Privacy Policy
We take your privacy very seriously and we are committed to protecting it.
This Policy explains when and why we collect personal information about you, how this information is used, the conditions under which it may be disclosed to others and how it is kept secure.
It also describes the rights you have and control you can exercise in relation to it.
Who We Are
WIN Solicitors is the Data Controller in relation to the collection, storage and processing activities described below.
WIN Solicitors is an Independent Law Firm, authorised and regulated by the Solicitor’s Regulation Authority under number 638817.
Our Data Protection Compliance Staff Member is the Director & Principal Solicitor, Mr Waqar Noor, who can be contacted at:
Address: Midland House, 77 Huddersfield Rd, Mirfield WF14 8BL
Email: admin@winsolicitors.co.uk
Clients Under the Age of Majority
We do not act for Clients Under the Age of Majority without a Litigation Friend (usually the Parent, Carer or Guardian).
Should we have a Client, who is under the Age of Majority, their Litigation Friend becomes their Legal Representative and acts for the Child in respect of their matter and Data.
Our website and Services are not intended for or directed at children under the Age of Majority and we do not knowingly collect data relating to Children under this age.
What We Need
The information that we need from you will vary from case to case and may be deemed as Personal Information (“Personal Data”) or Sensitive Personal Information (“Sensitive Personal Data”).
Personal Data is general information about yourself, such as your name, address, date of birth, contact information, financial information etc.
Sensitive Personal Data is information of a more sensitive nature, such as ethnicity, sexual orientation, political opinions, health information etc.
In every case where we act for you, as our Client, we will need to collect Personal Data from you, in order to meet our responsibilities under Money Laundering Regulations and to complete ID checks.
It may be that for your specific case, we would need to gather Sensitive Personal Data, such as health information in Personal Injury cases, for example.
How We Collect Your Data
There are a number of ways in which we may collect Data, including, but not limited to:
Public Information – Personal Information about you or your business (if applicable) which is publicly available, for example on your employers’ website; public registers, such as the Insolvency Register; public professional social networking sites, the press; and relevant electronic data sources.
Voluntary Information – Information that you, yourself, provide to us voluntarily, or by request.
Third Parties – Information provided to us, about you, by Third Parties, such as your Agent(s), regulators, an Authorised Third Party, counterparties, lawyers and other professional parties, accountants etc., where such information is provided as a normal business practice in connection to the relevant circumstances of your case or dealings with us
Data You Provide To Us About Others
If you provide personal data to us about someone else (such as one of your directors or employees, or someone with whom you have business dealings, if applicable) you must ensure that you are entitled to disclose that personal data to us and that, without our taking any further steps, we may collect, use and disclose that personal data as described in this Privacy Policy. In particular, you must ensure the individual concerned is aware of the various matters detailed in this Privacy Policy, as those matters relate to that individual, including our identity, how to contact us, our purposes of collection, our personal data disclosure practices (including disclosure to overseas recipients), the individual’s right to obtain access to the personal data and make complaints about the handling of the personal data, and the consequences if the personal data is not provided (such as our inability to provide services).
How We Process Your Data
The GDPR require us to communicate to you the purposes for which we Process your Personal Information (the “Permitted Purposes”), together with the corresponding ‘Legal Basis’.
Legal Basis Permitted Purpose
Where it is necessary to perform our contract with you or to take steps at your request to enter into the contract |
For Example:
• to perform our legal and related services and provide legal advice if you are a client |
Where it is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation |
For Example:
• to carry out internal conflicts and other regulatory checks on new client matters and to undertake appropriate client due diligence in accordance with anti-money laundering law; |
Where it is necessary for the purposes of our or another party’s legitimate interests, except where these are overridden by your interests, rights or freedoms |
For example:
• for managing insurances, complaints, potential and actual claims; |
Where you provide your consent |
For Example:
• to deal with your enquiries and requests for information about our firm and services; |
Where it is necessary to protect your vital interests or that of another person |
For Example:
• the disclosure of your Personal Information to medical staff in the event of medical emergencies. |
Where it is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest, on the basis of applicable law |
For Example:
• to comply with our money laundering and terrorist financing reporting requirements; and/or |
Who Has Access To Your Data?
We will never sell or pass your Data on to a Third Party without your consent. We will not share your Data for marketing purposes.
