Privacy Policy
We at Ballards LLP understand that your privacy is important to you and that you care about how your personal data is used and shared. We respect and value the privacy and will only collect and use personal data in ways that are described here, and in a manner that is consistent with our obligations and your rights under the law.
Below is a breakdown of our Website Privacy Policy and our General Privacy Policy.
Website Privacy Policy
General Privacy Policy
This website https://ballardsllp.wpengine.com/ (“Our Site”) and will only collect and use personal data in ways that are described here, and in a manner that is consistent with our obligations and your rights under the law.
Please read this Privacy Policy carefully and ensure that you understand it. Your acceptance of our Privacy Policy is deemed to occur upon your first use of our Site. If you do not accept and agree with this Privacy Policy, you must stop using our Site immediately.
- Definitions and Interpretation
In this Policy, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
“Cookie” means a small text file placed on your computer or device by our Site when you visit certain parts of our Site and/or when you use certain features of our Site. Details of the Cookies used by our Site are set out in section 13, below;
“Personal data” means any and all data that relates to an identifiable person who can be directly or indirectly identified from that data. In this case, it means personal data that you give to us via our Site. This definition shall, where applicable, incorporate the definitions provided in the General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679 (“GDPR”); and
“We/Us/Our” means Ballards LLP, a company registered in England and Wales under company number OC302548, whose registered office address is at Oakmoore Court, 11c Kingswood Road, Hampton Lovett Droitwich, Worcestershire, WR9 0QH. - Information About Us
- We own and operate this Site.
- Our appointed representative is Ben Allman who can be contacted by email at ben.allman@ballardsllp.com, or by post at Oakmoore Court, 11c Kingswood Road, Hampton Lovett Droitwich, Worcestershire, WR9 0QH.
- What Does This Policy Cover?
This Privacy Policy applies only to your use of our Site. Our Site may contain links to other websites. Please note that we have no control over how your data is collected, stored, or used by other websites and we advise you to check the privacy policies of any such websites before providing any data to them. - Your Rights
- As a data subject, you have the following rights under the GDPR, which this Policy and our use of personal data have been designed to uphold:
- The right to be informed about our collection and use of personal data;
- The right of access to the personal data we hold about you (see section 12);
- The right to rectification if any personal data we hold about you is inaccurate or incomplete (please contact us using the details in section 14);
- The right to be forgotten – i.e. the right to ask us to delete any personal data we hold about you (we only hold your personal data for a limited time, as explained in section 6 but if you would like us to delete it sooner, please contact us using the details in section 14);
- The right to restrict (i.e. prevent) the processing of your personal data;
- The right to data portability (obtaining a copy of your personal data to re-use with another service or organisation);
- The right to object to us using your personal data for particular purposes; and
- Rights with respect to automated decision making and profiling.
- If you have any cause for complaint about our use of your personal data, please contact us using the details provided in section 14 and we will do our best to solve the problem for you. If we are unable to help, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK’s supervisory authority, the Information Commissioner’s Office.
- For further information about your rights, please contact the Information Commissioner’s Office or your local Citizens’ Advice Bureau.
- As a data subject, you have the following rights under the GDPR, which this Policy and our use of personal data have been designed to uphold:
- What Data Do We Collect?
Depending upon your use of our Site, we may collect some or all of the following personal and non-personal data (please also see section 13 on our use of Cookies and similar technologies):- name;
- address;
- shipping address;
- contact information such as email addresses and telephone numbers;
- demographic information such as post code, preferences, and interests;
- IP address;
- web browser type and version; and
- operating system.Should you use our Site on behalf of another person, it shall be your responsibility to ensure you have gained express consent to transfer their personal data to us.Please note our site may ask you for payment details, such as billing information or credit or debit card information, however all payments made on our website will go through a third party processor such as Stripe or PayPal and as such, we shall have no access to this data. A separate contractual relationship shall be created between you and the payment processor on their terms and conditions and we cannot be held liable for any errors, actions, omissions or incorrect charges that may be made by them.
- How Do We Use Your Data?
- All personal data is processed and stored securely, for no longer than is necessary in light of the reason(s) for which it was first collected. We will comply with our obligations and safeguard your rights under the GDPR at all times. For more details on security see section 7, below.
