How We Use and Protect Your Personal Data

This Privacy Notice explains how Didsbury Family Law, based in Manchester, collects, uses, and protects your personal information when you contact us via our website or through other means.

“Personal data” refers to any information that can identify you as an individual. We process your personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and any other applicable privacy legislation.

What Information Do We Collect?

You can browse most of our website without providing any personal information. However, if you choose to contact us via our enquiry form, phone, or email, we may collect personal data including:

  • Your name and contact details
  • Information about your personal circumstances, including family, financial, or legal matters relevant to your enquiry
  • Any additional information you choose to provide when making an enquiry
  • IP address and browsing activity (collected automatically when visiting our website)

If you share information about other individuals (e.g. your spouse, partner, or child), you are responsible for ensuring that doing so complies with relevant data protection laws.

Why Do We Collect Your Data?

We collect and use your personal data in order to:

  • Respond to your enquiry and determine whether we can assist you
  • Provide legal advice and related services
  • Comply with our professional, legal, and regulatory obligations
  • Carry out administrative and operational processes, including internal training and audits

The primary legal basis for processing your data is your consent when you contact us. Additional legal grounds include fulfilling contractual obligations, complying with legal duties, and pursuing our legitimate interests (such as improving services or maintaining records).

Special Category Data and Criminal Offence Information

In the course of providing legal services, we may need to collect information that falls under “special category” data, including:

  • Health or disability status
  • Sexual orientation or relationships
  • Ethnicity or religious beliefs
  • Information relating to alleged or actual criminal offences

We will only collect and process this type of data when it is necessary for legal advice, compliance with our professional obligations, or where you have explicitly given your consent. You have the right to withdraw consent at any time.

What Happens If You Choose Not to Share Your Data?

If you choose not to provide information we need in order to assess or manage your enquiry, we may not be able to offer advice or enter into an agreement with you.

Who Will See Your Data?

Your information may be accessed by our solicitors and support staff as needed to handle your enquiry or case. We may also share your data with trusted third parties, such as:

  • Other legal professionals or expert advisers
  • Courts or tribunals
  • IT service providers and administrative partners
  • Regulators or public authorities when required

All third-party access is restricted to what is necessary and handled under appropriate contractual safeguards.

International Data Transfers

In some cases, your data may be transferred to countries outside the UK. If this happens, we will ensure that the data is protected to UK standards — for example, by using approved data transfer agreements or other safeguards.

How Long Will We Keep Your Data?

We keep initial enquiry data for up to 12 months. If you become a client, we retain data according to our internal retention policy, which reflects legal and regulatory obligations.

We may suspend data deletion if there are ongoing legal proceedings or investigations requiring us to retain the data longer.

Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have the right to:

  • Request access to the personal data we hold about you
  • Ask for corrections to incorrect or incomplete data
  • Request erasure of your data (in certain circumstances)
  • Object to or restrict how we process your data
  • Withdraw your consent (where processing is based on consent)

To exercise any of these rights or to raise a concern, please contact us using the details below.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about how your data is handled, or if you wish to exercise any of your rights under UK data protection law, please contact:

Data Protection Contact

Didsbury Family Law

Email: info@didsburyfamilylaw.com

Phone: 0161 434 0600

Website: https://www.didsburyfamilylaw.co.uk

If you’re not satisfied with our response, you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) via www.ico.org.uk.