Privacy Notice

Website usage Privacy Notice

Your information

If you provide us with any Personal Data while using this Website we may use it to provide you with any information or services you have requested. We may also use it for any other purpose for which you give your consent. For example, we may send you additional information about the firm or its services, if you have consented to us doing so.

Data protection, electronic communication and cyber security

We use the information you provide to us, or which we obtain through our dealing with you and your matter, primarily for the provision of legal services to you and for related purposes including (but not limited to):

• Updating and enhancing client records,
• Analysis to help us manage our Practice,
• Statutory Returns,
• Legal and Regulatory compliance,

Our use of that information is subject to your instructions, Data Protection law and our duty of confidentiality to you.

Please note that our work for you may require us to pass on such information to third parties such as expert witnesses and other professional advisers, including sometimes advisers appointed by another party to your matter. We may also give such information to others who perform services for us, such as typing, photocopying and the like. Our practice may be audited or checked by our accountants, our Regulator or by other organisations. We do not normally copy such information to anyone outside the European Economic Area, however we may do so however when the particular circumstances of your matter so require. All such third parties are required to maintain confidentiality in relation to your files.

We may conduct some or all of our communications and send documents, including sending bills, by e-mail. However, e-mail is not fully secure, may be intercepted by third parties (in particular when unencrypted), delayed, corrupted or may not reach its intended recipient. Where necessary, you should follow up all important communications with a phone call, fax or printed copy by post. If you do not wish us to use e-mail please let us know and, unless you do so in writing, you agree to us communicating by normal, unencrypted, e-mail. If you provide us with an e-mail address we shall assume that you are happy for you to such that e-mail address for communication purposes and if you do not wish us to store your e-mails please do not communicate with us by e-mail.

We may monitor e-mails to investigate unauthorised use of our e-mail system, in order to endeavour to identify any potentially damaging or malicious e-mails received by us or for any other purpose permitted by law. As a result we may collect personal information about the senders and / or recipients of the e-mail or which is contained within the e-mail.

You have a right of access under Data Protection law to the personal data that we hold about you. We seek to keep that personal data correct and up to date. You should let us know if you believe the information we hold about you needs to be corrected or updated (such as, for example, if there is any change in your name, address or other contact details).

We have appointed the following person as our representative for the purposes of the Data Protection Act: Mr T.W. Jones, who is the Compliance Officer for Legal Practice of this Company and based at our Head Office at 6-10 Broad Street, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST1 4EU. Please e-mail our Data Protection Officer if you wish to make a Subject Access Request, if you would like to update or amend the information we hold about you or if you have any queries regarding our Data Protection Policy.

Data Protection in Respect of Money Laundering, Proceeds of Crime and Terrorism Checks and the like:

We may receive personal data from you for the purposes of our Money Laundering checks, such as a copy of your Passport or other documentation which you provide to us to verify your identity and / or address. These will be processed only for the purposes of preventing Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing, or as otherwise permitted by law or with your express consent.

You consent to us retaining such data for longer than the five year statutory period, unless you tell us otherwise in writing by e-mailing our Data Protection Officer.

You also consent to us retaining other personal data and files relating to yourself and any matter(s) in respect of which you may instruct us in accordance with Statutory and Regulatory obligations and also the contents of our Retention Policy from time to time in force during the period of retention by us. Details of the current Retention Policy of this Company can be viewed on our Web Site or requested by e-mailing our Data Protection Officer. We reserve the right to update our Retention Policy and / or any aspect of our Data Protection Privacy Notice at any time, the publication of which on our Web Site you agree will amount to sufficient and appropriate notice to you and we would, therefore, recommend that you regularly check our Web Site for any updates. Moreover, you acknowledge that, for so long as we retain files or documents belonging or relating to you, you will be regarded as having a continuing relationship with us for the purposes of Data Protection law.

Data Protection & Cyber Security – Your Obligations:

If you send us personal data about anyone other than yourself you will ensure you have any appropriate consents and notices in place to enable you to transfer that personal data to us, and so that we may use it for the purposes for which you provide it to us.

It is your responsibility to notify us in writing of any changes in personal data which you have provided to us (including, but not limited to, any change of name, address or other contact information such as, for example, telephone number and / or e-mail address) and, in the absence of any such change being so notified to us, we shall be entitled to rely upon and use the information in our possession upon the assumption that it remains accurate and upon the basis that you will be deemed to consent to us communicating with you by using any method of contact appropriate to the type(s) of contact details information which you provide to us and that we shall not be responsible to for any issues which may arise as a consequence of such reliance (such as, for example, communications being sent to you by us during or following the currency of any retainer(s) which you have, or had, in place with us or somebody other than yourself being on the receiving end of such communications).

It is also your responsibility to take your own precautions in relation to any encryption which you may wish to apply to e-mails sent by you and to heed the warnings provided to you by us in relation to electronic communications and Cyber Security risks (in particular to never sent Bank Account details to us by e-mail or to place reliance upon Bank Account details received by you) In addition, you undertake to ensure that any e-mails which you send to us are free from viruses and any other materials that may cause harm to any computer system.

Keeping You Informed:

We may from time to time send you information which we think might be of interest to you (for example about legal developments or our other services). If you do not wish to receive that information please notify us in writing by sending an e-mail.