This Privacy Policy (“Privacy Policy”) sets out how the Association of Child Abuse Lawyers (“ACAL”) processes your personal data in connection with our website at https://childabuselawyers.com/ (“Site”) and the services that are provided through our website.
We will update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect any changes or proposed changes to our use of your personal data, or to comply with applicable law or regulatory requirements. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to keep up to date on how we use your personal data. If we update this Privacy Policy, we will update the effective date at the top of the page.
Your access to and use of our Site, including any account page and/or secure area, is subject to our Terms and Conditions at all times.
This Privacy Policy specifically applies to the processing of personal data of individuals we interact with during the day-to-day operation of ACAL.
This Privacy Policy applies to the processing of personal data carried out by ACAL to the extent such processing is caught by the requirements of the UK Data Protection Act 2018, the UK GDPR and/or the General Data Protection Legislation (“GDPR”).
1. PURPOSE OF THIS PRIVACY POLICY
This Privacy Policy explains our approach to personal data that we may collect from you or which we have obtained from a third party, and the purposes for which we process your personal data. This Privacy Policy also sets out your rights in respect of our processing of your personal data.
When referring to “personal data”, we mean any information that relates to an identified or identifiable living individual. Individuals may be identified by reference to a name, location data, ID numbers, IP addresses (or other online identifier) or by reference to other factors about them, such as physical appearance.
The purpose of this Privacy Policy is to assist you in making informed decisions when using our Site. We recommend you read this notice in order to understand its purpose and contents. It should be read alongside our Terms and Conditions and Cookie Policy.
This Privacy Policy applies only to personal data obtained by us, whether directly from you or a third party.
2. ABOUT US
Where this Privacy Policy refers to “ACAL”, “we”, “us”, “our”, this means ACAL whose details are listed below.
Association of Child Abuse Lawyers
62 The Street, Ashtead, England, KT21 1AT
3. HOW TO CONTACT US
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your rights as a data subject, you can contact us by using one of the following methods:
| Telephone | 020 8390 4701 |
| On Site | Enquiry form under the ‘Contact’ link |
| Post | Association of Child Abuse Lawyers, PO Box 612, Dorking, RH4 9JS |
4. WHAT PERSONAL DATA ACAL COLLECTS
In providing our Site and for the operation of ACAL, we may collect and process different types of personal data about you, for different processing purposes. The types of personal data we collect depends on who you are and how you use our Site, but can include the following:
| Identity data | First name; last name; date of birth. |
| Contact data | Postal address; billing address; email address; telephone number. |
| Registration data | First name; last name; email address; country; title; password; contact preferences; any other personal data that you may provide when you register an account with us. |
| Profile data | Account username; password; enquiry / order details; interests and preferences; contact preferences; feedback and survey responses; the content of any messaging you send using any Enquiry Form on the Site. |
| Behavioural data | Data relating to your browsing activity or interaction with our emails, obtained through the use of cookies, pixel tags and other similar technologies; information about when your current or previous sessions started; details about any enquiries made through the Site. |
| Technical data | IP address; browser type and operating system; geolocation, to ensure we’re showing you the correct notices and information; any other unique numbers assigned to a device |
| Marketing and Communications data | Marketing preferences; service communication preferences. |
| Special category data and criminal offence data | Special category data is personal data that needs more protection because it is sensitive. It can include data concerning health. Criminal offence data is data personal data relating to criminal convictions and offences. In general, ACAL will try to collect as little information as possible through our Site that may comprise special category data or criminal offence data. However, given the nature of our services, it is possible that certain data may be provided to us, for example, when an individual sends us any Enquiry Form on the Site. We won’t use any of this personal data without a justified reason and only fully in accordance with the GDPR and other applicable law. |
| Children’s data | Children merit specific protection with regard to their personal data, as they may be less aware of the risks, consequences and safeguards concerns and their rights in relation to the processing of personal data. In general, ACAL will try to collect as little information as possible through our Site that may comprise children’s personal data. However, given the nature of our services, it is possible that certain data may be provided to us, for example, when an individual sends us any Enquiry Form on the Site. We won’t use any of this personal data without a justified reason and only fully in accordance with the GDPR and other applicable law. |
5. HOW ACAL COLLECTS AND RECEIVES PERSONAL DATA
We collect and receive personal data via different methods, which may include the following.
