Terms of Use

Whilst we have made every effort to provide accurate and up to date information on our website, the law is constantly changing and affects each person or business in different ways. The information contained within this website is no substitute for specific advice and we will not accept liability if you rely solely on information from the website.

 

It is important that you read this page as it contains important information regarding accessing our website.

By accessing this website you agree to the terms and conditions set out below:

Liability

We will not be liable for any claims, penalties, losses, damages, costs or expenses arising from the use of or inability to use, interruption or availability of, this website, its operation or transmission, computer viruses or any unauthorised access to or alteration of the website. We do not warrant that the contents of this website are compatible with all computer systems and browsers.

General

This website is published by GCS LAW LTD (also trading as Goldman & Co Solicitors). The following statements apply to this website. This website is issued in England and is intended for the information and use of England and Wales residents only.

Complaints

At Goldman & Co Solciitors, we take pride in our client focussed approach in order to exceed clients expectations. We want to give you the best possible service. However, if at any point you become unhappy or concerned about the service, we have provided then you should inform us immediately, so that we can do our best to resolve the problem.

In the first instance it may be helpful to contact the person who is working on your case to discuss your concerns and we will do our best to resolve any issues. If you would like to make a formal complaint, then you can read our full complaints below. Making a complaint will not affect how we handle your case.

If You have any concerns with the service We have provided for You, You may raise the matter with Mr R Ismail, the Compliance officer who will investigate your concern. You will then be sent a letter acknowledging your complaint and asking You to confirm or explain the details.  Your complaint will be recorded in our central register and a file will be opened to deal with it.

 

We ask that your complaint is made in writing or email and addressed to:

Mr R Ismail – Compliance Director

email: riaz@goldmansolicitors.co.uk

Goldman & Co Solicitors

Marshall House

Ringway

Preston

PR1 2QD

 

What will happen next?

 

1. We will send you a letter acknowledging your complaint, where necessary asking you to confirm or explain the details. We will tell you who will be dealing with your complaint and also provide you with the contact details for the Legal Ombudsman. You can expect to receive our letter within 7 working days of receiving your complaint.

 

2. We will open a file for your complaint and record it in our complaints register. We will do this within 7 working days of receiving your complaint.

 

3. Mr Ismail will then investigate your complaint, which will normally involve thoroughly examining your file and speaking with the person in the firm who acted for you. They will do this within 21 days after sending you the acknowledgement letter..

 

4. If you would like to have a meeting to discuss and hopefully resolve your complaint, we will arrange this within 7 working days of your request. Within 5 working days of the meeting Mr Ismail will write to you to confirm what took place and any solutions they has agreed with you.

 

5. If  you do not want a meeting, or if it is not possible for any reason, Mr Ismail will send you a detailed and final response to your complaint, including suggestions for resolving the matter.

 

7. The whole internal complaints process should be completed within 8 weeks.

 

8. If you are still not satisfied with the firm’s decision at the conclusion of the complaints procedure you may refer the matter to the Legal Ombudsman PO Box 6806 Wolverhampton WV1 9WJ; telephone 0300 555 0333; enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk; www.legalombudsman.org.uk.  

 

There is a time limit for referring the matter to the Legal Ombudsman which is generally 6 months from the end of our firm’s complaint procedure and no later than 12 months from when the matter first occurred.

 

If we have to change any of the timescales above, we will let you know and explain why.

What to do if you are unhappy with our behaviour

The Solicitors Regulation Authority can help if you are concerned about our behaviour. Visit their website to see how you can raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

Privacy

Goldman & Co Solicitors respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This privacy notice will inform you as to how we look after your personal data when you visit our website (regardless of where you visit it from) and tell you about your privacy rights and how the law protects you.

This privacy notice aims to give you information on how we collect and process your personal data through your use of this website, including any data you may provide through this website.

This website is not intended for children and we do not knowingly collect data relating to children.

It is important that you read this privacy notice together with any other privacy notice or fair processing notice we may provide on specific occasions when we are collecting or processing personal data about you so that you are fully aware of how and why we are using your data. This privacy notice supplements the other notices and is not intended to override them.

Controller

Goldman & Co Solicitors is the controller and responsible for your personal data (collectively referred to as ‘Goldman & Co’, ‘we’, ‘us’ or ‘our’ in this privacy notice).

We have appointed a data privacy manager who is responsible for overseeing questions in relation to this privacy notice. If you have any questions about this privacy notice, including any requests to exercise your legal rights, please contact the data privacy manager using the details set out below.

You have the right to make a complaint at any time to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues (www.ico.org.uk). We would, however, appreciate the chance to deal with your concerns before you approach the ICO so please contact us in the first instance.

