Introduction
Vincent Sykes & Higham LLP respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This privacy policy will inform you as to how we look after your personal data when you visit our website (regardless of where you visit it from), contact us by some other means or enter into a contract for services with us. This policy also tells you about your privacy rights and how the law protects you.
1. Important information and who we are
Purpose of this privacy policy
This privacy policy aims to give you information on how Vincent Sykes & Higham LLP collects and processes your personal data through your use of this website, including any data you may provide through this website when you use the website’s “Contact us”, “Call me Back” or “Get a Quote” functions or where you contact us by some other means.
This website is not intended for children and we do not knowingly collect data relating to children.
It is important that you read this privacy policy together with any other privacy policy or fair processing policy we may provide on specific occasions when we are collecting or processing personal data about you so that you are fully aware of how and why we are using your data. This privacy policy supplements other notices and privacy policies and is not intended to override them unless specifically stated to do so.
Controller
Vincent Sykes & Higham LLP is the controller and responsible for your personal data (collectively referred to as “VSH Law”, “we”, “us” or “our” in this privacy policy).
We have appointed a Data Protection Officer (DPO), who is responsible for overseeing questions in relation to this privacy policy. If you have any questions about this privacy policy, including any requests to exercise your legal rights, please contact the DPO, using the details set out below.
We are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK regulator for data protection issues, under reference Z4692590.
Contact details
If you have any questions about this privacy policy or our privacy practices, please contact our DPO, Laura Carter, in the following ways:
Full name of legal entity: Vincent Sykes & Higham LLP
Email address: laura.carter@vshlaw.co.uk
Postal address: Montague House, Chancery Lane, Thrapston, Kettering, Northamptonshire NN14 4LN
Telephone number: 01832 732161
If you want to lodge a complaint with a regulatory authority
You have the right to make a complaint at any time to the ICO (www.ico.org.uk) at:
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Address:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
We would, however, appreciate the chance to deal with your concerns before you approach the ICO so please contact us in the first instance.
Changes to the privacy policy and your duty to inform us of changes
We keep our privacy policy under regular review. This version was last updated on 5 April 2023.
It is important that the personal data we hold about you is accurate and current. Please keep us informed if your personal data changes during your relationship with us.
Third-party links
This website may include links to third-party websites, plug-ins and applications. Clicking on those links or enabling those connections may allow third parties to collect or share data about you. We do not control these third-party websites and are not responsible for their privacy statements. When you leave our website, we encourage you to read the privacy policy of every website you visit.
2. The data we collect about you
Personal data, or personal information, means any information about an individual from which that person can be identified. It does not include data where the identity has been removed (anonymous data).
We may collect, use, store and transfer different kinds of personal data about you which we have grouped together as follows:
• Identity Data includes first name, maiden name, last name, marital status, title, dates of birth, death marriage or divorce, occupation, national insurance number, photographic identity documents (e.g. passport, driving licence) and gender.
• Contact Data includes residential address, email address, telephone numbers and website address.
• Financial Data includes bank account and payment card details, tax reference number and VAT registration details.
• Transaction Data includes details about payments to and from you and other details of services you have purchased from us.
• Technical Data includes internet protocol (IP) address, your login data, browser type and version, time zone setting and location, browser plug-in types and versions, operating system and platform, and other technology on the devices you use to access this website.
• Profile Data includes feedback and survey responses.
• Usage Data includes information about how you use our website and services.
• Marketing and Communications Data includes your preferences in receiving marketing from us and our third parties and your communication preferences.
We also collect, use and share Aggregated Data such as statistical or demographic data for any purpose. Aggregated Data could be derived from your personal data but is not considered personal data in law as this data will not directly or indirectly reveal your identity. For example, we may aggregate your Usage Data to calculate the percentage of users accessing a specific website feature. However, if we combine or connect Aggregated Data with your personal data so that it can directly or indirectly identify you, we treat the combined data as personal data which will be used in accordance with this privacy policy.
We do not routinely collect any Special Categories of Personal Data about you (this includes details about your race or ethnicity, religious or philosophical beliefs, sex life, sexual orientation, political opinions, trade union membership, information about your health, and genetic and biometric data) unless it is necessary in order to carry out our contractual or legal obligations or for our or your legitimate interests. Nor do we collect any information about criminal convictions and offences.
If you fail to provide personal data
Where we need to collect personal data by law, or under the terms of a contract we have with you, and you fail to provide that data when requested, we may not be able to perform the contract we have or are trying to enter into with you to provide you with services. In this case, we may have to cancel a contract or an agreement to enter into a contract with you but we will notify you if this is the case at the time.
3. How is your personal data collected?
We use different methods to collect data from and about you including through:
• Direct interactions. You may give us your Identity, Contact and Financial Data by filling in forms or by corresponding with us by post, phone, email or otherwise. This includes personal data you provide when you:
• Ask us to provide a quote for providing services;
• enter into a contract for services with us by agreeing to our terms of business;
• Provide us with instructions during the course of your matter;
• request marketing to be sent to you;
• complete a survey; or
• give us feedback or contact us.
