Privacy Policy

Harold G Walker Solicitors will always treat your personal and commercial data with the highest standard of security and confidentiality. HGW will never share your personal information (data) unnecessarily and will only use your personal information to administer your account and provide the products and services that you have requested. However, it is sometimes necessary to share your personal or commercial information with third parties such as search providers, expert witnesses and other Legal Firms. HGW will only use your personal information to progress your transaction for you, or to comply with the law or our regulatory bodies, or for fraud protection. Any personal data received from you in order to comply with the regulations will only be processed for the purpose of preventing money laundering or terrorist financing unless such a processing is permitted by law or you consent to any alternative use of the data. We may disclose your personal information to any of our employees, officers, insurers, professional advisers, agents, suppliers or subcontractors insofar as reasonably necessary for the purposes set out in this policy.  When sharing your personal information with third parties, we will endeavour to check that those third parties are compliant with the Data Protection Act and the General Data Protection Regulations, but no specific confirmation of this can be given.

Our promise to you

HGW will never sell, disclose, or use any of your personally identifiable information for the purposes of marketing.

Any personal data collected will be processed fairly and lawfully in accordance with data protection law. The data we collect from you will be:

• adequate, relevant, and not excessive
• used for the purposes stated in this policy only
• treated confidentially
• stored securely
• not kept for longer than necessary and will be securely destroyed

Your Data and Technology Systems

HGW use fully hosted computer and technology systems. This means that all data is stored in the cloud in an encrypted format. Only users with authorized access will be able to decrypt the data. The servers that hold the data are not at our offices and are owned and managed by a specialist technology company, who do not have access to the data.  HGW Solicitors do retain the services of a third-party IT support company.  The personal information held about you on HGW’s systems is accessible to that support company, however, please note that this company is also bound by the Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulations 2018. They will not access, use, or share your data without a legitimate lawful basis for doing so.

Phone Call Recording

At HGW we have a fully hosted telephone system that can record all calls. The data from these recorded calls is stored in the cloud in an encrypted format. This means that the data is converted into special code to prevent unauthorized access to it. HGW and our hosted telephone provider both have access to decrypt the recorded data. The data will be retained for a period of 2 years at which point it will be deleted. There may be some unusual situations that would necessitate the retention of the recorded data for longer than 2 years but the data will be deleted when it is no longer required

Data Storage

The personal information that HGW Solicitors hold about you will be held on the computer systems, and also in a physical file. Depending on the type of work that is carried out for you, HGW is required to store your data and physical file for many years after your matter has been completed. The length of storage will be discussed with you when your file is archived and will be dependent upon the type of legal work we have undertaken for you. The physical files are stored off-site with a professional, secure, storage company. The physical files are destroyed when the appropriate amount of time has lapsed. At that time, any personal information that is stored on the computer systems may remain unless you specifically request us to remove it. In some circumstances, we may be required by our regulator to keep a record of your matter to enable us to search for any possible conflicts of interest in the future.

Access to your data after completion of your matter

Under usual circumstances, a file or telephone conversation will not be retrieved or monitored unless:

• you request some information from your file
• it is necessary to investigate a complaint
• it is part of a management check or file review to ensure certain standards are being met
• there is a threat to the health and safety of staff or visitors or for the prevention or detection of crime
• it is necessary to check compliance with regulatory procedures

You have a right of access to any of the personal information (data) that HGW hold about you. Any request for this should be put in writing to Jo Perrett, 30 West Borough Wimborne Dorset BH21 1NF.

Our business is constantly changing and therefore our Privacy Notice may also change. We will not contact you directly to notify you of any changes, but we will publish any changes on our website. If you have any concerns about how your data is stored or shared, then please contact Jo Perrett at our Wimborne Branch on 01202 881454 with any questions.

The lawful basis for us storing and sharing your data where necessary is called legitimate interest. However, we would prefer for you to read and understand this Privacy Notice and let us have your consent to store and use your data in the ways described in this Privacy Notice.

Contact Forms/Client Care Survey

Harold G Walker Solicitors will always treat your personal and business data to the highest standard of security and privacy. HGW will never share your personal information, and will only use your personal information to provide the services you have requested by completing the online contact form and/or the Client Care Survey.

Your personal information, i.e. your full name, email address, and contact number, will be kept for as long as necessary to meet your requirements, after which your data will be permanently deleted.

For any questions regarding your personal information, please contact us either by email at joperrett@hgwalker.co.uk  or by phone at 01202 881454.