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Privacy Policy

Introduction

The person responsible for this policy is Janet O’Keefe and she is also responsible for an annual review of the policy. Olliers is committed to safeguarding the privacy of those whose personal data comes into our possession. This can include visitors to our website, clients and prospective clients. This policy explains:
  1. Important information and who we are;
  2. What personal data we collect;
  3. How we collect your personal data;
  4. How and why we may store, use, transfer and share your personal data;
  5. Who we share your personal data with;
  6. International transfers;
  7. Data security;
  8. How long we store your personal data; and
  9. Your rights in relation to your personal data.
 
  1. Important information and who we are

This privacy policy aims to give you information on how Olliers Solicitors Limited collects and processes your personal data. It is important that you read this privacy policy together with any other privacy policy we may provide on specific occasions when we are collecting and/or processing personal data about you so that you are fully aware of how and why we are using your data. This privacy policy supplements other privacy notices and policies and is not intended to override them. Olliers Solicitors Limited is the controller and we are responsible for your personal data. Our Data Protection Officer (DPO) is Janet O’Keefe. Our contact details If you have any questions about this privacy policy or our privacy practices, please contact our DPO using the following information: Janet O’Keefe Olliers Solicitors Limited, 196 Deansgate, Manchester, UK, M3 3WF janetokeefe@olliers.com 0161 834 1515 Complaints You have the right to make a complaint at any time to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK data protection regulator (www.ico.org.uk). We would, however, appreciate the chance to deal with your concerns before you approach the ICO, so please contact us in the first instance. Changes to this privacy policy and your duty to inform us of changes We keep this privacy policy under regular review. This version was last updated on 19 April 2022. We may change this privacy policy from time to time. When we do, we will inform you via this web page. If you have an ongoing matter with us, we will inform you of changes to the policy using the contact details that you have provided, or care of your solicitor. 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. Third-party links on this website This website may include links to third-party websites, plug-ins and applications. Clicking on those links or enabling those connections may allow third parties to collect or share data about you. We do not control these third-party websites and are not responsible for their privacy statements. When you leave our website, we encourage you to read the privacy policy of every website you visit.
  1. What personal data do we collect?

The lists below set out the personal data we may collect in the course of advising and/or acting for you, or when you visit our website: Identity Data includes first name, maiden name, last name, username or similar identifier, marital status, title, date of birth, nationality, gender, National Insurance Number and passport details. Contact Data includes postal addresses, email addresses and telephone numbers. Financial Data includes bank account and payment card details. Transaction Data includes details about payments to and from you and other details of the services you have purchased from us or that we have supplied to you. 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 this website. Profile Data includes your username and password, purchases or orders made by you, your interests, preferences, feedback and survey responses. 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. Visual Data includes photographs, images and videos which show your facial features and contain your visual likeness. We will only collect the following types of special category personal data where it is necessary and proportionate to the service that we are performing for you, and when you provide us with your consent to do so: Trade Union Membership Data includes membership history, union details and position details. We will only collect criminal offence data where it is necessary and proportionate to the to the service that we are performing for you, and when you provide us with your consent to do so. We may also collect, use and share Aggregated Data such as statistical or demographic data for any purpose. Aggregated Data could be derived from your personal data but is not considered personal data in law as this data will not directly or indirectly reveal your identity. For example, we may aggregate your Usage Data to calculate the percentage of users accessing a specific website feature. However, if we combine or connect Aggregated Data with your personal data so that it can directly or indirectly identify you, we treat the combined data as personal data which will be used in accordance with this privacy policy. 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 goods or services). In this case, we may have to cancel a product or service you have with us but we will notify you if this is the case at the time.
  1. How is your personal data collected?

We use different methods to collect data from and about you including through: Direct interactions. You may give us your Identity, Visual, Contact and Financial Data by filling in forms or by corresponding with us by post, phone, email or otherwise. This includes personal data you provide when you:
  • apply for our services;
  • meet with our solicitors and/or administrative staff;
  • supply us with information; or
  • give us feedback or contact us.
Automated technologies or interactions. As you interact with our website, we will automatically collect Technical Data about your equipment, browsing actions and patterns. We collect this personal data by using cookies and other similar technologies. Please see our Cookie Policy for further details. Third parties or publicly available sources. We will receive personal data about you from various third parties and public sources as set out below:
  • publicly accessible sources including social media and Companies House;
  • enforcement bodies and those with responsibilities for prosecuting criminal offences;
  • from a third party with your consent, for example:
  • consultants and other professionals engaged in relation to your matter or case;
  • your employer, trade union or professional body;
  • doctors, medical and occupational health professionals;
  • insurance companies.
  1. How and why we may store, use, transfer and share your personal data

