Privacy Policy Regarding Your Personal Information

This is the Privacy Policy containing the information Sturgess Perring Solicitors is required to notify you of under the Data Protection legislation

Your privacy is important to Sturgess Perring Solicitors as the data controller. We are committed to keeping your information secure and managing it in accordance with our legal responsibilities under applicable data protection laws. This means that we are responsible for deciding how we hold and use personal information about you.

Johanna Perring of Sturgess Perring Solicitors is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) as a data controller under registration number Z1116019.

It is important that you read this Privacy Policy carefully as it contains important information to help you understand how and why we process any personal information that you give to us.

A. WHAT INFORMATION DO WE COLLECT FROM YOU

We process personal information which you give to us and we will only ask for personal information that we need to properly our work with you:

  • as our client to provide you with legal services.
  • whilst handling your file in writing or over the phone or through our website.
  • if you request information or assistance from us.

Please do not send us any information we do not ask for.

B. WHY DO WE COLLECT THIS INFORMATION

1) In acting for you

a. When your file is open, the personal data will be used for the purpose for which it was originally intended. We process your personal information to fulfil our contract with you, or where you or we have a legitimate interest in doing so, where otherwise permitted by law, or to comply with applicable law and regulation.  We use your personal information for:-

a) To provide you with the legal service we have agreed to carry out for you including any internal processes to do this such as accounting
b) To deal with the matter which you have asked us to carry out we will release to the other party where it is necessary your personal details that are necessary to carry out the work. An example of this is if you are moving home and we are doing the legal work for you we need to release your name and address as these will go in the contract whether you are selling or buying.
c) To deal with you and manage our relationship with you
d) Resolving queries.
e) Training and service review so we can continue to provide a good service.
f) Any statistical analysis such as reviewing costs
g) Complying with our legal obligations including preventing, investigating and prosecuting a crime which extends to fraud and money laundering
h) Complying with the obligations imposed on us by the SRA
i) File audits
j) Firm accreditations

b. When your matter is completed and/ or your file is closed, we may still process your personal information where we have a legitimate interest in doing so, where we are permitted by law, or to comply with applicable laws and regulation. Some examples are:-

a) Complying with legal obligations for statutory and regulatory requirements such as HMRC transaction returns, anti-money laundering, reporting to the SRA or complying with a court order;
b) Complaint handling;
c) Closing of your file for the periods outlined in paragraph 1.4 of our Terms of Business under Storage of Documents and Deeds. (Archiving and storage of your personal data is still classed as a processing activity even though it is not being regularly accessed and remains securely locked away); and
d) Our legitimate interests to conduct conflict of interest checks
e) Any statistical analysis and research to help us enhance our products and services.

2) From our website

a) We do not currently process any personal information from our website.
b) Any visitor to our website is able to view our contact details and if you send an email using our email address then your message will contain any user name you have, your email address and any information which you may choose to include in the message.
c) Links to other websites
Any links to other websites are provided for information and you must check that website’s Privacy Policy so you understand what of your personal data that provider will collect and use. We cannot accept any responsibility for using any link.
d) Cookies
We do not currently use Cookies. e) Automated decision making and profiling
We not conduct any solely automated decision making or profiling.

3) Special or sensitive categories of personal data

a) Please do not provide special categories of personal data to us. This data relates to more sensitive types of personal information such as religious beliefs, ethnicity, your medical history and information about criminal convictions and crime.
b) If you choose to provide sensitive personal information to us the act of doing so constitutes your express consent for us to collect and use that information in the ways described in this Privacy Policy or as described at the point where you choose to disclose this information.

C. WHO WE SHARE YOUR INFORMATION WITH

We may disclose your information to the parties as set out in this Privacy Policy and to the following third parties

a) To meet our contractual obligations third parties to carry out the legal services we are providing to you
b) Fraud detection agencies
c) Statutory and regulatory bodies
d) Law enforcement agencies for the prevention or detection of crime including anti money laundering
e) Providers to carry out our identity checks to comply with our legal obligations.
f) Third-party service providers such as IT suppliers, auditors, document management providers and tax advisers

D. HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION

1) We will process your information in order to meet our contractual obligations to you, where we are permitted by law, to comply with applicable laws and regulation or where we have a legitimate interest to do so.

2) We use your personal information for the purpose for which it was provided to us and as indicated when it is collected from you such as any personal data you may give to us as follows:

a) Ask for an estimate.
b) If you enquire about further information.
c) Submit a curriculum vitae (CV).
d) Deal with our website.

3) We do not currently have a mailing list.

E. HOW WE RETAIN YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

1) We will retain your personal information in accordance with applicable laws and for as long as is necessary for the purpose for which it was collected.  We will take reasonable steps to make the data anonymous or destroy so it cannot be accessed when we no longer need for the purposes we have set out in this Privacy Policy.

2) Information security

a) We have appropriate resources to protect your personal information, from misuse, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.
b) No internet-based site can be totally secure and we cannot be held responsible for unauthorised or unintended access that is beyond our control.

F. YOUR RIGHTS ON ACCESSING YOUR INFORMATION

1) You have the right to request copies of your personal information. 

2) The right to data portability - To request this please contact Johanna Perring who will discuss the format you would like your data in when you make a DSAR.

3) If you think any of the personal information we hold about you is inaccurate, you may also request it is corrected or deleted.

4) You also have a right, in certain circumstances, to object to our processing of your personal information, to require us to stop or place restrictions on the processing of your personal information and/or to withdraw your agreement to processing based on ‘consent’, but this does not apply where we have other legal justifications to continue processing your data or an overriding legitimate interest. 

5) You can also ask us to transfer your personal information to a third party.

6) In relation to all of these rights, please write to us at the address set out below.

7) If you have a complaint about how we have handled your personal information you may contact us using the details below and we will investigate and respond to your complaint. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office:  www.ico.org.uk.

G. CONTACT US

In writing to
Johanna Perring
Sturgess Perring Solicitors
20 Bicclescombe Gardens,
Ilfracombe,
NORTH DEVON, EX34 8EX
England

or
by email to:
johanna@sturgessperringsolicitors.co.uk

H. UPDATES

1) We will keep this Privacy Policy under review and make updates from time to time. Any minor changes to this Privacy Policy will be posted on this page and we will communicate any major changes to you.

2) This Privacy Policy was updated in July 2021 (v2).