Privacy, Cookies & GDPR

Due to the new GDPR Law coming into effect in March 2018, we have changed the way we ask for your information.

1. Introduction

The General Data Protection Regulations 2018 (GDPR) places legal responsibilities on organisations who collect and use personal information and gives individuals certain rights of access. The GDPR covers information that is structured, including data processed automatically by computer and information, which is recorded as part of a relevant filing system.

In the course of carrying out its business, Venters Solicitors needs to collect and use certain types of information about people such as, employees, clients and suppliers and is subject to the GDPR. This policy document sets out Venters Solicitors' intentions to fulfil its obligations under the GDPR and the arrangements it has put in place to comply with it.

2. Responsibility for the GDPR

Venters Solicitors is committed to ensuring that all staff comply with the GDPR. The Practice Manager is responsible for compliance by Venters Solicitors with the Act, assisted by the Partnership. Any queries or Subject Access Requests should be sent to carly.fiander@venters.co.uk.

3. Information we hold

• Basic information, such as your full name including title, date of birth, your relationship to other people
• Contact information, such as your address including postcode, your telephone numbers and email addresses
• Background and personal information as provided by you or 3rd parties in connection with your case
• Financial information, such as your National Insurance number, details of your income, details of your employer, details of your benefits,

4. How Information is collected

• We collect the information from you and 3rd parties in the course of providing legal advice.
• We collect basic and contact information via our website

5. How we use your Data

• To provide you with legal services
• To provide information requested by you
• For the purpose of recruitment
• To comply with legal and regulatory obligations
• For the defence of legal claims or proceedings

6. Who we share your Data with

• Expert witnesses and other professionals
• 3rd parties such as barristers, the Court, government agencies and law enforcement agencies.
• Our professional auditors
• If you have applied for and/or are in receipt of Legal Aid, the Legal Aid Agency
• Suppliers whom we outsource services from such as IT service providers, translation providers, photocopying, word processing and legal costs Draftsmen.

Whilst we would normally advise you of any disclosure, there may be situations that legally restricts us from doing this.

7. Data Retention

• All personal data obtained in connection with providing legal services will be retained for a minimum period of 6 years
• All invoices, bills and payment receipts will be retained for a minimum period of 7 years
• All other data retention issues please refer to our practice manager.

8. Protecting your Data

Venters Solicitors will:

• ensure that all staff receive training and guidance so that they understand that they are contractually responsible for complying with the law and know how to process information in accordance with the GDPR.
• put in place procedures for complying with the GDPR
• put in place appropriate technical and organisational security measures to safeguard personal information
• ensure that individuals are informed of the purposes for which their data will be used and that consent is sought for such use, where required.

9. Individuals' Rights

Venters Solicitors will ensure that individuals' can exercise their rights described in the GDPR, including the right of subject access request to personal information; the right to prevent processing personal information in certain circumstances, including a right to rectify, block, erase or destroy information.

a. Subject Access Request

The GDPR provides the right for individuals to be told by Venters Solicitors

• whether they process information about them (the subject),
• to be given a description of the information that they process,
• to be told to whom the information is disclosed,
• and to have copies of such information provided to them in a form that they can understand.

Venters Solicitors will supply this information providing the request is in writing; sufficient information is given by the applicant to enable Venters Solicitors to locate the information requested; Venters Solicitors will respond to such requests within 1 month of receipt of the request.
Venters Solicitors will provide the information in a permanent format that is understandable to the applicant.

The Practice Manager will coordinate subject access requests.

b. The right to prevent processing personal information in certain circumstances, including for purposes of direct marketing

Venters Solicitors will comply with the rights of individuals. For example, Venters Solicitors will not use personal information for marketing purposes where the person has not provided consent to do so.

c. The right to rectify, block, erase or destroy inaccurate information
Venters Solicitors will comply with responsibilities to amend any inaccurate data it holds about an individual, pursuant to Article 19.

d. Right to Erasure

Venters Solicitors will comply with their responsibility to erase an individual's data after the retention period if requested.
To ensure that the details we hold for you are correct, please ensure that you advise us of any changes to your information as soon as possible.

10. Complaints

Any complaints about the way in which the Venters Solicitors deals with personal information will be dealt with by the Practice Manager who will arrange for the matter to be investigated. If the complainant is dissatisfied with the outcome of the investigation by the Practice Manager, they may complain directly to the Compliance Officer for Legal Practice ('COLP'), Andrea Dawkins. Appeals against the decision of the COLP can be made to the Information Commissions Office.

Contact details:
Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Tel: 01625 524510
http://www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk

Use of Cookies

A "cookie" is a small file that is used to pass data from one web page to another. This site doesn't use cookies except for Google Analytics to measure traffic visiting the site. This cookie does not know or record any of your personal information, it merely records which pages are visited.

Hosting

The Venters website is designed, built and hosted by Omniweb Ltd. Omniweb has its own private cloud which is located in a UK Data centre operated by Iomart.

Omniweb is a Registered Data Keeper with the UK's ICO (Information Commissioner's Office). This is the highest UK Government authority on Data Protection. Omniweb is also certified under the UK Government Cyber Essentials Plus programme for Cyber Security.

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