Data Retention Periods For Personal Information relating to Clients and Business Contacts
| Document Description | Retention Period |
| PART 1 | |
| Client instructions | |
| Contact details of client for communication purposes (address, telephone, email) | For the period that it takes to accept and fulfil instructions to their satisfactory conclusion, and then for a further 2 years unless a longer retention is necessary under one of the categories below. |
| Contact details of non-client business contact (name, address, telephone, email) | For the period of our business-related dealings and interactions, and then for a further 2 years |
| Personal information obtained for the purpose of fulfilling your instructions; appropriately advising you in relation to any matter we are assisting you with, or in relation to any matters that we are aware could impact upon you legally or financially. Including: name, gender and date of birth; Marital status, dependents and family; Financial records including tax, pensions, income, and other personal financial information; Details of property and assets; or any other personal information necessary for the conduct of your matter (including special categories of personal information such as medical, police and accident records and information containing racial or ethnical origin etc).Working files (paper and electronic) which may include advice, correspondence and personal details listed above. | For the period that it takes to accept and fulfil instructions to their satisfactory conclusion, and then for a further 7 years unless such are required to be kept pursuant to ‘disposal hold’ as referred in this Data Retention PolicyFor the period that it takes to accept and fulfil instructions to their satisfactory conclusion, and then for a further 7 years or such additional period as is required for regulatory or professional indemnity purposes. |
| Details of client billing information. | For the period that it takes to receive full payment on a matter, and then for a further 7 years following the end of the financial year in which that payment was received |
| Details of payments received via bank transfer, cheques or otherwise. | For the period that it takes to receive full payment on a matter, and then for a further 7 years following the end of the financial year in which that payment was received |
| Debit card details in respect of payments received | For the duration of taking payment but no longer than until satisfactory completion of the payment |
| Details of payments made via bank transfer or otherwise | For the period that it takes to make or receive payments on a matter, and then for a further 7 years following the end of the financial year in which that payment was received |
| Client and contact databases (used for marketing purposes) | |
| Details of client (name, address, telephone, email, contact details etc) | For the period that the information is accurate and up to date (and can be verified as such) and for a period of 2 years from the date of the last completed instruction or transaction (such as payment) unless the individual has given and not withdrawn consent. |
| Details of prospect (name, address, telephone, email, contact details etc) | For the period during which we are actively seeking to do business with a client prospect, and then for a further 2 years |
| Details of subscriber to any newsletter or other content via the website or other internet source (name, title, email etc) | For the period the subscription continues, or for the period that the information can be verified as accurate and up to date (if shorter). |
| Regulatory requirements | |
| Photographic identification documents including drivers licences, passports amongst others; proof of source and destination of funds and any other information necessary for compliance with any applicable regulations in force from time to time | For the period that it takes to accept and fulfil instructions to their satisfactorily conclusion, and then for a further 7 years |
| Details of financial records and transactions between us which we are obliged to maintain in accordance with HMRC rules or associated auditing processes | For the period that it takes to receive full payment on a matter, and then for a further 7 years following the end of the financial year in which that payment was received |
| Complaints or Claims | |
| Details of complainant or Claim (name, address, contact details), client identity, and other necessary identifying features. | For the duration of the complaint, until it has been satisfactorily resolved or disbanded by the complainant, and then for a further 7 years |
| Details of nature of the complaint (such as service or billing issue) | For the duration of the complaint, until it has been satisfactorily resolved or disbanded by the complainant, and then for a further 7 years |
| Outcome of complaint (along with details of client identifier details such as name and client number but no address or billing information) | For a period of 7 years after the satisfactory resolution of the complaint (or for so long required by the relevant industry regulator if applicable) |
| Any other personal information that we are required to maintain or renew our professional indemnity insurance | For as long as we need to rely on that information for the purpose of our professional indemnity insurance |
| Visitor records | |
| Log in and log out records of visitors to our offices, including any car registration details | For the duration of the visit and for so long as reasonably necessary for the identification, investigation and conclusion of any health and safety or security incident (usually up to 6 months unless there is an ongoing incident investigation) |