Changes to the privacy notice 

It is important that the personal data we hold about you is accurate and current. Please keep us informed if your personal data changes during your relationship with us. This version was created on 24/12/2021.

Third-party links

This website may include links to third-party websites, plug-ins and applications. Clicking on those links or enabling those connections may allow third parties to collect or share data about you. We do not control these third-party websites and are not responsible for their privacy statements. When you leave our website, we encourage you to read the privacy notice of every website you visit.

The data we collect about you

Personal data, or personal information, means any information about an individual from which that person can be identified. It does not include data where the identity has been removed (anonymous data).

We may collect, use, store and transfer different kinds of personal data about you which we have grouped together as follows:

Collected Data

Includes first name, maiden name, last name, username or similar identifier, marital status, title, date of birth and gender. Includes company address, email address and telephone numbers. Details about payments to and from you and other details of the services you use from us. Also may be internet protocol (IP) address, your login data, browser type and version, time zone setting and location, browser plug-in types and versions, operating system and platform and other technology on the devices you use to access this website. Includes your username and password, preferences, feedback and survey responses. Usage Data: Includes information about how you use our website, products and services.

Marketing and Communications Data

Includes your preferences in receiving marketing from us and our third parties and your communication preferences.

We do not collect any Special Categories of Personal Data about you (this includes details about your race or ethnicity, religious or philosophical beliefs, sex life, sexual orientation, political opinions, trade union membership, information about your health and genetic and biometric data). Nor do we collect any information about criminal convictions and offences.

If you fail to provide personal data

Where we need to collect personal data by law, or under the terms of a contract we have with you and you fail to provide that data when requested, we may not be able to perform the contract we have or are trying to enter into with you (for example, to provide you with goods or services). In this case, we may have to cancel a product or service you have with us but we will notify you if this is the case at the time.

How is your personal data collected?

We use different methods to collect data from and about you including through:

Direct interactions

You may give us your Identity / Contact data by filling in forms or by corresponding with us by post, phone, email or otherwise. This includes personal data you provide when you:

•     apply for our products or services
      create an account on our website
      subscribe to our service or publications
      request marketing to be sent to you
      enter a survey
      apply for employment or to provide us with services give us some feedback.

Automated technologies or interactions

As you interact with our website, we may automatically collect Technical Data about your equipment, browsing actions and patterns. We collect this personal data by using cookies, server logs and other similar technologies. Please see our cookie policy for further details.

How we use your personal data

We will only use your personal data when the law allows us to. Most commonly, we will use your personal data in the following circumstances:

Where we need to perform the contract we are about to enter into or have entered into with you.
Where it is necessary for our legitimate interests (or those of a third party) and your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests.

Where we need to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation

Generally we do not rely on consent as a legal basis for processing your personal data other than in relation to sending third party direct marketing communications to you via email or text message. You have the right to withdraw consent to marketing at any time by contacting us.

Purposes for which we will use your personal data
We have set out below a description of all the ways we plan to use your personal data, and which of the legal bases we rely on to do so. We have also identified what our legitimate interests are where appropriate.

Note that we may process your personal data for more than one lawful ground depending on the specific purpose for which we are using your data. Please contact us if you need details about the specific legal ground we are relying on to process your personal data where more than one ground has been set out in the table below.

Purpose/Activities

Lawful basis for processing including basis of legitimate interest. To manage our relationship with you which will include:

    Notifying you about changes to our terms or privacy policy
    Asking you to leave a review or take a survey
    Performance of a contract with you
    Necessary to comply with a legal obligation
    Necessary for our legitimate interests (to keep our records updated and to study how customers use our products/services)
    To enable you to complete a survey
    Performance of a contract with you
    Necessary for our legitimate interests (to study how customers use our products/services, to develop them and grow our business)
    To administer and protect our business and this website (including troubleshooting, data analysis, testing, system maintenance, support, reporting and hosting of data)
    Necessary for our legitimate interests (for running our business, provision of administration and IT services, network security, to prevent fraud and in the context of a                business reorganisation or group restructuring exercise)
    Necessary to comply with a legal obligation
    To use data analytics to improve our website, products/services, marketing, customer relationships and experiences
    Necessary for our legitimate interests (to define types of customers for our products and services, to keep our website updated and relevant, to develop our business and        to inform our marketing strategy)
    To make suggestions and recommendations to you about goods or services that may be of interest to you
    Necessary for our legitimate interests (to develop our products/services and grow our business) to perform our services to you including:
    Manage payments, fees and charges16. Collect and recover money owed to us
    Performance of a contract with you
    Necessary for our legitimate interests (to recover debts due to us)

Marketing

We strive to provide you with choices regarding certain personal data uses, particularly around marketing and advertising.