We will only use your personal data when the law allows us to. Most commonly, we will use your personal data in the following circumstances:
  • Where we need to perform the contract we are about to enter into or have entered into with you.
  • Where it is necessary for our legitimate interests (or those of a third party) and your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests.
  • Where we need to comply with a legal obligation.
The legal basis upon which we ordinarily rely is that the processing is necessary in relation to a contract which you have entered into with us (either directly or through an intermediary), or because you have asked us to do something with the view to entering into a contract with us. We may process personal data to:
  • Provide legal services;
  • Conduct checks to verify the identities of clients and prospective clients;
  • Comply with professional, legal and regulatory obligations that apply to our business, e.g. rules issued by our professional regulator;
  • Gather and provide information required by or relating to audits, enquiries or investigations by regulatory bodies;
  • Ensure business policies are adhered to, e.g. policies covering security and internet use;
  • Improve efficiency, train staff or assess quality control;
  • Ensure the confidentiality of commercially sensitive information;
  • Conduct statistical analysis to help us manage our practice, e.g. in relation to our financial performance, client base, work type or other efficiency measures;
  • Prevent unauthorised access and modifications to systems;
  • Update client records;
  • Complete statutory returns;
  • Ensure safe working practices, staff administration and assessments; and
  • Undergo external audits and quality checks, e.g. for Lexcel accreditation and the audit of our accounts.
We will only process your special category personal data and criminal offence data with your explicit consent. We will only use your personal data for the purposes for which we collected it, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another reason and that reason is compatible with the original purpose. If you wish to get an explanation as to how the processing for the new purpose is compatible with the original purpose, please contact us. If we need to use your personal data for an unrelated purpose, we will notify you and we will explain the legal basis which allows us to do so. Please note that we may process your personal data without your knowledge or consent, in compliance with the above rules, where this is required or permitted by law. Marketing We strive to provide you with choices regarding certain personal data uses, particularly around marketing and advertising. We may use your Identity, Contact, Technical, Usage and Profile Data to form a view on what we think you may want or need, or what may be of interest to you. This is how we decide which products, services and offers may be relevant for you (we call this marketing). You will receive marketing communications from us if you have requested information from us or purchased or services from us and you have not opted out of receiving that marketing. We will get your express opt-in consent before we share your personal data with any third party for marketing purposes. In no circumstances will be sell your personal data to a third party for financial gain. You can ask us or third parties to stop sending you marketing messages 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 your request for us to provide you with legal services.
  1. Who we share your personal data with

In providing services to you we will of course have to share your personal data with your instructed barrister(s). We may also have to contact other organisations about you, including other solicitors, courts, funders, experts, and consultants. We only allow our service providers (such as our IT Contractors) to handle your personal data if we are satisfied that they take appropriate measures to protect your personal data. We also impose contractual obligations on service providers to ensure they can only use your personal data to provide services to us and to you. We may disclose your personal data to regulatory bodies to comply with our legal and regulatory obligations. We will not share your personal data with any other third party without your specific consent. However, should you make a claim against us we will share with your data with our insurers and or their brokers in order to deal with the claim.
  1. International Transfers

All our offices are in the UK and all our service providers are located inside the European Economic Area (EEA). All countries within the EEA are deemed to provide an adequate level of protection for personal data. Where we use service providers located in EEA, we may use specific contracts approved for use in the UK which give personal data the same protection it has in the UK To deliver services to you, it may, on rare occasions, be necessary for us to transfer your personal data outside the EEA, for example;
  • if you are based and/or resident outside the EEA; or
  • where there is an international dimension to the matter in which we are advising you.
In the event that the transfer of your personal data outside of the EEA appears as if it might be necessary for us to provide you with legal services, we will consult with you before making any such transfer.
  1. Data security

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. In addition, we limit access to your personal data to those employees, agents, contractors and other third parties who have a business need to know. They will only process your personal data on our instructions, and they are subject to a duty of confidentiality. 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. Where appropriate, we use encryption or other security measures which we deem appropriate to protect your personal data and information. We also review our security procedures periodically to consider appropriate new technology and updated methods. We also have procedures in place to deal with any suspected personal data breach. We will notify you and any applicable regulator of a suspected personal data breach where we are legally required to do so. Please contact our Data Protection Officer if you would like further information in this regard.
  1. How long we store your personal data

We will only retain your personal data for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, regulatory, tax, accounting or reporting requirements. We may retain your personal data for a longer period in the event of a complaint or if we reasonably believe there is a prospect of litigation in respect to our relationship with you. To determine the appropriate retention period for personal data, we consider the amount, nature and sensitivity of the personal data, the potential risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure of your personal data, the purposes for which we process your personal data and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means, and the applicable legal, regulatory, tax, accounting or other requirements. In general, we will retain your personal data for a period of six years from when we stop providing you with legal services. When it is no longer necessary to retain your personal data, we will delete or anonymise it.
  1. Your legal rights

Under certain circumstances, you have rights under data protection laws in relation to your personal data. You have the right to: 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 our Data Protection Officer. 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 is clearly unfounded, repetitive or excessive. Alternatively, we could refuse to comply with your request in these circumstances. 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. 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.

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