PJH Privacy notice

Pritchard Joyce & Hinds Privacy Notice

Pritchard Joyce & Hinds is committed to protecting your personal data. This privacy notice will inform you as to how we look after the personal data we receive relating to our clients and process on their behalf and tell you about your privacy rights and how to exercise them.

We operate the following website: www.pj-h.co.uk For information relating to our website and use of cookies, please refer to our website privacy policy which is available at http://www.pj-h.co.uk/site/help/privacy/.

Who is responsible for your personal data?

PJH Solicitors Limited trading as Pritchard Joyce & Hinds (a company registered in England and Wales under company number 10880009) of Kelsey House, 77 High Street, Beckenham, Kent BR3 1AN is the controller and responsible for your personal data (“we”).

What data do we collect?

We may collect, use, store and transfer different kinds of personal data about you which we have grouped together as follows:

•         Identity and Contact Data includes name, marital status, title, date of birth, passport number, gender, address, job title, email address, fax number and telephone number.

•         Financial Data includes bank account, payment card details and other relevant billing information.

•         Transaction Data includes details about payments to and from you and other services we have supplied to you.

•         Other Information includes information processed as part of a client relationship or provided by you to us such as instructions provided, requests made and information otherwise provided by you as part of any communication with us.

•         Technical Data includes internet protocol (IP) address, your login data, browser type and version, time zone setting and location, browser plug-in types and versions, operating system and platform and other technology on the devices you use to access our website(s). For more information, please refer to our website and cookie policy http://www.pj-h.co.uk/site/help/privacy/privacy_index.html#.

•         Information from publicly available sources: such as publicly available databases and credit reference agencies.

•         Usage Data includes information about how you use our website and services.

•         Marketing and Communications Data includes your preferences in receiving marketing from us and your communication preferences.

•         Data relating to your visits to our premises.

•         Special categories of personal data: if, during the course of us providing services to you or your organisation, it is necessary to do so in order to provide services such as legal advice then we may collect and process sensitive information about you such as your race or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, health data, religious beliefs or political or trade union information.  

If you fail to provide personal data

Where we need to collect personal data by law, under the terms of a contract we have with you or your organisation or where it is necessary for us to provide legal services and you fail to provide that data when requested, we may not be able to perform the contract we have or are trying to enter into with you or your organisation. In this case, it will not be possible for us to provide you with services but we will notify you first.

How is your personal data collected?  

We use different methods to collect data from and about you including:

• When you or your organisation seek legal advice from us;
   
• When you or your organisation browse or interact with our website;
   
• When you or your organisation enquire about or services;
   
• When you sign up to receive our newsletter or communications; or
   
• When you or your organisation provide services to us or provide us with information in relation to services.   

Purposes for which we use your personal data

We may use your data for the following purposes:

• Registering you or your organisation as a client;
   
• Providing legal services or other ancillary services you or your organisation has requested such as debt recovery services;
   
• Managing and administering your or your organisation’s client relationship with us, such as billing, processing payments, accounting and auditing;
   
• Reviewing and improving our services and communications;
   
• Compliance with legal or recording obligations (e.g. to comply with tax, crime prevention or anti-money laundering obligations);
   
• Monitoring compliance with our policies and external professional requirements;
   
• For insurance purposes;
   
• Protecting our legal rights;
   
• Complying with court orders;
   
• For ensuring that our website functions effectively; and
   
• For any purpose connected or ancillary to the above purposes.

If you have provided us with your consent then we may also process your personal data for the following purposes;

• Sending our newsletters and information regarding legal updates; and
   
• Client surveys, marketing or other promotional communications.

Where we rely on your consent, such as in relation to above purposes, we will only process your data if you have expressly consented to us processing your data for the purposes specified. We will ensure that you are able to opt out at any time.

Our legal grounds for processing your data will depend upon the purpose/s listed above for processing your data and may rely on more than one legal ground, where appropriate. The grounds are:               

• To perform a contract with you or your organisation or to take steps in order to enter into a contract;
   
• To comply with legal obligations, such as to maintain records for tax purposes; and/or
   
• Where it is necessary for our legitimate interests or those of a third party, unless there is a good reason to protect your data which overrides those legitimate interests. 

In addition, we may rely on consent on the basis set out above. We will not use your personal data for the purpose of taking automated decisions. 

With whom will we share your personal data?

We may share your personal data with:

• Third parties in connection with legal services we provide such as barristers, alternative dispute resolution specialists, foreign lawyers, representatives, translators or consultants;
   
• Clients; where we have collected or obtained your data in the course of providing legal service to a client and where we are permitted by law to disclose your data for the purpose of providing those services;
   
• Courts, governmental organisations, regulators or other parties where it is necessary to do so for the purposes of exercising or defending legal rights or claims;
   
• Companies providing services to us such as accountants or IT service providers;
   
• Third party companies who provide services such as credit reference agencies, tracing agents or service agents; or
   
• Third parties to whom we sell or engage in negotiations with for the sale or purchase of our or another business or assets or where we assign or novate any of our rights or obligations.

We will be fully responsible and will maintain control over your data where it is provided to a third party. Where appropriate, we will ensure that your data is only processed in accordance with our instructions.

Otherwise, your data will only be disclosed with your permission or where we are required by law, any applicable regulation, court or law enforcement organisation to disclose your data.

Data relating to others

Where you provide us with personal data relating to someone else (such as your suppliers, employees, workers, contractors, shareholders or directors) you must ensure that you are entitled to provide their data to us and you must provide them with a copy of this policy.

International transfers  

We may transfer your personal data outside the European Economic Area (EEA) if it is necessary for us to do for any of the purposes set out above. Where we transfer your personal data out of the EEA, we will ensure a similar degree of protection is afforded to it by ensuring that appropriate safeguards are implemented such as using contracts approved by the European Commission which give personal data the same protection it has in Europe.

How do we protect your data?  

We have put in place appropriate security measures to prevent your personal data from being accidentally lost, used or accessed in an unauthorised way, altered or disclosed. In addition, we limit access to your personal data to those employees, agents, contractors and other third parties who have a business need to know. They will only process your personal data on our instructions, where appropriate, and they are subject to a duty of confidentiality.

We have put in place procedures to deal with any suspected personal data breach and will notify you and any applicable regulator of a breach where we are legally required to do so.

How long will we retain your personal data? 

We will only retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.

To determine the appropriate retention period for personal data, we consider the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the personal data, the potential risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure of your personal data, the purposes for which we process your personal data and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means, and the applicable legal requirements.

Updating your data 

If any personal data we hold changes, for example you have a new address, or if any data relating to you is inaccurate then please email [link]. 

Your legal rights  

Under certain circumstances, you have the following rights under data protection laws in relation to your personal data:

•         Request access to your personal data.

•         Request correction of your personal data.

•         Request erasure of your personal data.

•         Object to processing of your personal data.

•         Request restriction of processing your personal data.

•         Request transfer of your personal data.

•         Right to withdraw consent.

If you wish to exercise any of the rights set out above, please send an email to postmaster@pj-h.co.uk and provide us with the details of your request along with proof of your identity.

You will not have to pay a fee to access your personal data (or to exercise any of the other rights). However, we may charge a reasonable fee if your request is clearly unfounded, repetitive or excessive. Alternatively, we may refuse to comply with your request in these circumstances.  

We may also contact you to ask you for further information in relation to your request to speed up our response.

We try to respond to all legitimate requests within one month. Occasionally it may take us longer than a month if your request is particularly complex or you have made a number of requests. In this case, we will notify you and keep you updated.