This website is brought to you by Bankside Commercial Limited. We take the privacy of our website users very seriously.
We ask that you read this Privacy Policy (‘the Policy’) carefully as it contains important information about
how we will use your personal data.
We use your personal data primarily to provide legal services to you, but also for related purposes including:
– conducting checks to identify you, verify your identity and screen for financial or other sanctions;
– gathering and providing information required by or relating to audits, enquiries and investigations by regulatory bodies;
– complying with professional, legal and regulatory obligations that apply to our business;
– ensuring business policies are adhered to, e.g. policies covering security and internet use;
– operational reasons, such as improving efficiency, training and quality control;
– ensuring the confidentiality of commercially sensitive information;
– statistical analysis to help us manage our practice;
– updating client records;
– preventing unauthorised access and modifications to systems;
– preparing and filing statutory returns;
– ensuring safe working practices, and monitoring and managing staff absences and staff access to systems and facilities;
– staff administration and assessments, monitoring staff conduct, and disciplinary matters
– marketing our services;
– credit reference checks via external credit reference agencies; and
– external audits and quality checks.
Our use of your personal data is subject to your instructions, the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), other relevant UK and EU legislation and our professional duty of confidentiality.
Bankside Commercial Limited is a data controller for the purpose of the GDPR and other relevant data protection legislation. We have nominated Lorraine Dunsmore as the firm’s representative for the purpose of the GDPR.
We take your privacy very seriously. Please read the Privacy Policy carefully as it contains important information on:
– what personal data we collect about you and how that data is collected;
– how, why and on what grounds we use your personal data;
– who we share your personal data with;
– where your personal data is held and how long it will be kept;
– whether your personal data may be transferred out of the European Economic area and, if so, the measures taken to protect that data;
– your rights in relation to the personal data we hold or use;
– the steps we take to secure your personal data;
– how to make a complaint in relation to our use of your personal data; and
– how to contact us with any queries or concerns in relation to your personal data.
When we use your personal data we are regulated under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which applies across the European Union (including in the United Kingdom) and we are responsible as ‘controller’ of that personal data for the purposes of the GDPR. Our use of your personal data is subject to your instructions, the GDPR, other relevant UK and EU legislation and our professional duty of confidentiality.
Key terms
We, us, our – Bankside Commercial Limited
Our data protection officer – Lorraine Dunsmore
Personal data – any information relating to an identified or identifiable individual
Special category personal data – Personal data revealing racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs, philosophical beliefs or trade union membership. Genetic and biometric data. Data concerning health, sex life or sexual orientation.
Personal data we collect about you
The list below sets out the personal data we will or may collect in the course of advising and/or acting for you.
Personal data we will collect
– Your name, address and telephone number
– Information to enable us to check and verify your identity, e.g. your date of birth or passport details;
– Electronic contact details, e.g. your email address and mobile phone number
– Information relating to the matter in which you are seeking our advice or representation;
– Information to enable us to undertake a credit or other financial checks on you;
– Your financial details so far as relevant to your instructions, e.g. the source of your funds if you are instructing on a purchase transaction.
Personal data we may collect depending on why you have instructed us
– Your National Insurance and tax details;
– Your bank and/or building society details;
– Details of your professional online presence, e.g. LinkedIn profile;
– Details of your spouse/partner and dependents or other family members, e.g. if you instruct us on a family matter or a will;
– Your employment status and details including salary and benefits, e.g. if you instruct us on matter related to your employment or in which your employment status or income is relevant;
– Your employment records including, where relevant, records relating to sickness and attendance, performance, disciplinary, conduct and grievances (including relevant special category personal data), e.g. if you instruct us on matter related to your employment or in which your employment records are relevant;
– Your racial or ethnic origin, gender and sexual orientation, religious or similar beliefs, e.g. if you instruct us on discrimination claim.
– Your trade union membership, e.g. if you instruct us on discrimination claim or your matter is funded by a trade union;
– Your medical records, e.g. if we are acting for you in a personal injury claim.
This personal data is required to enable us to provide our service to you. If you do not provide personal data we ask for, it may delay or prevent us from providing services to you.
How your personal data is collected
We collect most of this information from you directly. However, we may also collect information:
– from publicly accessible sources, e.g. Companies House or HM Land Registry;
– directly from a third party, e.g. sanctions screening providers, credit reference agencies, client due diligence providers;
– from a third party with your consent, e.g. your bank or building society, another financial institution or advisor;
– consultants and other professionals we may engage in relation to your matter;
– your employer and/or trade union, professional body or pension administrators;
– your doctors, medical and occupational health professionals; and
– via our information technology (IT) systems, e.g. case management, document management and time recording systems, automated monitoring of our websites and other technical systems, such as our computer networks and connections, CCTV and access control systems, communications systems, email and instant messaging systems.
