OAKS Legal acknowledges and respects the privacy of individuals and is committed to protect personal information which we hold and are bound by the Privacy Principles set out in the Data Protection Act 2008 (Act 843).

Protecting confidential information forms the basis on which we conduct relationships with our clients. All information we receive in relation to each matter is strictly confidential. We do not disclose this information except on client instructions, or in accordance with the law.

This policy outlines the way in which OAKS Legal collects, holds and discloses personal information we hold about individuals.

Personal information

Personal information is information or an opinion about an individual whose identity is apparent or can reasonably be ascertained.

What kinds of personal information do we hold?

OAKS Legal collects information necessary for us to provide our services. We usually collect:

• name, address, contact information and occupation; and
• information about your dealings with us or our clients.

If you do not give us the personal information which we ask for, it may affect our ability to meet our obligations to you or to our clients. Depending on the nature of your instructions to us, to provide our legal services to you we may also collect sensitive information.

How do we collect personal information?

OAKS Legal usually collects personal information by way of forms completed by people, face-to-face meetings, interviews, business cards, telephone conversations and from third parties.

Use of your personal information

The reason we collect personal information will usually be obvious at the time of collection. OAKS Legal uses personal information variously to:

• provide our services to our clients;
• manage our relationship with our clients;
• facilitate our internal business operations; and
• comply with the law.

We will only use your personal information for the purposes for which it was collected.

Disclosure of your personal information

We may disclose personal information for the purposes for which it was collected, and:

subject to our obligations to clients, to anyone where necessary or desirable in connection with providing our legal services, such as to our client, to regulatory authorities, or other parties or advisors; within our firm; on a confidential basis to other advisors to enable them to provide other services in connection with our legal services or the operation of our business (eg lawyers, photocopy services and financial institutions); where the law requires us to do so; or

where you consent for us to do so.

We do not sell or give client databases or mailing lists to any third party.

Accessing personal information.

You can request access to your personal information. OAKS Legal will take reasonable steps to ensure that you get access as soon as practicable after your request. Where there is a cost associated with our providing you with this access, OAKS Legal may charge you a reasonable fee to cover this cost.

Website analytics

To improve your experience on our website, we may use ‘cookies’. Cookies are an industry standard and most major web sites use them. A cookie is a small text file that our site may place on your computer as a tool to remember your preferences. You may refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser, however, please note that if you do this you may not be able to use the full functionality of our website. Our website may contain links to other websites. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites. When you go to other websites from here, we advise you to be aware and read their privacy policy.

Our website may use Google Analytics, a service which transmits website traffic data to Google servers in the United States. Google Analytics does not identify individual users or associate your IP address with any other data held by Google. We use reports provided by Google Analytics to help us understand website traffic and webpage usage.

By using our website, you consent to the processing of data about you by Google in the manner described in Google’s Privacy Policy – external site and for the purposes set out above. You can opt out of Google Analytics if you disable or refuse the cookie, disable JavaScript, or use the opt-out service provided by Google – external site.

Our website may also use interfaces with social media sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and others. If you choose to “like” or “share” information from this website through these services, you should review the privacy policy of that service. If you are a member of a social media site, the interfaces may allow the social media site to connect your visits to this site with other personal information.

Security of your information

OAKS Legal takes all reasonable steps to ensure the security of your information. We take reasonable steps to hold information in secure electronic or physical form (including by providing secure premises and maintaining firewalls and secure databases) to protect information from loss, misuse, unauthorised access and modification. We train our staff in the importance of confidentiality and security of all information we hold.

Changes to this policy

We may make changes to our privacy policy. By your continued use of this website and continuing to utilise our services you accept the terms of our privacy policy as it applies from time to time.

Enquiries and complaints

If you have any questions or concerns about our privacy policy or practices, or if you would like more information, please contact our Managing Partner.

Telephone: +233 200 691 777

Email: info@oakslegal.net

If you believe we have not complied with this policy or the Act, please contact us as set out above. We will take any privacy complaint seriously.