Introduction

Here at Lonsdale & Mayall Solicitors, we take your privacy seriously and will only use your personal information to contact you as agreed, in order to provide the products or services you have requested from us.

About This Privacy Policy

This privacy policy explains what information we collect about you, how we use it, and the steps we take to ensure that it is kept secure. We also explain your rights in respect of your personal data.

Who We Are

Lonsdale & Mayall Solicitors is a law firm which specialises in Family Matters, Children Matters, Wills and Probate, Immigration Matters, Conveyancing, Landlords & Tenants, Civil Litigation and Employment Matters.

In this document, "we", "our", or "us" “The Firm” refer to Lonsdale & Mayall Solicitors.
The Firm is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority SRA number 518599.
Our registered office is at 40 High Street, Swanley, Kent BR8 8BQ.

Information We Collect and What We Use It For

All personal data that we collect about you will be recorded, used, and protected by us in accordance with applicable data protection legislation and this privacy policy. We may supplement the information that you provide with other information that we obtain from our contacts with you.

Your Personal Data:

What We Require
Lonsdale & Mayall Solicitors will be what’s known as the ‘Controller’ of the personal data you provide to us. We only collect personal data about you which enables us to provide the services we have offered to you or you have requested from us and enable us to contact you as agreed. This includes name, address, email address, phone number, day and year of birth, proof of ID, proof of address, nationality, occupation, national insurance number, gender, etc.

Why We Require It

To Provide Services as Instructed
We require your requested personal data in order to:

•    To provide you with the services we offered you at the point of collection of your data.
•    For record keeping purposes

We will not collect any personal data from you that we do not need in order to meet these requirements.

For Marketing Purposes
•    To provide information about the variety of other services we offer
•    To share local community news with you and keep you up to date with the legal news update relating to your matter
•    To share any other information which we believe may be of beneficial use to you.

We will not send you marketing communication without your expressed consent. Furthermore, we will not collect any personal data from you that we do not need in order to meet these requirements.

You can opt out of these communications at any time - just let us know by contacting our Practice Manager at the address provided below.

What We Do With It
All the personal data we collect is processed by our staff. The data enables us to contact you via the agreed method of communication in order to provide you with our services.

Disclosure of Your Information
The data we collect is not shared with third parties for any marketing purposes. However for the purposes of IT hosting and maintenance, this information may be located on servers within the European Union. No third parties have access to your personal data unless the law allows them to do so.

In order to provide our services to you or to otherwise fulfil contractual arrangements that we have with you, we may need to appoint other organisations to carry out some of the data processing activities on our behalf.

We may share your data with third parties if:

1.    We are under a legal or regulatory duty to do so
2.    It is necessary to do so to enforce our contractual rights
3.    To lawfully assist the police or security services with the prevention and detection of crime or terrorist activity, where such disclosure is necessary to protect the safety or security of any persons, and/or
4.    Otherwise as permitted under applicable law

We have a Data Protection regime in place to oversee the effective and secure processing of your personal data. More information on this framework is available upon request.

Monitoring
We record telephone calls in accordance with our client care contractual agreement, for security purposes and to improve the quality of services that we provide to you.How Long We Keep It
We will keep your personal data which you have provided to us for a minimum of 6 year once you are no longer instructing us, after which time it may be destroyed.

What Are Your Rights?
You have the right to request to see the information we hold about you, to have it corrected, updated or deleted.

We encourage you to promptly update your personal information if it changes.

We will securely retain your information for as long as is reasonably necessary and in accordance with applicable law. If you wish to submit a request that your data be collected, updated or deleted, please write to us at the address below:

Lonsdale & Mayall Solicitors
40 High Street
Swanley
Kent BR8 8BQ

You have the right to receive a copy of the personal information that we hold about you. Please write to us at the address above if you wish to exercise this right.

If you have an enquiry on how we have handled your personal data, you can contact our Practice Manager who will investigate the matter via the postal address provided above.

Where to Make a Complaint
In the unlikely event that you are not satisfied with our response or believe we are not processing your personal data in accordance with the law, you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

You can also contact the Information Commissioner’s Office using their online form: https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/email/

Changes to This Privacy Policy
We aim to meet high standards and so our policies and procedures are constantly under review. From time to time we may change this privacy policy.

Lonsdale & Mayall Solicitors is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office, registration number Z212241X.

 

Lonsdale & Mayall Solicitors - Complaints Procedure

At Lonsdale & Mayall Solicitors, we are dedicated to providing the highest standard of legal services. If any aspect of our service falls short, we ask that you notify us so that we can rectify any issues and continuously improve our standards.

Initial Steps in Raising Concerns

In many instances, an informal discussion with the solicitor handling your matter will resolve your concerns. However, if the matter remains unresolved or if you wish to speak with someone else, you may escalate the issue formally. Our Principal Solicitor, Mrs Iyabo Eferakorho, will document your complaint and recommend a resolution. You can contact Mrs. Eferakorho on 01322 660 880.

Required Information

To assist us in managing your complaint efficiently, we kindly request the following details when contacting us:

• Your name, contact information, and preferred method of communication.
• Your file reference number.
• A clear description of the issues you wish to raise.
• How you would like the matter to be resolved.

What to Expect Next

If you contact us by telephone, we will seek to resolve the issue during the call. Should further investigation be necessary, or if you submit your complaint in writing, we will issue an acknowledgment within two working days.

Our Principal Solicitor will then review your case and consult with the solicitor involved. Within 14 days of sending our acknowledgment, you will be invited to attend a meeting to discuss your concerns. If a meeting is not possible or desired, a telephone discussion will be arranged.

Within 3 days of the meeting or telephone conversation, we will send you a written summary outlining the discussion and any agreed solutions. In all cases, a detailed written response, including proposed resolutions, will be provided within 21 days of our initial acknowledgment of your complaint.

Further Review

If you are not satisfied with the outcome, you may request a further review by another solicitor or a consultant. We will respond within 14 days, outlining our final decision and the reasons for it.

Timeframes and External Recourse

Should we need to adjust any of the timeframes outlined above, we will inform you and provide an explanation.

If you remain dissatisfied after our internal review, you may escalate your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman. Complaints to the Legal Ombudsman must typically be made within six months of receiving our final response. Additionally, the Legal Ombudsman expects complaints to be lodged within 1 year of the incident in question, or within 1 year of when you became aware of the issue. The Legal Ombudsman can be contacted at:

Legal Ombudsman
PO Box 6167
Slough
SL1 0EH

Phone: 0300 555 0333
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

Website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk

Please note that the Legal Ombudsman’s services are available only to individuals and small businesses that meet certain size criteria. Further details are available directly from the Legal Ombudsman. 

If your complaint remains unresolved, you may also have the option to pursue alternative dispute resolution (ADR) through a certified ADR provider. While we are not obligated to agree to such a request, we will provide further information if this option becomes relevant. Please be aware that ADR is only available to consumers, not businesses.