GDPR & Privacy Policy

GDRP

How WM Solicitors collects, uses, and protects your personal data in plain English.

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Overview

Our Commitment to Your Privacy

WM Solicitors (“we”, “us”, “our”) is committed to protecting your personal data and respecting your privacy. This policy explains how we collect, use, store and share information about you when you use our website or engage our legal services.
We are authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). We comply fully with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Section 1 What Personal Data We Collect

Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

Information you provide directly

Full name, address, date of birth and contact details (telephone, email)
Details of your legal matter, including facts, documents and correspondence you share with us
Financial information where required for billing or costs assessment
Identity documents (e.g. passport, driving licence) for anti-money laundering checks
Information submitted via our website contact or callback request forms

Information collected automatically

Information from third parties

Section 2 How We Use Your Personal Data

We use your personal data only for lawful purposes. The legal bases on which we rely include:

Performance of a contract

Legal obligation

Legitimate interests

Consent

Section 3 Who We Share Your Data With

We do not sell your personal data to third parties. We may share it only where necessary with:

Courts and tribunals — as required by your matter
Barristers and expert witnesses — instructed on your behalf
Opposing parties and their solicitors — where required by the conduct of litigation
Insurers — where relevant to a funding arrangement or claim
HM Revenue & Customs and regulatory authorities — as legally required
IT and case management providers — who process data on our behalf under strict data processing agreements
Banks and financial institutions — for billing and client account management

Section 4 How Long We Keep Your Data

We retain client files and associated personal data for a minimum of six years from the conclusion of a matter, in line with the Limitation Act 1980 and our professional obligations. In certain cases (e.g. matters involving minors, property, or ongoing litigation) we may retain data for longer.

Website enquiry data where no retainer is entered into is held for up to 12 months and then securely deleted.

We periodically review all data we hold and securely destroy any that is no longer needed.

Section 5 Your Rights Under UK GDPR

You have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

Right of access — to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you (subject access request)
Right to rectification — to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data
Right to erasure — to request deletion of your data where there is no longer a lawful reason to retain it
Right to restrict processing — to ask us to pause processing in certain circumstances
Right to data portability — to receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
Right to object — to object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing
Rights related to automated decision-making — we do not carry out solely automated decision-making that produces legal or significant effects

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us in writing at reception@wmsolicitors.uk or by post to our Nottingham office. We will respond within one calendar month.

Section 6 Cookies & Website Tracking

Our website uses cookies to improve your browsing experience and help us understand how visitors use the site. Cookies are small text files placed on your device.

Types of cookies we use

You can manage or disable cookies at any time via your browser settings. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect website functionality.

Section 7 How We Protect Your Data

We take the security of your personal data seriously. Our measures include:

Encrypted transmission of data over HTTPS
Password-protected and access-controlled case management systems
Restricted access to client files on a need-to-know basis
Regular staff training on data protection and confidentiality
Secure destruction of physical documents

In the event of a data breach that is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) within 72 hours and inform affected individuals without undue delay.

Section 8 Complaints & the ICO

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data, please contact us in the first instance at reception@wmsolicitors.uk. We take all complaints seriously and will investigate promptly.

If you remain dissatisfied, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):

Section 9 Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the law, our practices, or our services. Any material changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

Last updated: June 2026

Speak to Our Team

Have a question about how we use your data? Our team is happy to help.

GDRP