Privacy Policy

PRIVACY NOTICE 

Your personal data can, by itself, or with other data, be used to identify you. This information notice sets out how we, Essex Law Limited, the data controller, will use your personal data.  By accepting our Website Terms or by visiting (‘the Website) you are accepting and consenting to the practices described in this Privacy Policy. 

Providing your personal data to Essex Law Limited 

We will tell you if providing some personal data is optional, particularly if we ask for your consent to process it.  In all other cases we will only collect and hold the minimum amount of data that we need from you for the purpose for which we are collecting it. 

The types of personal data we collect and use 

We will use your personal data for the reasons set out in the section “The legal basis and purpose”, and, if you become a client of the firm, to provide our service to you. We will collect most of the data we use from you directly.  Where we collect personal data indirectly the sources are detailed below. 

Clients and prospective clients   

If you ask us to quote for our services and/or become a client of Essex Law Limited we will collect the following details: 

• Your full name and personal contact information (e.g. home address, personal email address, home and personal mobile telephone numbers) plus 
• Any additional information necessary to assess whether we can proceed as your legal advisor and/or to provide you with an initial quote for our services. 

Third Parties 

We may have received your details from a third-party introduction or be an opposing party in a dispute.   

Professional Contact  

If you are a professional contact of Essex Law Limited, we will store the following information: 

• Full name, job role and company details, including professional contact information (e.g. company address, company email address, company landline and company mobile telephone numbers) 

Third party sources of your data:  

Website  

If you have visited our website we will have told you about the cookies that we use and their purpose and asked you to set your own preferences in relation to these cookies.  We use Google Analytics. 

Our website may contain links to other websites. This information notice only applies to www.essexlawlimited.com and data collected from it. When you visit other websites you should read their privacy notice. 

Monitoring communications 

Subject to applicable laws we will monitor emails, text messages, social media messages and other communications with you in relation to our dealings with you. We may monitor telephone calls but will always tell you if we intend to record a telephone call. Our monitoring is for regulatory compliance, self-regulation, supervision and quality control and training purposes, to protect the security of our communications systems and to check for obscene content. We may also monitor progress on your matter where necessary and this is justified by our legitimate interests or legal obligations 

The legal basis and purpose  

Essex Law Limited will process your personal data in the following ways: 

(a) Consent: you have given clear consent for us to process your personal data for a specific purpose. 

(b) Contract: the processing is necessary to enter into the contract you, or because you have asked us to take specific steps before entering into a contract. 

© Legal obligation: the processing is necessary for us to comply with the law (not including contractual obligations). 

(f) Legitimate interests: the processing is necessary for our legitimate interests or the legitimate interests of a third party unless there is a good reason to protect your personal data which overrides those legitimate interests.  

We have identified these on a lawful basis to assess whether we can, process your data or pass your details to a third party. 

Sharing of your personal data 

Subject to applicable data protection law we may share your data with, for example: 

• Other parties directly connected or named on your file 
• Third parties who, with your permission, you wish to deal with the file on your behalf 
• Sub-contractors and other persons who assist Essex Law Limited in providing our services, such as consultants; 
• Other professional advisors, including your accountant, auditors and bank 
• Government bodies and agencies in the UK and overseas e.g. HMRC, Land Registry, Companies House, Information Commissioners Office, Financial Conduct Authority 

• Anyone else where Essex Law Limited have your consent to do so or as required by law 

International transfers 

Your personal data may be transferred outside the UK and the European Economic Area but only to countries which have adequate protections for personal data under applicable laws. 

Criteria used to determine retention periods 

Whether or not you become a client the following criteria are used to determine how long we will keep your data for: 

Retention in case of queries: We will retain your data as long as necessary to deal with any queries you might have (about your enquiry or quote for example) 

Retention in case of claims: We will retain your data for as long as you might legally bring a claim against us 

Retention in accordance with legal and regulatory requirements: We will retain your personal data after your file is finished based on our legal and regulatory requirements, e.g. anti-money laundering and terrorist financing regulations 

Consent: if we are contacting you on the basis of your consent we will revisit your consent to be contacted after 12 months 

Examples of retention periods: 

Name and date of birth – Indefinite, in order to enable us to carry out conflict of interest checks in the future 

Identification evidence – For at least 6 years after the end of the file or of our business  

relationship with you, or such longer period as anti-money laundering and terrorist financing regulations may require 

Payment information – For at least 6 years 

Your rights under data protection law 

You have a number of rights regarding the processing and storage of your personal data. Some rights do not apply in all circumstances. 

• The right to be informed about the processing of your personal data 
• The right to have your personal data corrected if it is inaccurate and to have incomplete personal data completed 
• The right to object to the processing of your personal data 
• The right to restrict processing of your personal data 
• The right to have your personal data erased (the right to “be forgotten”) subject to certain restrictions, e.g. data still required for lawful reasons 

• The right to access your personal data and information about how we process it 
• The right to move, copy or transfer your personal data (portability) 

Automated decision making and processing  

We will not undertake any automatic decision making or profiling in relation to your personal data 

Security information 

We have a very strict policy on protecting your Personal Data: 

1. We make sure we do thorough checks on everyone we work with.  

1. We use encrypted software. 

1. We continually test our systems to see whether it can be penetrated by malicious software and outside third parties looking to steal data.   

1. We maintain physical, electronic and procedural safeguards in connection with the collection, storage and disclosure of personally identifiable customer information. 

Which third parties specifically see my data? 

These companies process your data: 

1. Lawfusion (software provider) 

1. Transactive (payment provider) 

1. Allied Factors (software provider) 

1. ALPH L&C Limited (third party admin provider) 

Selling of data 

No.  

Marketing 

You can change your mind at any time and opt out by emailing us at enquiries@essexlawlimited.com. 

How you can update and access information 

Please email us at enquiries@essexlawlimited.com heading ‘Change my data’ – we will also write to you annually. 

Changes to our information notice 

This information notice is kept under regular review and any updates will be added to this page.  

To get more information about this Privacy Policy 

Jane Blowers 

enquiries@essexlawlimited.com 

Essex Law Limited 

ICO No. ZA513967 

Website: www.essexlawlimited.com