Privacy Notice
Our Commitment to Your Privacy
Bralsford, Stubbs & Associates respects your privacy and is committed to handling personal information lawfully, fairly, securely and transparently.
This policy explains what personal information we may collect, why we use it, who it may be shared with and the rights available to you. It applies to visitors to this website, people who contact the practice and individuals whose information is contained in material supplied as part of an expert witness instruction.
1. Who We Are
Bralsford, Stubbs & Associates Expert Witness Services Limited is the data controller for personal information processed for its own business and professional purposes. This means that we decide why and how that information is used.
In some instructions, another organisation—such as a solicitor, insurer, local authority or other instructing party—may also be a data controller. Their own privacy notice may therefore apply to the information they provide to us.
Privacy enquiries
Email: russ@bralsfordexpertwitness.co.uk
Telephone: 01507 201178
2. Personal Information We Collect
Depending on your relationship with the practice, we may collect and process:
- your name, job title, organisation and contact details;
- information submitted through our enquiry form, including the nature of the enquiry, case reference, deadlines, preferred expert and message;
- correspondence, attendance notes, instructions, contracts and billing information;
- case papers, witness evidence, photographs, reports, drawings, inspection records and other technical or legal documentation;
- information about claimants, defendants, witnesses, experts, contractors, occupants and other people relevant to an instruction;
- details of alleged incidents, damage, injury, professional conduct, regulatory compliance or legal proceedings;
- technical information generated when you use this website, such as IP address, browser type, device information, access time, requested pages and server-log information; and
- any other information you choose to provide to us.
We normally receive information directly from you or from the party instructing us. We may also receive it from solicitors, insurers, courts, tribunals, local authorities, Trading Standards, other experts, contractors, witnesses, publicly accessible registers and other parties involved in a matter.
3. How and Why We Use Personal Information
| Purpose | Typical lawful basis |
|---|---|
| Responding to enquiries, assessing conflicts, considering competence and providing fee or timescale information. | Steps taken at your request before entering a contract; and our legitimate interests in managing genuine enquiries. |
| Accepting and carrying out expert witness instructions, inspections, technical analysis, meetings and reports. | Performance of a contract; compliance with legal obligations; and legitimate interests in delivering professional services and supporting legal claims. |
| Managing client relationships, administration, invoicing, accounting and payment recovery. | Performance of a contract; legal obligations; and our legitimate business interests. |
| Maintaining professional standards, dealing with complaints, defending claims and complying with insurers, regulators, courts or law-enforcement authorities. | Legal obligations and our legitimate interests in protecting the practice and others and establishing, exercising or defending legal claims. |
| Operating, maintaining and protecting our website, email and IT systems. | Our legitimate interests in providing a secure, reliable website and protecting our systems from misuse. |
Where we rely on legitimate interests, we consider whether the use is necessary and balance those interests against your rights and reasonable expectations. We do not use consent as the usual basis for responding to an enquiry or performing an expert witness instruction.
4. Sensitive Information and Case Material
Expert witness instructions can contain sensitive material, including information about health, injuries, alleged misconduct or criminal offences. We only use such information where it is relevant and necessary for the instruction and where permitted by data-protection law.
Where special-category information is processed, we will identify both an Article 6 lawful basis and an applicable additional condition. Depending on the circumstances, this will commonly include processing necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims. Criminal-offence information will only be processed where an appropriate condition and safeguards apply.
Please take care when making an initial enquiry.
Unless necessary for us to understand the potential instruction, please avoid sending extensive case papers or unnecessary sensitive personal information before we have completed an initial conflict and competence check and agreed how documents should be provided.
6. How Long We Keep Information
We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected and to meet applicable legal, regulatory, professional, insurance, accounting and dispute-resolution requirements.
In deciding the appropriate period, we consider:
- whether an enquiry became an instruction;
- the nature, sensitivity and volume of the information;
- the status and final outcome of proceedings;
- relevant limitation periods and the possibility of a complaint or claim;
- professional-indemnity and regulatory requirements; and
- whether continued retention is required by law or a court order.
When information is no longer required, it will be securely deleted, destroyed or anonymised. A limited record may be retained where necessary to document an instruction, manage conflicts or demonstrate compliance with professional obligations.
7. How We Protect Information
We use proportionate technical and organisational measures intended to protect personal information against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, loss or destruction. Access is limited to those who need the information for legitimate professional or operational purposes.
No website, email service or electronic storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If you need to send particularly sensitive or extensive case material, please contact us first so an appropriate transfer method can be agreed.
8. Your Data-Protection Rights
Depending on the circumstances and the lawful basis being used, you may have the right to:
- be informed about how your personal information is used;
- request access to the personal information we hold about you;
- ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
- ask us to erase personal information in certain circumstances;
- ask us to restrict the use of your information in certain circumstances;
- object to processing based on legitimate interests;
- receive or transfer certain information in a portable format; and
- withdraw consent where consent is the lawful basis, without affecting earlier lawful processing.
These rights are not absolute. For example, we may need to retain or withhold certain material because of legal proceedings, legal professional privilege, another person's rights, a court order or a legal or professional obligation.
To exercise a right, contact us using the details below. We may need to confirm your identity and clarify your request before responding. There is normally no fee, although a reasonable fee may be permitted for requests that are manifestly unfounded or excessive.
10. Contact, Complaints and Changes
If you have a question about this policy, wish to exercise a data-protection right or have a concern about how your information has been handled, please contact us first so that we can investigate.
Bralsford, Stubbs & Associates Expert Witness Services Limited
Email: russ@bralsfordexpertwitness.co.uk
Head office: 01507 201178
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's independent data-protection regulator. Visit ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint or telephone 0303 123 1113.
We may update this policy to reflect changes to our services, working practices or legal obligations. The current version will be published on this page with the date of the latest revision.
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