PRIVACY NOTICE

Please read this Statement carefully and contact our Data Protection Advisor if you have any questions about our privacy practices or your personal information choices.

At Rhek Solicitors we appreciate that your privacy is crucial. We respect the trust and confidence you place in our company and as such, undertake many measures to protect the privacy of our clients regarding any information that is gathered about your case, and also for visitors to our website.

Cookie Use

  1. a) What is a cookie?

A cookie is a file saved on your computer/ mobile device by a website server. Only the specific website can access the data it holds. This can be URL information or numerical data.

  1. b) How are they used?

Cookies enhance your online experience by enabling a website to ‘remember’ you when you visit again. Their purpose is to help the interaction between you as a user and the website becomes easier and faster. If cookies are not in place, then the website will think you are a new visitor each time you visit a page on that website. Cookies can also be used for targeted advertising based on your location.

  1. c) Switching off cookie settings

If you find the notion of cookies intrusive, then you can block or delete cookies that have already been set; but you need to be mindful that you might be negatively affecting how the website reacts to you; it could also hinder the websites responsiveness as you move from page to page. If you wish to proceed with turning off cookie settings then please refer to the Help section of your browser.

Client information collected by Rhek Solicitors

  • Personal details e.g. name, address, email address, etc.
  • Your IP address and web pages that you visit.
  • We will not hold your credit card details, expiry date and security codes in our database.
  • In order to improve our services, telephone calls are recorded and monitored.
  • Website session information found in cookies that are used to collect accurate data does not include your personal data.

How Rhek Solicitors manages the client information it collects

Any information we do collect will be used in agreement with relevant UK laws for the following purposes:

  • In order to comply with any legal obligations such as the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) or General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
  • We may use your email address to send you information about our products and services. You will be offered an opt in/out option.
  • Your personal information may be used in order to provide the Rhek Solicitors service to process your case.
  • We may use personal information for auditing, research and investigation to operate and develop Rhek Solicitors’
  • We may share collected non-personal information with particular third parties.
  • The third parties we liaise with to assist us in processing your personal information are required to comply with our privacy policy and all of the privacy / security measures that Rhek Solicitors have in place.
  • The information shared with third parties is done so in regulated circumstances, including when conforming to legal processes, fraud prevention and also in safeguarding the security of our network.
  • When you send any communication to Rhek Solicitors, we may retain those communications to facilitate your case and cultivate our services.
  • All the data we hold about you is backed up at a separate location with measures equal to the main premises of where the original data is held. This ensures that your data is not lost or destroyed in the event of the original being erased without your written consent.

We do NOT disclose your information to, nor share your information with third parties except as described as above.

General Data Protection Regulation

Rhek Solicitors pledges to ensure that its registration requirements regarding the GDPR are fulfilled at all times. It is necessary for the purposes of legitimate interests that Rhek Solicitors will use your data in the advancement of your case and in doing so Rhek Solicitors will act as your “data controller” (regarding GDPR requirements).

Rhek Solicitors has processes in place to ensure compliance at all times with its obligations under the DPA and GDPR, by taking appropriate technical measures against the unauthorised processing of personal data and also against accidental loss/destruction/damage to your personal data. When considering what measures are appropriate, Rhek Solicitors will conduct good practice, ensure technical development and implement measures to ensure an appropriate security level is in place to prevent any harm that might result from unlawful data processing/accidental loss/destruction.

It is your right to access any information we hold about you free of charge, unless your request is deemed excessive. We will process your request promptly and efficiently.

You further have the right to ensure your data is amended or deleted as per the GDPR. If you require either of these to be conducted then please contact us using our online contact form or call the office and ask for your File Handler who will complete the process within the relevant time period advised by law.

Further Individuals Rights

Rhek Solicitors complies with the rights of individuals as identified in GDPR, including:

5.1 the right to be informed;

5.2 the right of access;

5.3 the right to rectification

5.4 the right to erasure

5.5 the right to restrict processing

5.6 the right to data portability

5.7 the right to object

5.8 rights in relation to automated decision making and profiling

If you as an individual desire to appeal any of the above rights then please contact the Data Protection advisor, Mohammad Kader, on mkader@rheksolicitors.co.uk

Information security and communication from Rhek Solicitors to our clients

Rhek Solicitors maintains a strict “no-spam” policy. Your email address will not be sold to a third party.

Rhek Solicitors may automatically add your email address to our mailing list to which we may send emails containing news, announcements, new feature information and other Rhek Solicitors related information. You can at any time unsubscribe to this mailing list by selecting the unsubscribe option within the email.

Because some communication with our clients is necessary to adequately provide our services, clients cannot opt-out of receiving administrative emails related to their matters. Such email may include confirmation of a registration or purchase, account status emails, or communication during the process.

We take appropriate security measures to protect against unauthorised access to or unauthorised alteration, disclosure or destruction of data. These include internal reviews of our data collection, storage and processing practices and security measures, as well as physical security measures to guard against unauthorised access to systems where we store personal data. Our security measures include using industry leading antivirus, anti-spam and relevant firewalls to protect against any attacks which could compromise any data held within our network.  Databases servers, web servers and any other type of server software used in the organisation have to be up-to-date and regularly patched. Regularly applying patches and updates to security issues and other problems that the software programmers did not catch before releasing the program.  In some cases, these patches fix backdoors that hackers have found and are actively taking advantage of. By closing these backdoors, you’re protecting your system from a very real threat.  Having been awarded the Cyber Essentials kite mark we are proactively committed to protecting both, your data and our network, from electronic attacks from hackers.

All personal data that we hold is encrypted. Relevant access controls are in place to restrict personal data access. Personal data handling access is granted only to privileged or users that require access to perform their duties within the company.

Encryption in various situations

We restrict access to personal information to Rhek Solicitors employees, contractors and agents who need to know that information in order to operate, develop or improve our services. These individuals are bound by confidentiality obligations and may be subject to discipline, including termination and criminal prosecution, if they fail to meet these obligations.

If Rhek Solicitors becomes involved in a merger, acquisition, or any form of sale of some or all of its assets, we will provide notice before personal information is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

When we receive formal written complaints posted using our contact page, it is Rhek Solicitors’ policy to contact the complaining user regarding his or her concerns. We will cooperate with the appropriate regulatory authorities, including local data protection authorities, to resolve any complaints regarding the transfer of personal data that cannot be resolved between Rhek Solicitors and an individual.

Policy Modifications

This Privacy Policy may be updated periodically, especially when new Regulation is established. It is important that you often check back for updates to this Statement. If we make important changes then we will let you know by placing a notice on our website, making it available on the premises and it will be sent out via email.

Contacting us about Privacy

If you have any questions about our privacy notice, your personal data, the procedures of the website, or your interaction with the website, please contact us by e-mail to mkader@rheksolicitors.co.uk.