| Personal data you provide to us | You may provide us with your personal data directly, for example when you register with us, make an enquiry through our Site or provide feedback to us. |
| Personal data we collect using cookies and similar technologies. | When you access our Site, we will collect certain Behavioural Data and Technical Data (see above). We collect this data by using cookies. |
| Personal data received from third parties | We may receive personal data about you from third parties. Such third parties may include analytics providers, or other third parties that provide technical services to us so that we can provide our Site. Given the nature of our services, it is possible that certain data may be provided to us by a third party individual, for example, when an individual sends us any Enquiry Form on the Site and refers to someone else. We won’t use any of this personal data without a justified reason and only fully in accordance with the GDPR and other applicable law. |
| Publicly available personal data | We may collect personal data about you (Identity Data, Contact Data, Profile Data) from publicly available sources, or that you or another third party may otherwise may make publicly available. |
6. WHO ACAL COLLECTS PERSONAL DATA ABOUT
We collect and process personal data from the following people:
| Site visitors | If you browse our Site or join ACAL, we will collect and process your personal data relating to the interaction you make with the Site. |
| Individuals who contact us with enquiries | If you contact us using the enquiry form on our Site, we will collect and process your personal data relating to the interaction you make with us and our Site. |
| Third party individuals who are referred to by somebody who contacts us with an enquiry | In general, ACAL will try to collect as little information as possible through our Site that may comprise a third party individual’s personal data. However, given the nature of our services, it is possible that certain data may be provided to us, for example, when an individual sends us any Enquiry Form on the Site. We won’t use any of this personal data without a justified reason and only fully in accordance with the GDPR and other applicable law. |
| Lawyers who are members of ACAL | If you are a member of ACAL and are a lawyer to which enquirers can be referred to, we will process your personal data relating to your relationship with us. |
| Event Attendees | If you attend one of our events, we will process your personal data in relation to your attendance at our event. |
7. HOW ACAL USES YOUR PERSONAL DATA
We use your personal data for the purposes set out below. If we want to make changes to these purposes, or if we wish to use your personal data for any purpose that is not listed below, we will notify you using the contact details we have for you.
| If you browse the Site | When you browse our Site, we collect and process Behavioural Data and Technical Data to help us understand how the Site is being used. We process this personal data as it is necessary so that we can perform any obligations in accordance with any contract made with a Site visitor, and in ACAL’s legitimate interests to use personal data so that we can provide access to the Site and make any necessary improvements. |
| If you register and access an account on our Site | In order to become a member and receive referrals from us, you will required to register an account with us. Individuals creating an account will need to complete a registration form providing all the required Registration Data. We will then use this personal information to process your registration. Once your account has been registered, we will use your Registration Data to identify you when you login to our Site and use its features. When using the Site, we will collect and process Behavioural Data and Technical Data so that we can understand how we can improve the Site. We process this personal data as it is necessary so that we can perform any obligations in accordance with any contract made with a Site visitor, and in ACAL’s legitimate interests to use personal data so that we can provide access to the Site and make any necessary improvements. |
| If you ask for a referral through our Site or have issues concerning the Site. | If you raise an enquiry with us, which will lead to a referral to one of the ACAL member lawyers, we will collect and process the personal data you provide us with, in order for us to make that referral and answer your enquiry. We process this personal data as it is necessary to perform any obligations in accordance with any contract made with you, and in ACAL’s legitimate interests to use personal data so that we can provide access to the Site and make any necessary improvements, whilst ensuring a good standard of service and improving our services. |
| If you sign up for and/or attend one of our events | We may organise events that are advertised on the Site. If you register to attend one of these events, we may process your Identity Data and Contact Data, in order to communicate with you about the event. If you attend one of our events, we may also process your Profile Data in order to record your attendance at the event. We process this personal data as it is necessary to perform any obligation in accordance with any contract that we have with you, and in ACAL’s legitimate interests to use personal data to ensure that the event is operated in an effective way. |
| Marketing and communications | If you have opted in to receive our newsletter, training or other marketing materials, then we will use your Identity Data, Contact Data and Marketing and Communications Data to communicate this with you. It is in ACAL’s legitimate business interest to use your personal data for marketing purposes. However, we will only send marketing information if you have opted-in to receive the same. |
| If we need to use your personal data to comply with our legal obligations or in connection with the administration of our business. | It is in ACAL’s legitimate business interest to process personal data to enforce legal rights or to protect rights of third parties, should the need arise. ACAL also may have a legal obligation to use personal data to comply with any legal obligations imposed on them, such as a court order. |
| If we use cookies to help us understand more about you and your use/interaction with the Site. | We use cookies, web beacons, pixel tags and other similar technologies (which we will refer to as “Cookies”) to collect data from the devices you use to access the Site and any emails that you may receive from us. The data includes Behavioural Data, Technical Data and certain Profile Data. For further information on Cookies, please see our Cookie Policy. This data is processed so that we can understand how you interact with the Site and the effectiveness of our Site. Where personal data is collected through the non-essential Cookies, we rely on your consent to collect the personal data and the related purpose for processing. We may rely on other lawful basis of processing for the use of Cookies. For example, analytic Cookies so that we can analyse how you interact with our Site, is in ACAL’s legitimate business interest. For more information, please see our Cookie Policy. |
8. FAILURE TO PROVIDE YOUR PERSONAL DATA
If we are required to collect personal data from you by law, or we need to collect it due to any contractual obligations we may have with you, and you fail to provide us with your personal data when requested, we may not be able to perform our contractual obligations or enter into a contract with you. This may apply when you seek a referral from us or process an application to register an account with us. In these circumstances, if we are unable to perform then we will notify you.