- Our use of your personal data will always have a lawful basis, either because it is necessary for our performance of a contract with you, because you have consented to our use of your personal data (e.g. by subscribing to emails), or because it is in our legitimate interests. Specifically, we may use your data for the following purposes:
- Providing and managing your access to our Site;
- Personalising and tailoring your experience on our Site;
- Supplying our services to you (please note that we require your personal data in order to enter into a contract with you);
- Replying to emails from you;
- Supplying you with emails that you have opted into (you may unsubscribe using the link at the bottom of each email or you may opt-out at any time by emailing us directly);
- Analysing your use of our Site to enable us to continually improve our Site and your user experience.
- With your permission and/or where permitted by law, we may also use your data for marketing purposes which may include contacting you by email with information, news and offers on our services. We will not, however, send you any unsolicited marketing or spam and will take all reasonable steps to ensure that we fully protect your rights and comply with our obligations under GDPR and the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003.
- Third parties whose content appears on our Site may use third party Cookies, as detailed below in section 13. Please refer to section 13 for more information on controlling Cookies. Please note that we do not control the activities of such third parties, nor the data they collect and use, and we advise you to check the privacy policies of any such third parties.
- You have the right to withdraw your consent to us using your personal data at any time, and to request that we delete it.
- We do not keep your personal data for any longer than is necessary in light of the reason(s) for which it was first collected.
- How Do We Store Your Data?
- We only keep your personal data for as long as we need to in order to use it as described above in section 6, and/or for as long as we have your permission to keep it.
- Data security is very important to us, and to protect your data we have taken suitable measures to safeguard and secure data collected through our Site.
- Do We Share Your Data?
- We may sometimes contract with other third parties to supply services to you on our behalf. These may include search engine facilities and freelancers. In some cases, these third parties may require access to some or all of your data. Where any of your data is required for such a purpose, we will take all reasonable steps to ensure that your data will be handled safely, securely, and in accordance with your rights, our obligations, and the obligations of the third party under the law.
- We may compile statistics about the use of our Site including data on traffic, usage patterns, user numbers, sales, and other information. All such data will be anonymised and will not include any personally identifying data, or any anonymised data that can be combined with other data and used to identify you. We may from time to time share such data with third parties such as prospective investors, affiliates, partners, and advertisers. Data will only be shared and used within the bounds of the law.
- We may sometimes use third party data processors that are located outside of the European Economic Area (“the EEA”) (The EEA consists of all EU member states, plus Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein). Where we transfer any personal data outside the EEA, we will take all reasonable steps to ensure that your data is treated as safely and securely as it would be within the UK and under the GDPR.
- In certain circumstances, we may be legally required to share certain data held by us, which may include your personal data, for example, where we are involved in legal proceedings, where we are complying with legal requirements, a court order, or a governmental authority.
- What Happens If Our Business Changes Hands?
- We may, from time to time, expand or reduce our business and this may involve the sale and/or the transfer of control of all or part of our business. Any personal data that you have provided will, where it is relevant to any part of our business that is being transferred, be transferred along with that part and the new owner or newly controlling party will, under the terms of this Privacy Policy, be permitted to use that data only for the same purposes for which it was originally collected by us.
- In the event that any of your data is to be transferred in such a manner, you will not be contacted in advance and informed of the changes.
- How Can You Control Your Data?
- In addition to your rights under the GDPR, set out in section 4, when you submit personal data to us via email or via our Site, you may be given options to restrict our use of your data. In particular, we aim to give you strong controls on our use of your data for direct marketing purposes (including the ability to opt-out of receiving emails from us which you may do by unsubscribing using the links provided in our emails, at the point of providing your details and by contacting us).
- You may also wish to sign up to one or more of the preference services operating in the UK: The Telephone Preference Service (“the TPS”), the Corporate Telephone Preference Service (“the CTPS”), and the Mailing Preference Service (“the MPS”). These may help to prevent you receiving unsolicited marketing. Please note, however, that these services will not prevent you from receiving marketing communications that you have consented to receiving.
- Your Right to Withhold Information
- You may access certain areas of our Site without providing any data at all. However, to use all features and functions available on our Site you may be required to submit or allow for the collection of certain data.
- You may restrict our use of Cookies. You can choose to enable or disable Cookies in your internet browser. Most internet browsers also enable you to choose whether you wish to disable all cookies or only third party Cookies. By default, most internet browsers accept Cookies but this can be changed. For further details, please consult the help menu in your internet browser or the documentation that came with your device. You can choose to delete Cookies on your computer or device at any time, however you may lose any information that enables you to access our Site more quickly and efficiently.
