Terms of Business
Formally Instructing us as your Solicitor
As confirmation that you would like us to proceed on your behalf, we will ask you to sign and return our formal instruction letter which will be sent to you at the very beginning of the transaction. Please note that we are unable to get things started until this letter is returned and ID is provided.
Our instruction letter will set out the basic details of your requirements. It will highlight what legal work you have asked us to conduct on your behalf and it will list all costs and disbursements that will be anticipated throughout the transaction. Please note that the figures provided always have the potential to change.
Our fees
We will do all we can to abide by our estimate. Sometimes, however, through no fault of our own transactions can become protracted or difficult. If your transaction does prove to be substantially more complex or time consuming than originally anticipated, we do reserve the right to increase the charge to reflect the extra work. We would hope to be able to let you have a revised estimate before you exchange contracts but this is not always possible.
Additionally, transactions for various reasons do not proceed to an exchange of contracts. If this situation does arise our legal fees will become payable at a pro-rata rate up to the stage at which the transaction becomes abortive, along with any disbursements which have been paid out. As much as we would like to, our firm is not able to offer you a no sale no fee service.
Our Invoices
We do ask for our invoices to be paid within one month of receipt. We appreciate, however, that this is not always possible.
Sometimes transactions will go abortive for reasons that are beyond your control. For this reason, we will not charge you interest for late payment of our invoice. All we ask is that you maintain communication with us and pay as soon as possible.
Anti-money Laundering Regulations
Under the The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 you are required to provide us with evidence of your identity, even if you are an old client. Please do not be offended by this. This procedure is designed to protect you and to prevent money-laundering in the UK. It is our responsibility to report any suspicious activity to the National Criminal Intelligence Service. If a report has to be submitted, we are unable to inform you of our suspicions.
Data Retention and Privacy Policy
Who we are
Britton & Co Solicitors of Clarence House, 186 High Street, Worle, Weston-Super-Mare, North Somerset, BS22 6JD is a limited Company incorporated in England and Wales and is a ‘controller’ under the General Data Protection Regulation. This means that “Britton & Co”, “we” are responsible for handling your personal data.
What information will be collected from us
Any information you provide via our website is delivered straight to Britton and Co. It is not retained by a third party. The reason this data is collected is so we can arrange to contact you regarding your query.
We will only collect relevant information. i.e. information that relates directly to the issue you have enquired about. Please note that in addressing your query, it may be necessary to collect information which will be regarded as ‘personal data.’
‘Personal data’ relates to information which is personal or financial in nature. It might also be information regarding your own company, activities within that business or information regarding your family or social background.
Please note that it may also be necessary to obtain ‘a special category’ of information. This ‘special category’ of data relates to material such as:
Criminal convictions
Your health details (mental or physical)
Your Sexuality
Your Beliefs (Religious or otherwise)
Your Racial/Ethnic origin
How is your information used by us?
This information primarily needs to be used in order to provide you with the correct legal advice.
There are other reasons for which we will use your personal data and these are as follows:-
To identify and protect against fraud
To conduct credit reference checks where necessary
To take bank details for the payment of our services and disbursements
Administering accounts
Establishing a conflict of interest (with staff or other clients)
Marketing
We will not use your information for marketing.
Who is your information shared with?
Due to the guidance provided by the Law Society and the code of conduct issued by our governing body, the Solicitors Regulation Authority, we are subject to very strict regulations as to with whom we can share your details. Information should only be shared with individuals who are assisting us with your transaction. The type of individuals who are usually involved are:-
Service and administration providers that help with our website, general IT and telephone related
matters.
H M revenue and Customs and other UK based authorities who need to be notified of certain transactions.
Our regulatory bodies such as the Law Society, legal ombudsman, and Solicitors Regulatory Authority.
Other professionals directly linked to Britton and Co such as our accountants, Insurers, bankers and auditors.
Other Solicitors to whom we might sell or merge with. If this takes place these third parties would be subject to the same privacy policy.
Courts and Tribunals
Credit reference and fraud prevention agencies
Healthcare Professionals
Medical Experts
Any party that we regard as necessary or appropriate for the purposes of progressing your transaction.
Upon request, we will provide the personal data we hold for you. Upon your authorisation, we will provide your family or representatives with the information they require. These requests need to submitted to Cathryn Britton who is our designated Data Protection Officer.
How long is your information kept for?
We will hold your file and all accompanying information for the length of the transaction. Once the transaction has been completed your information will be stored for at least six years. This is so it can be re-called at a later date if necessary.
You can submit a request for your data to be destroyed after 6 years has passed to our Data Protection Officer-Cathryn Britton. Information such as your name and address will be kept unless you specifically state otherwise. The reason for this is so we have this information to hand if you choose to instruct us again.
What are your rights?
Under the General Data Protection Regulation, you have a number of different rights, such as the right to demand access to the data we hold for you. Should you require any further information on this please contact our Data Protection Officer, Cathryn Britton.
Complaints
Please contact our Data Protection Officer- Cathryn Britton in the first instance if you are concerned about how your information is being handled. If Cathryn is unable to resolve the situation for you, we suggest you contact the Information Commissioner’s Office at www.ico.org.uk
Changes that might be made to our Privacy Policy
Please check this page regularly. Any updates or amendments to our Policy will appear here.
The person responsible for this Policy is Cathryn Britton
24.08.18
Authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Registered Address: Clarence House, 186 High Street, Worle, Weston-Super-Mare, North Somerset, BS22 6JD
VAT no. 922286036