9. OBTAINING CONSENT
Where consent is required to use your personal data, you can provide your consent at the time that we collect your personal data.
10. THIRD PARTY LINKS
This Privacy Policy only applies to personal data that we process through your use of our Site and/or in connection with our business operations. Our Site may contain links to third-party websites or services.
We do not have control over these websites or services and this Privacy Policy does not apply to your interaction with such websites or services. When engaging with these third-party website or services, they will be subject to that third party’s privacy policy and terms and conditions. We encourage you to become familiar with such privacy policies and terms and conditions.
ACAL does not monitor, control or endorse privacy practices of any third parties.
11. SHARING PERSONAL DATA
We only share personal data with others where we are legally permitted to do so.
When we are permitted to do so, we share personal data with others and have contractual arrangements and security mechanisms in place to protect your personal data and to comply with data protection, confidentiality and security standards and obligations.
We have identified the following third parties to whom we may share personal data. This list is non-exhaustive, and there may be circumstances where we will need to share personal data with other third parties not included in this list.
| Panel solicitors | If you specifically ask us to, we may share personal data provided to us through our Site with our panel solicitors. |
| Law enforcement or other regulatory agencies or bodies | Given the nature of our services, if information is shared with us through our Site that we cannot keep confidential because we believe we need to reduce the risk of harm to someone, we may share personal data with law enforcement or other regulatory agencies or bodies. |
| Third-party service providers | ACAL shares personal data with third parties who support us in providing ACAL’s Site, help provide, run and manage our internal IT systems and provide other services to us. These service providers are only able to use the personal data we provide to them on the basis of our instructions. |
| Auditors, lawyers, accountants and other professional advisers | ACAL shares personal data with professional services firms who advise and assist us in relation to the lawful and effective management of our organisation and in relation to any disputes we may become involved in. |
| Event partners and suppliers | When we organise and run events, we may share your personal data with service providers that are assisting us in the operation and administration of the event. If we are running an event in partnership with another third party, then we may share your personal data with them for use in relation to the event. |
| Other third parties | Occasionally, ACAL may receive requests from third parties with authority to obtain disclosure of personal data, such as to check that we are complying with applicable law and regulation, to investigate an alleged crime, or to establish, exercise or defend legal rights. ACAL will only fulfil requests for personal data where we are permitted to do so in accordance with applicable law or regulation. |
12. TRANSFERRING PERSONAL DATA OUTSIDE OF THE UK AND THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA (“EEA”)
ACAL shall not transfer your personal data outside of the UK but should the need arise, you will be informed and appropriate measures will be put in place, such as implementing the European Union’s Standard Contractual Clauses.
13. RETENTION OF PERSONAL DATA
In relation to personal data we hold on ACAL members, we will keep this information for the duration of their membership with us.
In relation to personal data you provide to us when you make a request for a referral from us, we will retain your data for as long as is necessary to make the referral. Once a referral has been made, your personal data will be deleted.
14. CONFIDENTIALITY AND SECURITY OF PERSONAL DATA
ACAL is committed to ensuring the proper safeguarding of the personal data that you provide us. We have put information security policies, technical measures and other rules in place to prevent unauthorised access, improper use or disclosure, unauthorised modification, destruction of accidental loss of the personal data.
Our employees and individuals who process your personal data on our behalf are under an obligation to maintain confidentiality of the personal data of individuals who use or interact with our Site.
15. DATA SUBJECT RIGHTS
You have certain rights concerning the personal data that we hold about you. These rights include:
- Right to access – if asked, we will confirm what data we hold about you and are processing and provide you with a copy of that personal data. If additional copies are required, we may charge a reasonable fee for these.
- Right to rectification – you are entitled to have your personal data corrected if what we have is inaccurate.
- Right to erasure – in certain circumstances, you can ask us to delete or remove the personal data that we hold about you, for example if we do not need the data anymore or you withdraw your consent.
- Right to restrict processing – in certain circumstances, you can ask us to stop processing your personal data for a particular purpose.
- Right to data portability – in certain circumstances, you can obtain personal data you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and reuse it elsewhere. You can also ask us to transfer this to a third party.
- Right to object – you can ask us to stop processing your personal data if we are relying on our own or someone else’s legitimate interests, or processing for direct marketing purposes (unless we can demonstrate legal grounds for the processing).
- Automated decision-making and profiling – you have the right to not be subject to a decision of automatic processing, including profiling, if it produces a legal or similarly significant effect. This is subject to any such profiling that is necessary to enter into a contract with ACAL.
- Right to withdraw consent – if we rely on your consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. To withdraw your consent, you should contact us at [email protected]
- Right to complain – if you are concerned with the way we handle your personal data or other privacy practices, then please do contact us at [email protected]. You can also report any issues or concerns to the relevant national supervisory authority. In the United Kingdom, our regulatory authority is the Information Commissioner’s Office (“ICO”). Contact details for the ICO can be found on its website: https://ico.org.uk/.