- How Can You Access Your Data?
You have the right to ask for a copy of any of your personal data held by us (where such data is held). Please contact us for more details using the contact details below in section 14. Alternatively, please refer to our Data Protection Policy. - Our Use of Cookies
- Our Site may place and access certain first party Cookies on your computer or device. First party Cookies are those placed directly by us and are used only by us. We use Cookies to facilitate and improve your experience of our Site and to provide and improve our services. All Cookies used by and on our Site are used in accordance with current Cookie Law.
- Before Cookies are placed on your computer or device, you will be shown a pop-up requesting your consent to set those Cookies. By giving your consent to the placing of Cookies, you are enabling us to provide the best possible experience and service to you. You may, if you wish, deny consent to the placing of Cookies; however certain features of our Site may not function fully or as intended.
- Certain features of our Site depend on Cookies to function. Cookie Law deems these Cookies to be “strictly necessary”. Your consent will not be sought to place these Cookies, but it is still important that you are aware of them. You may still block these Cookies by changing your internet browser’s settings as detailed below, but please be aware that our Site may not work properly if you do so. We have taken great care to ensure that your privacy is not at risk by allowing them
- Our Site uses Google Analytics. Website analytics refers to a set of tools used to collect and analyse anonymous usage information, enabling us to better understand how our Site is used. This, in turn, enables us to improve our Site and the services offered through it. You do not have to allow us to use these Cookies, however whilst our use of them does not pose any risk to your privacy or your safe use of our Site, it does enable us to continually improve our Site, making it a better and more useful experience for you. Google’s privacy policy is available at: https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/
- In addition to the controls that we provide, you can choose to enable or disable Cookies in your internet browser. By default, most internet browsers accept Cookies but this can be changed. For further details, please consult the help menu in your internet browser or the documentation that came with your device.
- You can choose to delete Cookies on your computer or device at any time, however you may lose any information that enables you to access our Site more quickly and efficiently.
- It is recommended that you keep your internet browser and operating system up-to-date and that you consult the help and guidance provided by the developer of your internet browser and manufacturer of your computer or device if you are unsure about adjusting your privacy settings.
- Contacting Us
If you have any questions about our Site or this Privacy Policy, please contact us by email at ben.allman@ballardsllp.com, by telephone on 01905 794 504, or by post at Oakmoore Court, 11c Kingswood Road, Hampton Lovett Droitwich, Worcestershire, WR9 0QH. Please ensure that your query is clear, particularly if it is a request for information about the data we hold about you (as under section 12, above). - Changes to Our Privacy Policy
We may change this Privacy Policy from time to time (for example, if the law changes). Any changes will be immediately posted on our Site and you will be deemed to have accepted the terms of the Privacy Policy on your first use of our Site following the alterations. We recommend that you check this page regularly to keep up-to-date.
1. Controller
Ballards LLP is the controller for the personal information we process, unless otherwise stated. There are many ways you can contact us, including by phone, e-mail and post.
Our postal address:
Ballards LLP,
Oakmoore Court,
11c Kingswood Road,
Hampton Lovett Droitwich,
Worcestershire,
WR9 0QH.
Our phone number:
01905 794504
2. Data Protection Responsible Person
Our Data Protection Responsible Person is Ben Allman. You can contact him at ben.allman@ballardllp.com or via our postal address. Please mark the envelope “Data Protection Responsible Person”.
3. What personal information we process
Most of the personal information we process is provided to us directly by you for one of the following reasons:
• You have instructed us to act for your business, trust or act for you personally.
• You have made an information request to us.
• You wish to attend, or have attended, an event.
• You subscribe to our e-newsletter.
• You have applied for a job or secondment with us.
• You are representing your organisation.
We also receive personal information indirectly, in the following scenarios:
• We have contacted an organisation about your affairs, after gaining the appropriate consent from you.
• From public authorities, regulators or law enforcement bodies.
• An employee of ours gives your contact details as an emergency contact or a referee.
• You have accessed our website and have consented to our processing the data you have submitted to us as per the Privacy Policy displayed on the website.