• Automated technologies or interactions. As you interact with our website, we will automatically collect Technical Data about your equipment, browsing actions and patterns. We collect this personal data by using cookies and other similar technologies. Please see our Cookie Policy for further details.
• Third parties or publicly available sources. We will receive personal data about you from various third parties and public sources as set out below:
Technical Data from the following parties:
(a) analytics providers such as Google based outside the UK; and
(b) search information providers based inside or outside the UK.
• Contact, Financial and Transaction Data from providers of technical, payment and delivery services based inside and outside the UK.
• Identity and Contact Data from data brokers or aggregators based inside and outside the UK.
• Identity and Contact Data from publicly available sources such as Companies House and the Electoral Register, based inside the UK.
4. How we use your personal data
We will only use your personal data when the law allows us to. Most commonly, we will use your personal data in the following circumstances:
• Where we need to perform the contract we are about to enter into or have entered into with you (Performance of Contract Basis).
• Where it is necessary for our legitimate interests (or those of a third party) and your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests (Legitimate Interest Basis).
• Where we need to comply with a legal obligation (Comply with a Legal Obligation Basis).
To find out more about the types of lawful basis that we will rely on to process your personal data please see the Glossary below.
Generally, we do not rely on consent as a legal basis for processing your personal data although we will get your consent before processing special category data. You have the right to withdraw consent to marketing at any time by contacting us. However if you do not give consent, we may still process special category data if that processing is necessary to protect the vital interests of a client or another person where consent cannot be given due to legal or physical incapacity.
Purposes for which we will use your personal data
We have set out below, in a table format, a description of all the ways we plan to use your personal data, and which of the legal bases we rely on to do so. We have also identified what our legitimate interests are where appropriate.
Note that we may process your personal data for more than one lawful ground depending on the specific purpose for which we are using your data. Please contact us if you need details about the specific legal ground we are relying on to process your personal data where more than one ground has been set out in the table below.
Purpose/Activity | Type of data | Lawful basis for processing including basis of legitimate interest |
To register you as a new client | (a) Identity
(b) Contact |
Performance of a contract with you |
To process your matter:
(a) Respond to your queries, requests and other communications; (b) Provide you with legal advice and associated services; (c) Enable us to fulfil our obligations to our client (if you are not our client); (d) Manage payments, fees and charges (e) Collect and recover money owed to us |
(a) Identity
(b) Contact (c) Financial (d) Transaction (e) Marketing and Communications |
(a) Performance of a contract with you
(b) Necessary for our legitimate interests (to recover debts due to us) |
To manage our relationship with you which will include:
(a) Notifying you about changes to our terms or privacy policy (b) Asking you to take a survey |
(a) Identity
(b) Contact (c) Profile (d) Marketing and Communications |
(a) Performance of a contract with you
(b) Necessary to comply with a legal obligation (c) Necessary for our legitimate interests (to keep our records updated and to study how clients use our services) |
To enable you to complete a survey | (a) Identity
(b) Contact (c) Profile (d) Usage (e) Marketing and Communications |
(a) Performance of a contract with you
(b) Necessary for our legitimate interests (to study how clients use our services, to develop them and grow our business) |
To administer and protect our business and this website (including troubleshooting, data analysis, testing, system maintenance, support, reporting and hosting of data) | (a) Identity
(b) Contact (c) Technical |
(a) Necessary for our legitimate interests (for running our business, provision of administration and IT services, network security, to prevent fraud and in the context of a business reorganisation)
(b) Necessary to comply with a legal obligation |
To deliver relevant website content to you and measure or understand the effectiveness of our marketing | (a) Identity
(b) Contact (c) Profile (d) Usage (e) Marketing and Communications (f) Technical |
Necessary for our legitimate interests (to study how clients use our services, to develop them, to grow our business and to inform our marketing strategy) |
To use data analytics to improve our website, services, marketing, client relationships and experiences | (a) Technical
(b) Usage |
Necessary for our legitimate interests (to define types of clients for our services, to keep our website updated and relevant, to develop our business and to inform our marketing strategy) |
To make suggestions and recommendations to you about services that may be of interest to you | (a) Identity
(b) Contact (c) Technical (d) Usage (e) Profile (f) Marketing and Communications |
Necessary for our legitimate interests (to develop our services and grow our business) |
Marketing
We undertake very little marketing and rarely contact individuals to advertise our services. If and when we do, we do so in ways that are proportionate, have minimal privacy impact and are likely to be what people might expect (e.g. reminding clients that we hold original documents for them and enclosing a leaflet about our other services at the same time).
You will receive marketing communications from us if you have requested information from us or purchased services from us and you have not opted out of receiving that marketing.
Third-party marketing
We will get your express opt-in consent before we share your personal data with any third party for marketing purposes.