Data Protection Privacy Notice

Trafford Law is the trading name of Trafford Law Limited [“TLL”].  We are committed to protecting your information and privacy.

This notice explains how we use and process personal information collected. It addresses information provided to us:

• When consulting in connection with provision of legal services.
• Otherwise as a result of our communications with you or one of our clients.
• When subscribing to our email updates or other marketing activities.

It sets out how we process personal information or data, with whom we may share it and choices you can make regarding use of information collected. We also describe measures taken to protect security of information provided and how you can contact us about our privacy practices. Please read this Notice carefully to understand our views and practices about why personal information is collected, what we do with it and how we use it.

This Notice does not apply to personal information of staff in connection with employment, which is dealt with by an internal Human Resources privacy notice.

Changes/updates

This notice may change from time to time.  Please review it periodically. Further information about data privacy may be found in our Client Guide Terms of Business sent to all clients at the outset of their contract with us.

The last update was March 2019.

 

Data protection

For Data Protection Act 2018 notification purposes we are registered as a data controller with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO). Our registration details number is ZA494310.

Our nominated Data Protection Officer is Joanna Trafford – she can be contacted at joannatrafford@traffordlaw.co.uk or on 01213 696969.

 

Who we are

TLL is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) number SRA ID: 655414 and is a company registered in England and Wales under company number 11702777.

As a regulated practice, we process personal information in accordance with data protection legislation and in line with obligations imposed on us under the SRA Code of Conduct 2011.

 

How we collect your personal information

We collect, retain and process personal information to enable us to give legal advice, provide legal and related business services and conduct legal proceedings on behalf of our clients.

We may collect personal information in a number of ways, including:

• Online via our website or social media accounts such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.
• In hard copy by fax or post, in person, or over the telephone.
• Via phone recording in connection with our services.
• Through provision of legal or training services to you.
• During the course of our dealings with you for or on behalf of a client.
• When you provide us with information relating to attendance on seminars or other promotional events.
• When you contact us via this site by filling in a form to register for newsletters, email updates, competitions, seminars, events sponsored by us, or other services.
• When you contact us with queries, we may keep a record of that correspondence.
• When you complete surveys for research or quality purposes, although you do not have to respond to them.
• When we collect your personal data from other third parties, for example from our agents, insurer clients, other clients or their representatives or other law firms.
• When we collect publicly available information about you or your business, including through electronic data sources, for example in connecting with anti-money laundering and credit risk reduction.
• For placement, recruitment and selection purposes.

 

Personal information collected

The type of information collected depends upon our relationship with you and the context in which we obtain and process your personal data.

Information collected and processed may include details of the following types of information:

• Contact information (name, address, (including postal and email addresses), telephone and fax numbers and gender).
• Occupational information, (job title, former job titles, organisational associations, professional experience and qualifications, interests and preferences where you advise us of these details in order to provide you with relevant tailored information about our services).
• Identification documents, including date of birth and photographic identification.
• Online services in respect of which you have expressed an interest.
• Other information collected and used in the course of our business, including information provided by our clients concerning employees of our clients or those providing services to our clients.
• Where necessary and legally permitted, we may also collect sensitive data, such as diversity and health data and details of offences and related proceedings.

 

What we do with personal information collected

We use the information provided to:

• Contact you by email, fax, post or phone where you have provided contact details. We may also keep a record of that correspondence.
• Carry out our obligations arising from any contracts entered into between us.
• Notify you about changes to our service.
• Improve our products and services.
• Maintain internal records, including about cancelled accounts.
• Ensure good governance, accounting, management and auditing.
• Refer you to another team within TLL about other legal services which may be of benefit to your interests.
• Provide you with information, products or services which you request from us.
• Facilitate the provision to you of online or other training services.
• Send you information, or newsletters and legal updates which you may find of interest where you have indicated your wish to be contacted for such purposes.
• Pass your details to experts, including counsel and other professionals for the purposes of obtaining professional advice and complying with our contractual obligations.
• To contact you in the course of providing services to our clients.
• Assist with recruitment and selection process.
• Convert into anonymised, statistical or aggregated data which can’t be used to identify you but may be used for the purposes of statistics, research reporting and future planning for our business.
• Where we have other legitimate reasons, such as to enforce our terms of use, or take other action required or permitted by law or for other safety and security reasons.
• To respond to complaints against us.
• To ensure content from our website is presented in the most effective manner.

