DATA PROTECTION
Thomas and Thomas Solicitors is committed to protecting the personal data of our clients in line with the General Data Protection Regulations 2018.
How do we collect your data?
We will collect your data when we take your initial instructions, for example when you complete the welcome pack forms relating to a conveyancing instruction. We may also ask you for further data during the course of those instructions. This data may be provided verbally, by post or by electronic communication. We may also obtain your data via third parties that you have authorised to provide it, such as your mortgage lender. In addition, we may obtain your data via credit reference agencies and identity verification providers.
Why do we collect your data?
We will only ask you to provide the personal data we need to:
- Undertake the work involved with the legal matter in relation to which we have been instructed
- Comply with the legal requirements relating to those instructions
- Comply with the requirements of our regulator
We may also use your data for internal management analysis and record keeping and for providing you with information which we think will be of interest to you.
The lawful basis on which we collect your data is known as ‘legitimate interests’.
With whom do we share your data?
We will share your personal data only with those third parties necessary to complete the legal matter in relation to which we are instructed and to comply with legal and regulatory requirements. Those third parties may include (this list is not exhaustive):
- Search providers
- Mortgage lenders and panels
- Other law firms
- Probate registry
- Tax authorities
- Land Registry
- New home warranty providers
- Indemnity insurance providers
- The Solicitors Regulation Authority, Legal Ombudsman or Law Society
Data will be shared verbally, by post, fax or by electronic communications including email or fax. We cannot be responsible for the security of correspondence and documents sent by such methods or where they are under the control of third parties.
How long will we store your data?
All personal data is held in secure storage in both hard copy and digital format for such period as required to comply with legal or regulatory obligations, before being destroyed.
By signing and returning these terms and conditions you are giving your agreement to the above uses of your data.
A full copy of the firm’s data protection statement is available on request.
IDENTITY, DISCLOSURE & CONFIDENTIALITY OF BUSINESS
All advice given to clients is entirely confidential, but:
Money laundering regulations may require disclosure of confidential information by law. Please note that we accept no responsibility for any loss arising from compliance with the Money Laundering Provisions of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and any amending legislation howsoever caused.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority and other supervisory bodies may call for a file which is a subject of a complaint.
A Court Order can compel disclosure of confidential material in certain circumstances.
The law now requires solicitors as well as banks, building societies and others to obtain satisfactory evidence of the identity of their client. This is because solicitors who deal with money and property on behalf of their client can be used by criminals wishing to launder money. In order to comply with the law on money laundering we will need to obtain evidence of your identity.
Solicitors are under a professional and legal obligation to keep the affairs of a client confidential. This obligation however is subject to a statutory exception: recent legislation on money laundering and terrorist financing has placed solicitors under a legal duty in certain circumstances to disclose information to the National Crime Agency. Where a solicitor knows or suspects that a transaction on behalf of a client involves money laundering, the solicitor may be required to make a money laundering disclosure.
If, while we are acting for you, it becomes necessary to make a money laundering disclosure, we may not be able to inform you that a disclosure has been made or the reasons for it. We may have to stop working on your matter for a period of time and may not be able to tell you why.
Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:
Thomas and Thomas Solicitors
2 Forge Road,
Port Talbot,
SA13 1NU
Tel: 01639 896174
Email: reception@tandtlaw.co.uk
