PRIVACY & CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE
This privacy notice explains what you can expect from AY Sovereign Solicitors (hereafter referred to as The Firm) when we hold or request personal information (personal data) about you and how you can get access to a copy of your personal data; and what you can do if you think we have done something wrong.
The firm collects and processes personal data as part of our engagement to act for you and this will include: obtaining your instructions, advising you and taken steps to comply with your instructions.
About personal information
Personal data is information about you as an individual. It can be your name, address or telephone number. It can also include sensitive information about your physical and mental wellbeing, information about children and family members, spent and unspent criminal conviction details, racial and ethnic origin, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, trade union membership and political beliefs.
We know how important it is to protect our client’s privacy and to comply with data protection laws. We will safeguard your personal data and will only disclose it where it is lawful to do so, or with your consent.
Types of personal data we process
We only process personal data necessary to act for you and to fulfil our legal obligations. Personal data that the firm may collect includes names, dates of birth, addresses, email addresses, national insurance numbers, nationality and ethnicity, financial information, sexual orientation, information about offences or alleged offences committed, physical and mental health information.
Purpose of processing and the lawful basis for the process
As a law firm, we will inevitably need to have evidence to confirm who you are and where you live. We cannot act for you without this information and supporting documents.
In order to protect your privacy and confidential information that we have about you, we will for example not discuss your case without you given us written authorization to do so. This extend to relatives and others who may be close to you.
Other legal and regulatory information
Data Controller Alexander A. Adeyemo is the Data Controller
Purposes of Processing– Your data will be processed in order to:
- provide services under contract to you and others;
- comply with regulatory and other legal obligations; and
- protect A Y Sovereign against potential claims.
Legal Basis – Your data will be processed on the basis that A.Y. Sovereign Solicitors has a legitimate interest in being able to achieve the aims of processing matters set out above. Where special category data is provided, the provider of the data warrants that they consent to A.Y. Sovereign Solicitors processing that data or that they have obtained written consent from the data subject.
Personal Data Held – As a minimum, A.Y. Sovereign Solicitors is required to positively identify its clients. This includes positively identifying a director in the case of a corporate client. In addition, AY Sovereign Solicitors holds whatever information is provided to it by its clients and others. This will rarely include special category data.
Failure to Provide Data — If you fail to provide A.Y. Sovereign Solicitors with the data required, you will not be able receive services from us or and we cannot use your information for marketing.
Data Sources – A.Y. Sovereign Solicitors obtains most personal data from its clients and those who have indicated that they have an interest in A.Y. Sovereign Solicitors services. A.Y. Sovereign Solicitors also obtains some personal data from other correspondents. A.Y. Sovereign Solicitors also collects some data from publicly available sources (e.g. Companies House).
Recipients – Any data provided by a client is treated as confidential to that client and will only be shared with others in so far as this is necessary in order to provide the services contracted for by the client, to comply with regulatory and other legal obligations and to protect AY Sovereign Solicitors against a potential claim. In order to provide its services, A.Y. Sovereign Solicitors relies on the services of certain data processors. These include secure cloud storage for files and emails. In each case, A.Y. Sovereign Solicitors ensures that data is processed in compliance with this policy.
Retention Period – Data is held for six years from the end of the relevant matter .
The GDPR is an EU Regulation and, in principle, it will no longer apply to the UK from the end of the transition period. The GDPR will still apply to any organizations in Europe who send data to the firm and we have processes in place in relation to organizations that transfer personal data to us (in the UK) in line with the GDPR.
Data Subject’s Rights — Where relevant, you have the right (subject to client confidentiality) to:
- withdraw consent to the processing of your data;
- complain to a supervisory authority regarding the processing of your data (https://ico.org.uk/); and
- obtain a copy of the data held on you and to correction of any errors in that data.
Responsibility for this policy, including an annual document review, is that of Alexander A. Adeyemo.