Law Together LLP prides itself on being a responsible business and this includes our commitment to looking after the personal data you share with us. We respect your privacy and we want you to be confident that any personal data we hold is secure and processed in a lawful and professional way.
Our privacy policy (the “Policy”) explains how we collect, store and process your personal data, whether it is provided by telephone, via our website, through correspondence, or where you may otherwise communicate with us in the course of the legal services we provide. It also explains the rights you have in relation to your personal data.
About us
In this Policy we use the terms “we”, “us”, and “our” (and other similar terms) to refer to Law Together; we act as a data controller responsible for your personal data.
Law Together LLP is the trading name of Law Together LLP, a limited liability partnership company registered in England & Wales (company no. OC418072). Our registered office is at Castlefield House, Liverpool Road, Manchester M3 4SB.
Information we collect about you
Personal data means any information about you from which you can be identified.
In certain circumstances, we may collect certain “special category data”, which is data relating to ethnicity, race, religious beliefs, trade union membership, previous convictions and data concerning health (including disabilities).
If you provide us with personal information about another person, for example a member of your family or details of an employee, you must ensure that:
- You have the authority to give us that information; and,
- All personal data disclosed is complete, accurate and up to date.
How will we use your information?
In general we use your personal data for the following purposes:
- To administer our relationship with you (and/or your business).
- For business management purposes (M.I. data).
- To provide legal services and respond to enquiries.
To carry out any necessary conflict checks, anti money laundering and identity checks and to fulfil our obligations under related legislation. - To prepare documentation pursuant to legal proceedings or in order to complete transactions.
- To seek advice from third parties in connection with your matter, including Counsel or other professional advisors.
- Conversations for monitoring/quality purposes.
- To allow the billing of services provided and to obtain payment.
- To process and respond to any complaints.
- To comply with any other legal, professional or regulatory obligations imposed on us.
We do not use your personal data for automated decision making.
Legal grounds for processing your information
We rely on the following legal reasons for processing your personal data:
- Contractual necessity: We will process your personal data when it is necessary to perform a contract you have entered into, or in order to take steps at your request prior to entry into a contract.
- Legal obligation: We will process your personal data when it is necessary to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation (e.g. identity checks, external auditing, statutory returns).
- Legitimate interests. We will process your personal data when we have a legitimate interest in processing it. We only process for this reason if the legitimate interest is not overridden by your own interests or fundamental rights or freedoms. We will only process ‘special category data’ (e.g. data concerning health) when it is necessary in the context of the advising on, bringing or defending a claim.
We will only use your personal data for the purpose, or purposes, for which we have obtained it. If we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another reason we will only do so if that reason is compatible with the original purpose. If we need to use your personal data for an unrelated purpose, we will inform you and explain the legal basis which allows us to do so.
We may process your personal data without your knowledge or consent where this is required by law.
Please contact us if you would like further information on the lawful basis for any specific data processing activity.
Sharing your information
We will share your personal data when:
- You specifically request it, or it is necessary for us to provide our services and fulfil our contractual obligations to you and/or our clients.
- We are under a legal or regulatory duty to disclose your information (e.g. money laundering and fraud prevention).
- In the course of providing our services to you we believe it is in your best interests to use the products or services of a third party (e.g. physiotherapy, barrister/advocate).
Who exactly we share your data with will depend on the nature of the service we are providing but can include:
- Horwich Cohen Coghlan Ltd and their wholly owned subsidiary company TH Support Services Ltd. Horwich Cohen Coghlan Ltd is regulated and authorised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority who provide support services to Law Together LLP.
- Sharing data between Law Together and National Accident Helpline.
- Our bank.
- Insurers or their agents or representatives (both yours and ours).
- Our auditors, including external accreditation bodies.
- Law enforcement agencies and regulators (including the Solicitors Regulation Authority).
- Courts or tribunals, where we are acting for you in a dispute.
- Public bodies (e.g. HM Land Registry or Companies House).
- Other professional advisors or third parties who we instruct in the course of providing our legal services to you (e.g. counsel, accountants, witnesses, expert witnesses or costs draftsmen).
- Other parties to a dispute in which we are acting on your behalf.
- Any other third party you may ask us to share your data with.
Where our professional duties of confidence as legal advisers require that we seek your consent before sharing your personal data with a third party, we will do so. Such consent has a different legal basis to consent for the purposes of EU/UK privacy law and seeking consent further to our professional duties will not therefore affect the basis of processing in privacy law. The processing under privacy EU/UK privacy law will be on the bases as set out above.
International transfers
Law Together LLP will not transfer any of your personal data outside of the European Economic Area (“EEA”).
Storage and retention of your personal data
Your information may be held at our offices or with our external service providers as outlined above. We are committed to the security of your data and all appropriate technological and organisational measures have been put in place to protect your data from unauthorised access. These measures are updated as necessary and audited externally on an annual basis.
How long we retain your personal data for will vary from matter to matter but will be determined in accordance will the following criteria:
- The length of time necessary to complete our contract for legal services with you.
- Any time limits for establishing or defending legal claims or responding to complaints (the limitation period for negligence claims is 6 years however limitation periods for other matters can be open-ended e.g. criminal matters).
- Any period necessary to comply with our legal obligations under EU/UK law.
- Any periods for retention that is recommended by regulators or professional bodies.
Please contact us if you would like further information on the retention period for your personal data.
Your rights
You have the right to obtain confirmation from us as to whether we are processing your personal data and, if we are, to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you. This is known as a ‘data subject request’. You also have the right to ask that we update any information we hold about you that may be incorrect. It is important that the information we hold about you is accurate and up to date. If any of your personal information changes please let us know.
In certain circumstances you have the right to request that we restrict the way in which we process your data, or that we erase all personal information that we hold about you.
You have the right to object to certain types of processing.
We will try our best to comply with any request to restrict, object or erase your personal data, however processing of some data may still be required for legitimate business purposes or to comply with legal obligations. Please note that if you want us to restrict or stop processing your data this may prevent us from acting for you.
You have the right to request that we send a copy of your personal data, that you have provided to us, to another organisation for your own purposes (e.g. if you wish to change service provider). This data must be provided in a structured and usable format. This right only applies to personal data processed by way of consent or in pursuant to our contract with you. If you wish us to transfer your personal data please let us know.
You will not have to pay a fee to access your personal data or to exercise any of your other rights. However we may charge a reasonable fee should your request be clearly unfounded, repetitive or excessive. In order to prevent unauthorised access to information we may ask for proof of identity. We will do our best to respond to your request within one month, however if that is not possible due to the number or complexity of requests we will notify you and keep you updated.
If you wish to contact us in relation to any of your data subject rights please contact our Head of Legal Practice (“HOLP”) by post at Law Together LLP or by email to brian.coghlan@lawtogether.co.uk.
Your concerns
If you wish to raise a concern about how we have handled your personal data please contact us and we will be happy to discuss your concerns.
You have the right to raise a concern at any time to the Information Commissioner’s Office (“ICO”) who is the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues. For more information on submitting a concern, or the data protection regime in general, please visit the ICO’s website: www.ico.org/concerns or you can telephone them on 0303 123 1113.