Information
Chambers of Helen Alexander is a direct public access family court barrister, our privacy policy is our commitment to you to ensure the security of your information when engaging our service.
Our Privacy Policy is intended to provide reassurance in the manner we collect information about you, how we use it and your rights regarding it.
1. Scope
All clients and prospective clients whose personal data is collected, in line with the requirements of the GDPR.
2. Responsibilities
2.1 The Data Protection Consultant is responsible for ensuring that this notice is made available to clients/prospective client/enquirers/users (data subjects) prior to chambers collecting and processing their personal data.
2.2 Chambers and administrators who come into contact with client and prospective client data are responsible for ensuring that this notice is drawn to the individual’s attention and their consent to the processing of their data is secured.
3. Privacy Notice
3.2 Personal data that may be collected from clients and prospective clients includes, name, contact details, personal details, children/family details, family court information, financial records, bank statements, medical records, recordings, evidence, cookies, IP address. The personal data we collect will be used for the following purposes:
3.3 Our legal basis for processing for the personal data is to provide services:
3.4 How do we collect your data?
Our direct and indirect communication with you, personal data will be collected from forms, contracts or correspondence to chambers by either post, phone, email or through any other agreed communications. This may include data provided when making enquiries, seeking costs, request for information and marketing material, feedback and website and social media information.
During your enquiries with chambers, personal information may be collected in order to provide support or advice to enquirer, client or prospective client as required through our contractual obligations. This information may include your personal details, bank details and case details,
Any legitimate interests pursued by us, or third parties we use may be used for marketing and chambers business development as follows:
The special categories of personal data concerned are:
Enquirer, clients and prospective client data (data subject)
Barrister Data
Other organisation data
3.5 Consent
By consenting to this privacy notice you are giving us permission to process your personal data specifically for the purposes identified. Consent is required for the Chambers of Helen Alexander to process both types of personal data, but it must be explicitly given. Where we are asking you for sensitive personal data we will always tell you why and how the information will be used. You may withdraw consent at any time by contacting the DPC.
3.6 Disclosure
Beyond our legal basis and legitimates interests for processing your personal data, the Chambers of Helen Alexander will not share your personal data to any third parties without obtaining your consent.
3.7 Retention period
Chambers of Helen Alexander will process and store personal data while you remain a client unless you ask us to delete it. It will be kept as long as is necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements in line with the terms of our contracts. Our Retention and Disposal Policy (copy available on request) details how long we hold data for and how we dispose of it when it no longer needs to be held.
3.8 Your rights as a client, prospective client, enquirer or user
At any point while we are in possession of or processing your personal data, you have the following rights:
When requests for information are received, the Chambers of Helen Alexander may need to request specific information from you to confirm your identity and to prevent disclosure to individuals or parties who have no right to access this information
All of the above requests will be forwarded on should there be a third party involved (as stated in 3.4 above) in the processing of your personal data.
3.9 Complaints
In the event that you wish to make a complaint about how your personal data is being processed by the Chambers of Helen Alexander (or third parties as described in 3.4 above), or how your complaint has been handled, you have the right to lodge a complaint directly with the supervisory authority and the Chambers nominated Data Protection Consultant Helen Alexander
3.10 Privacy Statement
Read more about how and why we use your data, below.
4. Online Privacy Statement
4.1 Personal data
Under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) personal data is defined as: “any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (‘data subject’); an identifiable natural person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person”.
4.2 How we use your information
This privacy notice tells you how the Chambers of Helen Alexander will collect and use your personal data.
4.3 Why Chamber’s need to collect and store personal data?
In order for us to provide you with legal service and facilitate your enquiries through our website and social media and ensure conflict checks are carried out, we need to collect personal data. This may include correspondence purposes and/or detailed service provision to existing clients. In any event, we are committed to ensuring that the information we collect, and use is appropriate for this purpose, and does not constitute an invasion of your privacy.
4.4 Chamber’s policy on sharing personal data with anyone else?
We may pass your personal data on to third-party service providers, Chamber or Barristers contracted to Chambers of Helen Alexander in the course of dealing with you. Any third parties that we may share your data with are obliged to keep your details securely, and to use them only to fulfil the service they provide you on our behalf. When they no longer need your data to fulfil this service, they will dispose of the details in line with Chambers’ procedures. If we wish to pass your sensitive personal data onto a third party we will only do so once we have obtained your consent, or unless we are legally required to do otherwise, or within legal basis and legitimates interests.
4.5 Chamber’s policy on use the personal data it collects about individuals?
Chamber’s process (collect, store and use) the information you provide in a manner compatible with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). We will endeavour to keep your information accurate and up to date, and not keep it for longer than is necessary. Chambers of Helen Alexander is required to retain information in accordance with the law, such as information needed for income tax and audit purposes. How long certain kinds of personal data should be kept may also be governed by specific business-sector requirements and agreed practices. Personal data may be held in addition to these periods depending on individual business needs.
Chambers’ aim is not to be intrusive, and you can be assured that we agree not to ask irrelevant or unnecessary questions. Moreover, the information you provide will be subject to rigorous measures and procedures to minimise the risk of unauthorized access or disclosure.
4.6 How can I find out the personal data that Chambers holds on you?
Individuals can make a request in writing to confirm what information is held on you and how it is processed. If Chambers does hold personal data about you, you can request the following information:
4.7 Chambers’ Legal Obligations
Chambers will share specific and relevant information with law enforcement and government agencies or public bodies where we are legally required to do so. Examples may include:
4.8 Sharing information with our Contractors and Suppliers
There are some cases when we will share your information to support legitimate business purposes. We do this to make sure that we can meet your needs, and to meet our health and safety obligations towards those delivering services on our behalf. This may include sharing information with our contractors and suppliers to allow them to carry out duties on our behalf or to meet contractual obligations we may have. For example, we may share information to enable our maintenance contractors to make appointments with you to carry out repairs and/or deliver services.
4.9 Keeping Your Information Secure
We store personal information both electronically and in paper form. We implement security policies, processes and technical security solutions to protect the personal information we hold from:
When you contact Chambers for information, you will need to provide us with some information so that we can confirm your identity. If other people (e.g. family members, support workers, solicitors) act on your behalf, we will take steps to make sure that you have agreed for them to do so, this may include asking them to provide us with supporting information to indicate your consent.
We do this to protect you and to make sure that other people cannot find things out about you that they are not entitled to know. Employees and third parties who have access to, or are associated with the processing of, your personal information will be required to ensure compliance with the GDRP and Data Protection Act and make reasonable efforts to safeguard it.
4.10 What Forms of ID will I need to provide in order to access this?
Chambers will accept the following forms of ID when information on your personal data is requested: Passport, driving licence, birth certificate or a recent utility bill with your details and identification verification.
4.11 Information on our Website and Social Media:
When accessing our website or social media, Chambers will collect standard internet/social media log information for statistical purposes and to improve the website/social media and quality of information for the public use. Details of how we do this are on our Privacy Policy page.
4.12 Chambers Marketing:
Chambers may use your personal data to improve the quality of information through our website and social media. You will not receive marketing communications from us unless you an organisation working with us.
4.13 Document Owner and Approval
The Data Protection Consultant is the owner of this document and is responsible for ensuring that this record is reviewed in line with the review requirements of the GDPR.
4.14 Change History Record
This document is reviewed every 6 -12 months.