Authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority - SRA no. 598410

Thomas Magnay & Co. LLP is a law firm. We aim to be clear when we collect your data and will not do anything you would not reasonably expect. This privacy policy sets out the ways in which we use your data and how you can hold us accountable for that. The Partners and Solicitors in the firm of Thomas Magnay & Co. LLP are the data controllers (see contact details below). This means that they decide how your personal data is processed and for what purposes.

1. What is your personal data?

Personal data relates to a living individual who can be identified from that data, either through that information alone or in conjunction with other information possessed by the data controllers or which is likely to come into their possession.

The processing of Personal Data is governed by the General Data Protection Regulation (the ‘GDPR’).

2. The information we hold about you may include:

Your name

Postal address

Telephone number

Email address

Your legal or personal representatives.

Personal details you advise in the course of instructions to and legal advice from us.

3. How do we process your personal data?

The Partners of Thomas Magnay & Co. LLP comply with its obligations under the GDPR by:

Keeping personal data up to date.

Storing personal data securely and destroying data securely where necessary.

Not collecting or retaining excessive amounts of data.

Protecting personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, and disclosure; and

Ensuring that appropriate technical measures are in place to protect personal data stored electronically.

4. We will use your personal data only for the following purposes:

To contact you regarding legal services and advice provided by this firm only in connection with enquiries from and/or the instructions of our clients.

To retain legal documents, which may include original or copy documents stored in safe custody on your behalf and held to your order.

To keep registers and indexes in electronic and paper form for Wills, Deeds, Grants of Probate, Authorities and Powers of Attorney. 

To maintain individual files (in both electronic and paper formats) of file notes recording information, advice and instructions discussed with the Partners/Solicitors and given to clients while providing legal services and advice and to maintain electronic/ paper diaries and calendars.

5. What is the legal basis for processing your personal data?

We require your explicit consent in order to process your data. 

Processing is necessary to carry out clients’ instructions and our legal obligations and processing is carried out by the Partners/Solicitors relating only to clients and their representatives, family and associates mentioned in legal documents held by the firm.

6. Sharing your personal data

Your personal data will be treated as strictly confidential and will be held securely at our offices. 

Data will not be disclosed to a third party without your explicit consent for us to hand documents to authorised representatives or attorneys in person. Data will only be given to personal representatives on production of proof of identity and/or with written authority.

Data may be disclosed to legal advisers when requested in writing on a client’s instructions or as a necessary part of legal proceedings and in extraordinary circumstances, it may be necessary to pass information to the police or regulatory bodies.

7. How long do we keep your personal data?

Legal documents held to clients’ order or when acting as their personal representatives are held in safe custody on their behalf indefinitely. 

Registers of these documents stored in paper or in electronic format are held in secure storage permanently.

Original or copy personal documents belonging to clients will be returned to the client or to their representative on request. 

Documents remaining in clients’ paper files are kept in secure storage until they are securely destroyed, and calendars and diaries are kept for no longer than is necessary.

8. Your rights and your personal data.

Unless subject to an exemption under the GDPR, you have the following rights with respect to your personal data:

The right to request a copy of the personal data which the Partners hold about you.

The right to request that the Partners correct any personal data if it is found to be inaccurate or out of date.

The right to request that your personal data is deleted or securely destroyed where it is no longer necessary for the Partners/Solicitors to retain this data and the right to withdraw your consent to the processing at any time. In this event, clients should arrange to call at the firm’s offices to collect the relevant papers and any electronic documents would be permanently deleted from the company’s system.

Thomas Magnay & Co. LLP would not be responsible for any legal or other consequences of your decision to withdraw consent to the processing of your data and the dispersal/destruction of any documents associated with your file.

9. Further Processing

If your data is to be used for a new purpose which is not covered by this Data Protection Notice, we will provide you with a new notice explaining this use and setting out the relevant purposes and processing conditions. 

We will seek your prior consent for any new processing. 

10. Contact Details

To exercise your relevant rights and or make queries or complaints, please contact the Office Manager at Thomas Magnay & Co. LLP on 0191 488 7459.

Or email us on: enquiries@thomasmagnay.co.uk

Or write to us at: Thomas Magnay & Co. LLP, 8 St. Mary’s Green, Whickham, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE16 4DN.

If you are not happy with the outcome, please contact the Information Commissioners Office on 0303 123 1113 or via e-mail at https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/email/or write to it at: The Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.