emails from any other organisations. Please see our Marketing Privacy Notice.

At the end of the work, we may store all of your relevant physical documents and data with an archive storage provider.

All electronic communications may be sent to, and monitored by, third-party security providers to protect us and people we communication with from viruses and malware.

Sharing your information

We only share your data with others in the following circumstances:

• Fulfilling a contract:   in connection with work we are doing for you or where you need to instruct    other solicitors to assist on matters related to or arising out of the work which we are doing for your; or
• Legal requirement:      (such as anti-money laundering and tax laws); or
• Professional duty:       to meet our regulatory/legal obligations as solicitors; or
• Legitimate interest:     we have a legitimate interest in doing so (in running our business).

We would also need to share your data in the unlikely event that the ‘data controller’ changes. Such a situation would arise if we decided to sell, transfer, or merge parts of our business, or if we acquired/ merged with another business. If this happened, the new owner/organisation would become the ‘data controller’ in law and would be able to use your data in the same way as set out in this Privacy Notice.

If we share your data with external organisations, they will be required to keep it confidential and to treat it in accordance with the law.

Unless they are a ‘data controller’ in their own right, they are not allowed to use the data for their own purposes – in particular for marketing – but only in accordance with our instructions and for specified purposes.

Examples of others who might be a ‘data controller’ themselves would be a law enforcement agency or a professional/other supplier assisting us with work we are doing for you or acting for you on other matters. Such persons or organisations will normally provide you with their own privacy policies and notices.

If you wish to object to our sharing your data

If you do not wish us to share your data with any particular organisation or individual, please write to us to let us know. We will respect your wishes unless our legal obligations prevent us from doing so, but please note that this may limit the work we can do for you.

Law enforcement

In the unlikely event that anything you ask us to do leads us to suspect criminality, we may have to inform law enforcement agencies and pass to them personal data we have about you. An example of this would be the National Crime Agency, to whom we are obliged to report any knowledge or suspicion of money laundering or terrorist financing.

Safeguarding your data

Please see the paragraphs dealing with ‘Safeguarding your data’ and ‘ways in which you can help safeguard your data’ under our Privacy Policy.

Please note in addition that any communication from us to you is meant for you only. If you choose to share it with anyone else, you may lose the legal professional privilege that normally protects communications between you and us.

International Transfers

It may be necessary to transfer your data overseas. If so, it will only be shared within the European Economic Area (EEA). Such transfers will be made in full compliance with data protection law. Where information is required to be shared outside of the EEA, we will consult with you and obtain your specific written consent before doing so.

Marketing

If you are or become a client or make enquiries about becoming a client:

• We may tell you about services related to work you have asked us to do if it is in your best interests to do so;
• We may tell you about any of our services (or those provided by others) if we believe they may be relevant or of interest to you;
• We are allowed in law to do so because we have a legitimate interest in promoting our business to these groups of people;
• We will never sell or share your personal information with third parties for marketing purposes.

If you do receive marketing information from us (because you have asked us to send it or we have sent it to you because you are a client or have shown interest in becoming one) but would prefer not to, please write to us at any time to let us know that you want us to stop sending this.

Please also read our Marketing Privacy Notice carefully as this contains important information on our marketing activities.

How long do we keep your data for?

The details of any enquiries that you make, even if you do not become a client for any reason, is kept for up to 24 months, after which time it is anonymised for statistical purposes and kept indefinitely. Due to the sensitive nature of the advice we provide, we recognise that potential clients may need to take their time in deciding whether to proceed with their enquiry. For this reason we keep information regarding potential enquiries for up to 24 months. Please let us know if you decide that you do not want to proceed with your enquiry and you would like us to delete your Personal Data and we will make sure that we do so.

All data, documents and communications related to work we do for you is stored for the duration of your matter plus 6 years.

In matters of cases where we are acting on behalf of children, we keep the data until the child reaches the age of 24.

We will use your details for marketing purposes for up to 12 months under our legitimate interest unless you write to us to tell us you object.

If you consent to receiving any newsletters and marketing events we may invite you to, we will use your details until you write to us to withdraw your consent or until the data is deemed inaccurate or not useful, at which point it will be deleted.

We may agree to keep important original documents and deeds for you at the end of your matter if you ask us to. These will be kept indefinitely.

Electronic communications are held by our third-party security provider for 3 months and then destroyed.

Further information

If you would like any further information, please contact us at enquiries@louisaghevaertassociates.co.uk.