 

Who we share your information with

In providing our services, we may provide your personal information to staff in our offices or other third parties, such as:

• To other suppliers, such as expert witnesses, counsel, or other external agencies (including training providers) that we engage on our/your behalf. When we do so, they are required to act in accordance with our instructions and keep your personal information secure with an adequate level of protection.
• To courts, tribunals and other government bodies and relevant regulators (SRA and the ICO) in connection with matters relating to provision of our services.
• To professional indemnity insurers, brokers, auditors and other professional advisers.
• To our clients in connection with the provision of our services.
• To auditors in connection with maintenance of our quality certifications.
• To other third parties when required by law or other regulatory authority, where we are under a duty to do so to comply with legal or professional obligations (for example to comply with anti-money laundering obligations and counter terrorism measures).
• To enforce or protect our rights, property or the safety of our partners, staff and clients. (This includes exchanging information with other companies and organisations for the purposes of fraud prevention and detection and credit risk reduction).
• To other parties in legal proceedings, including solicitors acting on the other side of a case or transaction.
• Any successors in title to our business, or as part of mergers.
• To financial institutions providing finance for transactions.

 

The basis on which we process your information

The legal grounds for processing your personal data depend upon the nature of our relationship with you and the context of processing and are as follows:

• Processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with you, or to take steps prior to entering into a contract with you. Our client retainer is comprised of our client care letter and client guide and terms of business which sets out the terms of the contract and the services to be provided to you.
• Processing is necessary for the purposes of our legitimate interests or those of our clients in the provision of legal services and use in legal proceedings, except where those interests are overridden by the interests, rights or freedoms of affected individuals. In order to determine this, we shall weigh up a number of factors, including what you were told at the time you provided your data, what your reasonable expectations are, and the nature of the data as well as its impact upon you.
• Processing is necessary for compliance with mandatory legal obligations to which we are subject.

 

How long we keep your personal information

We only retain your information for as long as is necessary for the purpose for which it was obtained. This could include compliance with legal obligations (by way of example, in relation to anti money laundering regulations where we are required to keep information for minimum periods). It could also include conducting legal work as instructed or establishing or defending claims which could be made against us, for example for negligence in the performance of our obligations.

 

Information collected from you concerning other people

Where you provide personal information to us about other people, we accept it on the understanding that you have made the other person aware about how we will use and disclose their information.

 

Children

Our services are not aimed at children. In matters involving children they will be represented by parents or legal guardians. Where we are acting in matters involving children, we will explain why their personal data is needed and how it will be used.

 

Where will your personal information be processed

There may be rare occasions where we need to transfer your personal information to countries outside the European Economic Area, (EEA) which do not provide the same level of data protections as in the UK. For example, in relation to legal claims or transactions with an international element, or where we need to instruct overseas agents to assist us in performing our services. In these circumstances, we will take steps to ensure that your personal information is adequately protected.

 

IP addresses and cookies

Some information about website users is collected automatically and may be used by us to review and analyse how our site is used.

We may collect information about your computer, including where available your operating system and browser type, for system administration and to report aggregate information. This is statistical data about our users’ browsing actions and patterns and does not identify any individual. This includes IP addresses, which all of our reporting systems anonymise.

We may also use information obtained by using a cookie file stored on the hard drive of your computer. Cookies contain information that is transferred to your computer’s hard drive. They are widely used to make sites work efficiently. They help us improve our site and deliver a better and more personalised service. They allow us to:

• Estimate our audience size and use patterns.
• Store information about your preferences and so allow us to customise our site to your individual interests.
• Speed up searches.
• Recognise you when you return.