There are, however, circumstances when we need to pass your Data to a Third Party as part of our normal business practice and in the furtherment of your case or dealings with us. Examples of such Third Parties include:
- HMRC
- The Court System
- Opposition Solicitors
- Our Agents, such as – Counsel/Barristers, Tracing Agents,Insurance Companies
- HM Land Registry
- Secure Deposit Schemes, such as The Deposit Protection Scheme
- Non-legal Experts, such as Medical Experts/Consultants, Engineer’s, Contractors
- External Auditors, such as the SRA, ICO
Where Will Your Data Be Stored & How Do We Protect It?
Your Data, whether on paper or electronically will be securely stored at our Offices, which will only be accessible by the Managing Director and Staff who are assigned to your matter. If we have had to share your Data with a Third Party, such as The Court System of one of our Agents, the Data will be stored as per their Privacy Policy.
We take exceptional care in the technological and operational aspects of our work here at WIN Solicitors in order to ensure the safety and confidentiality of your Data and use a secure Password-Protected System for e-data. We process any and all data in strict compliance with our Privacy Policy and your Data is protected by our internal policies and procedures designed to minimise loss or damage through accident, negligence or deliberate actions.
How Long Do We Keep Your Data?
By Law, we are required to store your file, in its entirety, for a period of 6 years following the closing of your file, whether this be at the end of your matter or prior to this.
These files are kept either at our secured Offices or at a secured location off site.
Personal Injury matters, which involve Lifetime Awards or PI Trusts ay be kept indefinitely.
Your Rights
Under GDPR, you have several rights in regards to your Data.
These include, but are not limited to, the right to:
- request access to your personal information (known as a subject access request) and request certain information in relation to its processing
(A request for access to your personal data means you are entitled to a copy of the data we hold on you – such as your name, address, contact details, date of birth, information regarding your health etc.- but it does not mean you are entitled to the documents that contain this data) In certain circumstances, we may need to refuse your request or limit the disclosure, if it is the subject of Legal Professional Privilege belonging to one of more of our Clients. - request rectification of your personal information;
(If your Data is inaccurate or incomplete, you can require that corrections are made) - request the erasure of your personal information;
(You can ask for your data to be erased if there is not a compelling or legal obligation for WIN Solicitors to retain it) - request that we restrict the processing of your personal information; and
(You can ask to block or suppress the processing of your Data for certain reasons. This means that we are still permitted to keep your information but only to ensure we don’t use it in the future for those reasons you have restricted); and - object to the processing of your personal information
(Where we are relying on a legitimate interest (or that of a third party) and there is something about your particular situation which makes you want to object to processing on this ground);
If you wish to do any of the above, please email our Data Protection Compliance Staff Member, Mr Waqar Noor wn@winsolicitors.co.uk
We reserve the right to ask you to prove your identity by providing us with a copy of a valid means of identification in order for us to comply with our security obligations and to prevent unauthorised disclosure of data.
You will not, in general, have to pay a fee to exercise any of your individual rights set out in this Privacy policy. However, we may refuse to provide access and may charge a fee for access if the relevant data protection legislation allows us to do so, in which case we will provide reasons for our decision as required by the law.
We will consider any requests or complaints which we receive and provide you with a response in a timely manner. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may take your complaint to the relevant privacy regulator. We will provide you with details of your relevant regulator upon request.
The above rights are not absolute and each is subject to exceptions and qualifications. We will respond to your request within one month of its receipt. In some cases, we may not be able to fulfil your request before this date and may need to request more time. Where we cannot provide a full response to you for any reason, we will let you know about this in our initial reply to your request.
Your Duty To Inform Us Of Changes
It is important that the Data we hold about you is accurate and current. Please keep us informed if your personal information changes during your business relationship with us.
Our Website & Cookies
Please see the Privacy Policy relating to our Website at https://www.winsolicitors.co.uk/privacy-policy/
Updates To This Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy was last updated in May 2018. We reserve the right to update and change this Privacy Policy from time to time in order to reflect any changes to the way in which we process your personal data or changing legal requirements. In case of any such changes, we will post the changed Privacy Policy on our website or publish it otherwise. The changes will take effect as soon as they are posted on this website.
Contact Information and Complaints
How to contact us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or the Data we will obtain and process about you, please contact:
WIN Solicitors
Midland House,
77 Huddersfield Rd,
Mirfield
WF14 8BL
FAO: Data Protection Compliance
If you are not satisfied with our response to your complaint or believe our processing of your information does not comply with Data Protection Law, you can make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office at https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/ or on 0303 123 1113.
Client Testimonials
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