Privacy Notice for clients – General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)

This notice explains when and why we collect personal information about you; how we use it, the conditions under which we may disclose it to others and how we keep it secure.

For clients of this firm, you should read this notice alongside our general terms and conditions which provide further information on confidentiality, data privacy etc.

This notice does not apply to any websites that may have a link to ours.

Who we are

Data is collected, processed and stored by Counterculture Partnership LLP; and we are what is known as the ‘controller’ of the personal information you provide to us.

Counterculture Partnership LLP is a legal practice which is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority under number 623129.

The firm collects, uses and is responsible for personal information about you. When it does so it is also regulated under the GDPR by the Information Commissioner and is responsible as ‘controller’ of that personal information.

The Data Protection Officer for Hall & Birtles Solicitors is Mr Stuart Hall who can be contacted by email leybum@hallandbirtles.co.uk

What we need

The exact information we will request from you will depend on what you have asked us to do or what we are contracted to do for you. Generally speaking we shall collect the following personal information; -your name, address, gender, date of birth, national insurance number, email address and contact details.

Why we need it

The primary reason for asking you to provide us with your personal data, is to allow us to carry out your requests-which will ordinarily be to represent you and carry out your legal work.
The following are some examples, although not exhaustive, of what we may use your information for:

  • Verifying your identity
  • Verifying source of funds
  • Communicating with you
  • To establish funding of your matter or transaction
  • Obtaining insurance policies on your behalf
  • Processing your legal transaction including:
    Providing you with advice; carrying out litigation on your behalf; attending hearings on your behalf; preparing documents or to complete transactions
  • Keeping financial records of your transactions and the transactions we make on your behalf
  • Seeking advice from third parties; such as legal and non-legal experts

Use of Information

We require this information to better understand your needs, to improve the service we offer and in particular for the following reasons:

  • Internal record keeping.
  • We may use the information to improve our products and services.
  • We may periodically send promotional emails about new products, special offers or other information which we think you may find interesting using the email address which you have provided.
  • From time to time, we may also use your information to contact you for market research purposes. We may contact you by email, phone, fax or mail. We may use the information to customise the website according to your interests.

Who has access to it

We have a data protection regime in place to oversee the effective and secure processing of your personal data. We will not sell or rent your information to third parties. We will not share your information with third parties for marketing purposes.

Generally, we will only use your information within Counterculture Partnership LLP. However, there may be circumstances, in carrying out your legal work, where we may need to disclose some information to third parties; for example:

  • HM Land Registry to register a property
  • HM Revenue & Customs; e.g. for Stamp Duty Land Tax Liability
  • Court or Tribunal matters
  • Office of the Public Guardian
  • Solicitors acting on the other side
  • Asking an independent Barrister or Counsel for advice; or to represent you
  • Non-legal experts to obtain advice or assistance
  • Translation Agencies
  • External auditors or our Regulator; e.g. SRA, ICO etc.
  • Bank or Building Society; or other financial institutions
  • Insurance Companies
  • Providers of identity verification
  • Any disclosure required by law or regulation; such as the prevention of financial crime and terrorism
  • If there is an emergency and we think you or others are at risk

In the event any of your information is shared with the aforementioned third parties, we ensure that they comply, strictly and confidentially, with our instructions and they do not use your personal information for their own purposes unless you have explicitly consented to them doing so.

There may be some uses of personal data that may require your specific consent. If this is the case we will contact you separately to ask for your consent which you are free to withdraw at any time.

How long will we keep your data for

Your personal information will be retained, usually in computer or manual files, only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which the information was collected; or as required by law; or as long as is set out in any relevant contract you may hold with us.

This is likely to be a minimum period of 6 years.

What are your rights?

Under the GDP A, you are entitled to request a copy of your personal data ( otherwise known as a Subject Access Request). If you wish to make a request, please do so in writing addressed to our Data Protection Officer Mr Stuart Hall or contact the person dealing with your matter.

A request for access to your personal data means you are entitled to a copy of the data we hold on you -such as your name, address, contact details, date of birth, information regarding your health etc. This means that a Subject Access Request will not normally result in you getting a copy of your file because you are only entitled to your personal data -not the documents that contain that data.

Website Disclaimer

The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by Hall & Birtles and whilst we endeavour to keep the information up-to-date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.

In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.

Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of Hall & Birtles. We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.

Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, Hall & Birtles takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical or other issues beyond our control.

How to complain

We hope that our Data Protection Officer can resolve any query or concern you raise about our use of your information. The GDPR also gives you right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. The supervisory authority in the UK is the Information Commissioner who may be contacted at www.ico.org.uk/concems/ or telephone 0303 I 231113.