You may refuse to accept cookies by activating the setting on your browser which allows you to refuse cookies. However, if you select this setting you may be unable to access certain parts of our site. Unless you have adjusted your browser setting so that it will refuse cookies, our system will issue cookies when you log on to our site.

 

Cookies used

• Session cookies

These are cookies which are only on your computer for one visit. Once you close your browser, they are deleted. They’re used to do things like remember that you’ve logged into a site.

• Tracking cookies

We have Google Analytics implemented on our site. This uses tracking cookies. These are also session cookies. They do not collect any personal data and help us collect information in an anonymous form.

Most web browsers allow some control of most cookies through browser settings. To find out more about cookies and how to manage or delete them, visit aboutcookies.org.uk

 

Links to other websites

We may include links on our site to enable you to access third party sites directly. If you follow any links, this privacy notice will not apply. Third party sites operate their own privacy policies regarding processing of personal information and the use of cookies. Please check these policies before you submit any personal data to these external sites. We do not accept any responsibility for a third-party site or use of your information or their use of cookies.

 

Access to your information

You have the right to request details of personal information which we hold about you. If you would like a copy of your personal information, please write to Joanna Trafford, 35 Lansdowne Road, Worthing BN11 4NF or email joannatrafford@traffordlaw.co.uk

 

Other rights

You also have the right to correct or complete information held by us.

If you think any information we have about you is incorrect, incomplete or needs updating please also let us know. We will update any information as soon as possible.

You may also in certain circumstances:

• Request that we erase the personal data we hold about you.
• Restrict its processing whilst we continue to hold it.
• Where we process your data by automated means, ask us to transmit that data to another data controller. If you wish to request this, we will let you know whether this is possible, taking into account compatibility of systems of the other data controller to whom you wish the transfer to be made,
• Object to processing. If you raise such objection we must stop unless we can demonstrate an overriding legitimate business interest or that such processing is necessary in relation to legal proceedings.
• To have a decision taken by a human. We are however unlikely to take decisions which have a legal or similarly significant effect on you by automated means.
• Have a right to be notified of a personal data breach if it results in a high risk to your rights and freedoms.
• Have the right to withdraw your consent if you have given your consent to our processing of any of your personal data. (Please note that if you withdraw your consent, this will not affect the validity of any processing carried out prior to withdrawal).

 

These requests are free of charge.

Depending on the nature and extent of your request, we may be unable to continue acting for you. In this event, you will remain liable for our fees and disbursements incurred before the request was made.

Our contact information in connection with the exercise of these rights or other privacy issues is set out below

If you consider we have breached our obligations in respect of your personal data, you may raise your concerns with us. Alternatively, you can complain to the Information Commissioners Office. Further details can be found at ico.org.uk

 

Security and storage

All information you provide to us in electronic format is stored on secure servers within the United Kingdom.

The internet is a global environment. It can involve transmission of data on an international basis. Transmission of information via the internet or any social media is not completely secure. By using our site and communicating with us electronically, you acknowledge and accept our processing of your personal information in this way.

Although we adopt appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its security when sent to this site. Transmission is at your own risk.

Once your information is received by us either in electronic or physical form, we take all reasonable steps necessary to prevent unauthorised access and ensure your information is handled securely and in accordance with this privacy notice. We have put in place suitable electronic, physical and managerial procedures to protect and secure the information collected.

 

How to contact us

If you have any queries or requests regarding this notice, or our practices concerning your personal data, please contact Joanna Trafford on 01213 696969 or email joannatrafford@traffordlaw.co.uk

We will take reasonable steps to resolve or answer concerns as soon as possible and normally within 30 days.

(Kindly note that queries about legal claims/legal matters should be directed to the file handler with conduct of the case as identified in our correspondence with you.