The information referred to will be necessary in order to fulfil one or more of the above reasons and can include, but is not restricted to:
• Name
• Business or personal address
• Associated contacts
• Family members
• Date of birth
• Sex
• Employment history
• Nationality
• Education
• Signature
• Telephone number
• E-mail address
• National insurance number
• Unique Taxpayer reference
• PAYE reference
• VAT number
• Bank and credit card details and transactions
• Income and expenditure details
• Names of suppliers and customers and transactions therewith
• Pension details
4. Why we process your data
We do so when one of the following applies:
• The data subject has given consent to the processing of their personal data for one or more specific purposes.
• The processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which the data subject is a party, or in order to take steps at the request of the data subject prior to entering into a contract with them.
• The processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which the data controller is subject.
• The processing is necessary to protect the vital interests of the data subject or of another natural person.
• The processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the data controller.
• The processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by the data controller or by a third party, except where such interests are overridden by the fundamental rights and freedoms of the data subject which require protection of personal data, in particular where the data subject is a child.
5. Your Rights
Under data protection law, you have rights we need to make you aware of. The rights available to you depend on our reason for processing your information.
• Your right of access:
You have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information. This right always applies. There are some exemptions, which means you may not always receive all the information we process.
• Your right to rectification:
You have the right to ask us to rectify information you think is inaccurate. You also have the right to ask us to complete information you think is incomplete. This right always applies.
• Your right to erasure:
You have the right to ask us to erase your personal information in certain circumstances.
• Your right to restriction of processing:
You have the right to ask us to restrict the processing of your information in certain circumstances.
• Your right to object to processing:
You have the right to object to processing if we are able to process your information because the process forms part of our administration tasks or is in our legitimate interests.
• Your right to data portability:
This only applies to information you have given us. You have the right to ask that we transfer the information you gave us from one organisation to another or give it to you. The right only applies if we are processing information based on your consent or under, or in talks about entering into a contract and the processing is automated.
We use third parties to support us in providing our services and to help provide, run and manage our internal IT systems. For example, providers of information technology, cloud- based software as a service providers, identity management, website hosting and management, data analysis, data back-up, security and storage services. The servers powering and facilitating that cloud infrastructure are located in secure data centres around the world, and personal data may be stored in any one of them. For instance, Xero accounting software may be used, where your permission to subscribe and use this service has been obtained.
If we are processing your information for criminal law enforcement purposes or other government and regulatory agencies or to other third parties as required by, and in accordance with, applicable law or regulation, your rights are slightly different. Occasionally, we 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, to establish, exercise or defend legal rights. We will only fulfil requests for personal data where we are permitted to do so in accordance with applicable law or regulation.
• Your rights with respect to automated decision-making and profiling:
Ballards LLP do not undertake either of these processes, as defined by Article 22 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (General Data Protection Regulation).
You are not required to pay any charge for exercising your rights, under normal circumstances. The Company reserves the right to charge reasonable fees for additional copies of information that has already been supplied to a data subject, and for requests that are manifestly unfounded or excessive, particularly where such requests are repetitive. We have one month to respond to you. Please contact us at ben.allman@ballardsllp.com if you wish to make a request or contact us on 01905 794504.
If we are unable to help, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK’s supervisory authority, the Information Commissioner’s Office.
For further information about your rights, please contact the Information Commissioner’s Office or your local Citizens’ Advice Bureau.
6. Storage and retention of data
All personal data is processed and stored securely, for no longer than is necessary in light of the reason(s) for which it was first collected. We will always comply with our obligations and safeguard your rights under the GDPR.
Our use of your personal data will always have a lawful basis, either because it is necessary for our performance of a contract with you, because you have consented to our use of your personal data (e.g. by subscribing to emails), or because it is in our legitimate interests.
We only keep your personal data for as long as we need to in order to use it as described above, and/or for as long as we have your permission to keep it.
Data security is very important to us, and to protect your data we have taken suitable measures to safeguard and secure all data collected.
7. How Can You Access Your Data?
You have the right to ask for a copy of any of your personal data held by us (where such data is held). Please contact us for more details using the contact details below in section 8. The Information Commissioner’s Office can provide further guidance on this at ico.org.uk
8. Contacting Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Notice, please contact us by email at ben.allman@ballardsllp.com, by telephone on 01905 794 504, or by post at Oakmoore Court, 11c Kingswood Road, Hampton Lovett Droitwich, Worcestershire, WR9 0QH. Please ensure that your query is clear, particularly if it is a request for information about the data that we hold about you.
9. Changes to Our Privacy Notice
We may change this Privacy Policy from time to time (for example, if the law changes). Any changes will be immediately reflected in this Notice. It was last updated on 30 April 2020.