Privacy Policy for GDPR Governance Legal Experts

1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy explains how GDPR Governance Legal Experts ("we", "us", "our") collects, uses, discloses, and protects personal data when you use our expert legal services or interact with us in any way. We are committed to safeguarding your privacy and handling your data in compliance with applicable data protection laws in England, including the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

By using our services or contacting us, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

2. Who We Are

GDPR Governance Legal Experts is a provider of expert legal services in England. Our core activities include, among others:

• legal services and legal advice
• corporate law and company registration
• family law
• immigration law
• contracts and commercial arrangements
• taxes and related legal matters
• real estate and property law
• GDPR, data protection and legal audits
• inheritance disputes
• legal representation in negotiations and proceedings

We act as a data controller for the personal data described in this policy.

3. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

3.1 Identification and Contact Data

• full name, title
• postal address, email address, telephone number
• date of birth, nationality
• copies of identification documents (e.g. passport, ID card, driving licence) as required for legal and regulatory purposes

3.2 Professional and Business Information

• job title, role, employer or company details
• company registration information
• information relating to corporate structures, shareholdings, and directorships

3.3 Case-Related and Matter-Related Data Depending on the area of law (for example corporate law, family law, immigration law, real estate, taxes, inheritance disputes):

• background information you provide (correspondence, contracts, transaction documents)
• financial information (bank details, payment records, tax information, transaction history)
• property information (title details, lease agreements, purchase and sale documents)
• family information (marital status, details of spouse/partner, children, dependants) where relevant to family law or inheritance matters
• immigration-related data (visa history, immigration status, travel history) when we provide immigration law services
• information about disputes, claims, proceedings, or investigations

3.4 Special Categories of Data In some cases, particularly in family law, immigration law, litigation or inheritance disputes, we may process special categories of personal data, such as:

• health information
• racial or ethnic origin
• religious or philosophical beliefs
• trade union membership
• information about criminal convictions or offences

We only process such data where this is necessary for establishing, exercising, or defending legal claims, for legal or regulatory obligations, or with your explicit consent where required by law.

3.5 Technical and Usage Data When you visit our website or communicate with us electronically, we may collect:

• IP address and general location data
• browser type and version, device identifiers
• pages visited, time and date of visit
• log files and cookies and similar technologies (if used)

4. How We Collect Personal Data

We collect personal data in various ways, including:

• directly from you when you contact us (via phone, email, website forms, in person, or by post)
• when you instruct us to provide legal services or legal advice
• from documents you provide (contracts, corporate records, identity documents, court documents, property documents)
• from third parties, such as:
  • counterparties and their legal representatives
  • other professional advisers (accountants, tax advisers, consultants)
  • governmental bodies, courts, regulators, and public registries (e.g. Companies House, Land Registry)
  • employers, business partners, or family members where relevant and lawful

5. Legal Bases for Processing

We process personal data only where we have a lawful basis under the UK GDPR, which may include:

5.1 Contractual Necessity To enter into and perform a contract with you, for example:

• providing legal services and legal representation
• preparing and negotiating contracts
• advising on company registration, corporate law, taxes, real estate, GDPR compliance, and other legal matters

5.2 Legal Obligation To comply with legal and regulatory obligations, including:

• anti-money laundering (AML), know-your-client (KYC), and identity checks
• tax and accounting requirements
• obligations imposed by courts, regulators, or law enforcement

5.3 Legitimate Interests To pursue our legitimate interests, provided these are not overridden by your rights and freedoms, including:

• managing and improving our legal services and client relationships
• securing our systems and preventing fraud or misuse
• establishing, exercising, or defending legal claims
• performing legal audits and risk assessments

5.4 Consent Where required by law, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain marketing communications or particular uses of special category data. You may withdraw your consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.

6. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

• to provide legal services, legal advice, and legal representation
• to advise on and prepare legal documents, including contracts, company registration documents, corporate governance materials, property documents, tax-related documents, and GDPR compliance documentation
• to handle disputes, claims and proceedings, including family law matters, immigration cases, inheritance disputes, and corporate or commercial disputes
• to conduct legal audits and regulatory compliance reviews
• to communicate with you and respond to your queries or instructions
• to manage billing, payments, and accounting
• to conduct client due diligence and identity verification
• to maintain and improve our website, IT systems, and security
• to comply with legal and regulatory requirements
• to send you legal updates or information about our services where permitted by law

7. Sharing and Disclosure of Personal Data

We may share personal data with:

• our partners, lawyers, consultants and staff who need the information to provide our services
• other professional advisers involved in your matter (e.g. barristers, accountants, tax advisers, consultants, expert witnesses)
• counterparties and their legal or professional representatives, as necessary for a case or transaction
• courts, tribunals, regulatory authorities, law enforcement bodies, and governmental agencies, where required or permitted by law
• service providers who support our operations, such as IT and hosting providers, document management systems, external auditors, and administrative support services
• banks, insurers, and financial institutions in connection with transactions, claims, or legal representation

We require all third parties who process personal data on our behalf to respect the security of your data and to treat it in accordance with applicable data protection laws. They may only process personal data on our instructions and for the purposes we specify.

8. International Transfers

If we transfer personal data outside the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area, we will ensure that an adequate level of protection is in place, for example by:

• transferring to countries that have been deemed to provide an adequate level of data protection; or
• using appropriate safeguards such as standard contractual clauses or equivalent mechanisms.

You may contact us for further details about any international transfers and the safeguards used.

9. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected and in accordance with our legal, regulatory, and professional obligations.

In determining appropriate retention periods, we consider:

• the nature and sensitivity of the data
• the purposes for which we process it
• applicable legal limitation periods
• regulatory and professional requirements for legal firms and legal services providers

After the relevant retention period expires, we will securely delete or anonymise the data.

10. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure, or access. These measures may include:

• access controls and authentication
• encryption and secure storage
• regular security assessments and monitoring
• staff training and confidentiality obligations

However, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure. While we strive to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

11. Your Rights

Under the UK GDPR and applicable data protection laws, you may have the following rights:

• Right of access: to obtain confirmation whether we process your personal data and to receive a copy of that data.
• Right to rectification: to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
• Right to erasure: to request deletion of personal data in certain circumstances (the "right to be forgotten").
• Right to restriction: to request restriction of processing in certain situations.
• Right to data portability: to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format and to transmit it to another controller where technically feasible.
• Right to object: to object to processing based on our legitimate interests, and to object at any time to the use of your personal data for direct marketing.
• Rights related to automated decision-making: to request human intervention and to contest decisions made solely by automated means, where applicable.

Please note that these rights are not absolute and may be subject to conditions and exemptions.

12. Exercising Your Rights

To exercise your rights or to raise questions or concerns about how we handle your personal data, you may contact us using the contact details provided on our official communication channels.

We may need to request specific information from you to confirm your identity and to ensure your right to access the data (or to exercise any of your other rights). We aim to respond to all legitimate requests within one month, or longer where legally permitted for complex or numerous requests.

13. Complaints

If you have concerns about how we process your personal data, please contact us in the first instance so we can try to resolve the issue.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK data protection supervisory authority:

• Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) Website: https://ico.org.uk/

14. Cookies and Online Tracking

If our website uses cookies or similar technologies, we will provide a separate or supplemental cookies notice explaining how they are used and how you can manage your preferences.

15. Marketing Communications

We may contact you to provide information about our legal services, legal updates, or events that we believe may be of interest to you, particularly in areas such as corporate law, family law, immigration law, real estate, company registration, GDPR, legal audits, contracts, taxes, and inheritance disputes.

We will do so in accordance with applicable marketing and electronic communications laws. You can opt out of receiving marketing communications at any time by following the unsubscribe instructions in the communication or by contacting us.

16. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or for other operational reasons. When we make material changes, we will take appropriate steps to inform you, consistent with the significance of the changes.

The most current version of this Privacy Policy will always be available through our usual communication channels.

17. Contact

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data protection practices, please contact us using the contact details published by GDPR Governance Legal Experts on our official website or other official materials.