How and why we use your personal data
Under data protection law, we can only use your personal data if we have a proper reason for doing so, e.g. to comply with our legal and regulatory obligations, for the performance of our contract with you or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract, for our legitimate interests or those of a third party, or where you have given consent.
A legitimate interest is when we have a business or commercial reason to use your information, so long as this is not overridden by your own rights and interests.
The table below explains what we use (process) your personal data for and our reasons for doing so:
| What we use your personal data for | Our reasons |
| To provide legal services to you | For the performance of our contract with you or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract |
| Conducting checks to identify our clients and verify their identity;
Screening for financial and other sanctions or embargoes; Other processing necessary to comply with professional, legal and regulatory obligations that apply to our business, e.g. under health and safety regulation or rules issued by our professional regulator |
To comply with our legal and regulatory obligations |
| Gathering and providing information required by or relating to audits, enquiries or investigations by regulatory bodies | To comply with our legal and regulatory obligations |
| Ensuring business policies are adhered to, e.g. policies covering security and internet use | For our legitimate interests or those of a third party, i.e. to make sure we are following our own internal procedures so we can deliver the best service to you |
| Operational reasons, such as improving efficiency, training and quality control | For our legitimate interests or those of a third party, i.e. to be as efficient as we can so we can deliver the best service for you at the best price |
| Ensuring the confidentiality of commercially sensitive information | For our legitimate interests or those of a third party, i.e. to protect our intellectual property and other commercially valuable information
To comply with our legal and regulatory obligations |
| Statistical analysis to help us manage our practice | For our legitimate interests or those of a third party, i.e. to be as efficient as we can so we can deliver the best service for you at the best price |
| Preventing unauthorised access and modifications to systems | For our legitimate interests or those of a third party, i.e. to prevent and detect criminal activity that could be damaging for us and for you
To comply with our legal and regulatory obligations |
| Updating client records | For the performance of our contract with you or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract;
To comply with our legal and regulatory obligations; For our legitimate interests or those of a third party, e.g. making sure that we can keep in touch with our clients about existing and new services. |
| Statutory returns | To comply with our legal and regulatory obligations |
| Ensuring safe working practices, staff administration and assessments | To comply with our legal and regulatory obligations;
For our legitimate interests or those of a third party, e.g. to make sure we are following our own internal procedures and working efficiently so we can deliver the best service to you |
| Marketing our services to: existing and former clients; third parties who have previously expressed an interest in our services; third parties with whom we have had no previous dealings. | For our legitimate interests or those of a third party, i.e. to promote our business to existing and former clients |
| Credit reference checks via external credit reference agencies | For our legitimate interests or a those of a third party, i.e. for credit control |
| External audits and quality checks, e.g. for ISO or Investors in People accreditation and the audit of our accounts. | For our legitimate interests or a those of a third party, i.e. to maintain our accreditations so we can demonstrate we operate at the highest standards;
To comply with our legal and regulatory obligations |
Your rights
You have the right to request access to personal data which we may process about you. If you wish to exercise this right you should:
– put your request in writing
– include proof of your identity and address (eg a copy of your driving licence or passport, and a recent utility or credit card bill)
– specify the personal data you want access to
You have the right to require us to correct any inaccuracies in your data free of charge. If you wish to exercise this right you should:
– put your request in writing
– provide us with enough information to identify you (eg. copy of your driving licence or passport, and a recent utility or credit card bill)
– specify the information that is incorrect and what it should be replaced with
You also have the right to ask us to stop processing your personal data for direct marketing purposes. If you wish to exercise this right you should:
– put your request in writing (an email sent to info@banksidecommercial.com with a header that says ‘Unsubscribe’ is acceptable)
– provide us with enough information to identify you (eg. copy of your driving licence or passport, and a recent utility or credit card bill)
– if your objection is not to direct marketing in general, but to direct marketing by a particular channel (eg email or telephone) please specify the channel you are
objecting to
Our contact details
We welcome your feedback and questions. If you wish to contact us, please send an email to info@banksidecommercial.com or you can write to us at Bankside Commercial Limited, Hamilton House, 1 Temple Avenue, London, EC4Y 0HA or call us on 020 7654 0200.
We may change this privacy policy from time to time. You should check this policy occasionally to ensure you are aware of the most recent version which will apply each time you access this website.