Privacy Policy

At Sousa Law, we are committed to and understand the need to protect your privacy and your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains the basis on which any personal information collected by us will be processed and our commitment to ensure that we comply with the Data Protection Act 1998 (‘the Act’) and The General Data Protection Regulation (the ‘GDPR’). 

Personal information we will hold about you

Personal information refers to any identifiable information. It does not include data where the identity has been removed (anonymous data). 

We will only collect, use and retain information about you if we reasonably believe it is justified, required and useful in order to provide you with the support and services you require. This includes communications, legal advice, preparation, assistance and documentation for your matter and providing you with information about our services that we believe will be of interest to you. 

We may collect, use, store and transfer different kinds of personal information about you, as follows (this list is not exhaustive): 

  • Full name and title
  • Gender
  • Date of birth
  • Occupation
  • Contact information (email and postal addresses, telephone and fax numbers)
  • ID or supporting documents (ie: passport, driving licence, birth certificate, utility bill etc.) from an identity checking service
  • from an identity checking service
  • Financial and credit card information
  • Information about your family, your employment and details of your business.
  • In some cases sensitive information personal data.

Information provided by you

You may provide us with information about yourself by making a website enquiry, filling in forms, or correspondence by phone, e-mail or other written form. You may also provide us with information when you subscribe to our mailing lists, enter a competition or initially instruct us on a matter (and further instructions as the matter progresses). We will use this information: 

  • To undertake work on your matter;
  • To comply with our obligations arising from work we undertake on your behalf;
  • To communicate with others as necessary in connection with our work;
  • To enable our third party suppliers to carry out their services;
  • To enable others working with us to provide appropriate services to you;
  • To provide you with information about services we feel may interest you;
  • To notify you about changes to our services and/or website;

We may need to use sensitive personal data relating to you, to the extent reasonably required in connection with your matter. This could include information relating to your race or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs, trade union membership, physical or mental health, sexual life, the commission or alleged commission of any offence or any related proceedings. 

Information we collect about you

When you visit our website, we may automatically collect the following information:

  • Technical information, including your IP address;
  • information about your visit using Google Analytics

We will use this information: 

  • To administer and improve our website including troubleshooting, data analysis, testing, research, statistical and survey purposes;
  • for advertising analysis and measure its effectiveness
  • To make suggestions and recommendations to you and other users of our website about goods or services that may interest you or them; and
  • to deploy technology to keep our site safe and secure.

Information from other sources

We may receive information about you from other companies, including technical service providers, analytics providers, search information providers, credit reference agencies, and other solicitors or experts who have been instructed in relation to your matter. This information may be used in the same way as that provided directly by you. Due to the nature of the services we provide, we may also use sensitive personal data received from other sources relating to you in connection with our work. 

How we will use personal information held about you

We will only use your personal information when the law allows us to.

We will use and share your personal data:

  • during your case with a third party such as a barrister, surveyor, expert or consultant and disclose information in order to progress the matter. Your initial instructions to us include your agreement that we may disclose any such information as we consider to be in your best interests;
  • To monitor emails to investigate/detect unauthorised use of our e-mail system, or for any purpose permitted by law. We may collect personal data about the people sending and/or receiving the e-mail, or information which is contained in the e-mail;
  • To ensure that our service is of a good quality and complies with proper professional standards;
  • With bodies assessing our performance, such as the Solicitors Regulation Authority and The Law Society. Unless you notify us otherwise in writing, your instructions to us includes your authority to produce any documents to be presented to those authorities and their assessors and auditors as part of our compliance with accounting and professional rules and standards;
  • With business partners, suppliers and sub-contractors for the performance of any work we do with them or with you;
  • With data analysis and search engine providers that assist us in the improvement and optimisation of our website;
  • With our employees, agents and representatives; and
  • With credit reference agencies for the purpose of identification and assessing your credit score where this is required for us to carry out work for you.
  • We may disclose your personal information to third parties:
    • in the event that we sell or buy any business or assets, in which case we may disclose your personal data to the prospective seller or buyer of such business or assets; and
    • if we are under a duty to disclose or share your personal data in order to: comply with any legal obligation; to enforce any agreement(s) we have with you; or to protect our rights, property, safety, clients and/or other persons connected to us. This includes exchanging information with other companies and organisations for the purposes of fraud protection and credit risk reduction.

Where we will keep personal information held about you

The data that we collect from you may be transferred to, and stored at, a destination outside the European Economic Area (‘EEA’). It may also be processed by staff operating outside the EEA who work for us or for one of our suppliers. By submitting your personal data, you agree to this transfer, storing or processing. We will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your data is treated securely in accordance with this privacy policy. 

Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the internet or email is not 100% secure. Through the use of strict processes, procedures and security features, we will do our best to protect your personal data held on our secure servers, however we cannot guarantee the security of your data transmitted to us and any transmissions are made at your own risk. 

Third Parties

Our website contains links to various third parties of which we have no control over and sites will have their own privacy policies. We cannot accept responsibility should you decide to enter a third party website. Please check their policies before submitting any personal data.

Your Rights

Under GDPR, you have the right to view, access, amend or delete any of the personal data we hold. Please email any requests to our Data Protection Officer; Catherine Sousa, at [email protected]or write to Sousa Law, 16 College Place, Southampton, Hampshire, SO15 2FE. 

Please also inform us of any changes to your personal information during your relationship with us. 

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