Promotional offers from us

We may use your Identity, Contact, Technical, Usage and Profile Data to form a view on what we think you may want or need, or what may be of interest to you. This is how we decide which products, services and offers may be relevant for you (we call this marketing).
You will receive marketing communications from us if you have requested information from us or purchased services from us and, in each case, you have not opted out of receiving that marketing.

Third-party marketing

We will get your express opt-in consent before we share your personal data with any company outside Goldman & Co Solicitors for marketing purposes. You can ask us or third parties to stop sending you marketing messages at any time by following the opt-out links on any marketing message sent to you or by contacting us at any time. Where you opt out of receiving these marketing messages, this will not apply to personal data provided to us as a result of a service purchase or other transactions.

Cookies

This website may use cookies. A cookie is a small text file stored in your computer containing text data. We use cookies for certain functions to improve the usability of the website. However, enabling cookies in your web browser is necessary if you wish your selections to be remembered for future visits on the same computer. You can set your browser to refuse all or some browser cookies, or to alert you when websites set or access cookies. For more information about cookies and instructions on how to adjust your browser settings to restrict or disable cookies, see the IAB website at www.allaboutcookies.org. If you disable or refuse cookies, please note that some parts of this website may become inaccessible or not function properly.

Change of purpose

We will only use your personal data for the purposes for which we collected it, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another reason and that reason is compatible with the original purpose. If you wish to get an explanation as to how the processing for the new purpose is compatible with the original purpose, please contact us.

If we need to use your personal data for an unrelated purpose, we will notify you and we will explain the legal basis which allows us to do so.

Please note that we may process your personal data without your knowledge or consent, in compliance with the above rules, where this is required or permitted by law.

Disclosures of your personal data

We may have to share your personal data with the parties set out below for the purposes set out in the table in ‘How we use your personal data’:

Internal Third Parties as set out in the Glossary.

External Third Parties as set out in the Glossary.

Third parties to whom we may choose to sell, transfer, or merge parts of our business or our assets. Alternatively, we may seek to acquire other businesses or merge with them. If a change happens to our business, then the new owners may use your personal data in the same way as set out in this privacy notice.

We require all third parties to respect the security of your personal data and to treat it in accordance with the law. We do not allow our third-party service providers to use your personal data for their own purposes and only permit them to process your personal data for specified purposes and in accordance with our instructions.

International transfers

We do not transfer your personal data outside the European Economic Area (EEA).

Data security

We have put in place appropriate security measures to prevent your personal data from being accidentally lost, used or accessed in an unauthorised way, altered or disclosed. In addition, we limit access to your personal data to those employees, agents, contractors and other third parties who have a business need to know. They will only process your personal data on our instructions and they are subject to a duty of confidentiality.

We have put in place procedures to deal with any suspected personal data breach and will notify you and any applicable regulator of a breach where we are legally required to do so.

Data retention

How long will you use my personal data for?
We will only retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.

To determine the appropriate retention period for personal data, we consider the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the personal data, the potential risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure of your personal data, the purposes for which we process your personal data and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means, and the applicable legal requirements.

Details of retention periods for different aspects of your personal data are available in our retention policy which you can request from us by contacting us.

Your legal rights

Under certain circumstances, you have rights under data protection laws in relation to your personal data. Please click on the links below to find out more about these rights:

    Request access to your personal data
    Request correction of your personal data
    Request erasure of your personal data
    Object to processing of your personal data
    Request restriction of processing your personal data
    Request transfer of your personal data
    Right to withdraw consent

If you wish to exercise any of the rights set out above, please contact us.

We may charge a reasonable fee if your request is unfounded, repetitive or excessive. Alternatively, we may refuse to comply with your request in these circumstances.

What we may need from you

We may need to request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and ensure your right to access your personal data (or to exercise any of your other rights). This is a security measure to ensure that personal data is not disclosed to any person who has no right to receive it. We may also contact you to ask you for further information in relation to your request to speed up our response.

Time limit to respond

We try to respond to all legitimate requests within one month. Occasionally it may take us longer than a month if your request is particularly complex or you have made a number of requests. In this case, we will notify you and keep you updated.

We may make changes to the information contained within this site at any time without updating this site to reflect those changes. We will not be liable for errors, omissions or for information becoming out of date. If you are in any doubt as to the accuracy and currency of any information contained within the pages of this site, or you require any further information, you should contact us.

Emails

We do not guarantee that any email sent to us will be received or that the contents will remain private during transmission. If you are concerned about this please consider other means of communication. You are responsible for ensuring any electronic message or information you send to us is free from any virus or defect that may harm our systems in any way.