Privacy Policy
In order to provide legal advice and representation, I need to collect and hold personal information. This may be your personal data or information relating to other parties involved in the matter. I will take all possible steps to protect personal information. I will ensure that I do not do anything that may infringe your rights or undermine your trust. This privacy notice describes the information I collect about you, how it is used and shared, and your rights regarding it.
Data controller
I, Ruhi Sethi-Smith, am a member of Forum Chambers. I am registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) as a Data Controller for the personal data that I hold and process as a barrister. My registered address is Forum Chambers, 1 Quality Court, Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1HR and my ICO registration number is ZA094464. If you need to contact me about your data or this privacy notice, you can reach me at rsethi-smith@forumchambers.com.
Data collection
The vast majority of the information that I hold about you is provided to, or gathered by, me in the course of your case and/or proceedings. Your solicitor and/or I will tell you why we need the information and how we will use it. In addition to the information you may provide to me or your solicitor, I also obtain information from other sources as follows:
What data do I process about you?
Depending on the type of work, I collect and process both personal data and special categories of personal data as defined in the UK GDPR. This may include:
Where relevant, I may also need to process special category personal data that reveals your:
On occasion, I may also process personal data relating to criminal convictions and offences.
My lawful basis for processing your information
In order that I can provide legal services and representation for you, I must process your personal data. The UK General Data Protection Regulation (the UK GDPR) requires that where I process personal data, I must have a lawful basis for doing so. The lawful bases identified in the UK GDPR that I seek to rely upon are as follows:
Examples of legitimate interests include but are not limited to:
Special category processing
The UK GDPR specifies that where I process special category data, I must rely upon certain exemptions in order to do so lawfully. The following exemptions are applicable in my practice:
Criminal data processing
On occasion, I process data relating to criminal offences where it is necessary for:
Purposes:
I use your personal information for the following purposes:
In the course of processing your information to provide legal services to you, I may share your personal data with:
Transfers to third countries and international organisations
I do not transfer any personal data to third countries or international organisations.
I retain your personal data while you remain a client unless you ask me to delete it. My Retention and Disposal Policy (copy available on request) details how long I hold data for and how I dispose of it when it no longer needs to be held. I will delete or anonymise your information at your request unless:
Where various pleadings and documents have been drafted, they may be retained for learning purposes and legal research. Where this is the case, I will anonymise the personal information/redact information which may identify an individual/risk assess the continued retention of the documents.
Your rights
The UK GDPR gives you specific rights in terms of your personal data. For example, you have the right of access to the information I hold and what I use it for; you can ask for a copy of the personal information I hold about you.
You can ask me to correct any inaccuracies with the personal data I hold, and you can ask me to stop sending you direct mail or emails or, in some circumstances, ask me to stop processing your details.
Finally, if I do something irregular or improper with your personal data, you can complain to the ICO if you are unhappy with how I have processed your information or dealt with your query. You may also seek compensation for any distress you are caused or loss you have incurred.
You can find out more information from the ICO’s website:
http://ico.org.uk/for_the_public/personal_information
Accessing and correcting your information
You may request access to, correction of, or a copy of your information by contacting me at rsethi-smith@forumchambers.com.
Marketing opt-outs
You may opt out of receiving emails and other messages from my practice by following the instructions in those messages.
I will occasionally update my privacy notice. When I make significant changes, I will notify you of these through either mail or email. I will also publish the updated notice on my profile on the Forum Chambers website.