1. Introduction

Fowlerton Law Firm is dedicated to safeguarding the privacy of confidential and “Personal Information” (information that directly or indirectly identifies individuals who may be clients, staff, agents, lawyers, law students, job applicants, or others associated with or outside the firm). This Policy outlines Fowlerton Law Firm‘s commitment to ensuring that any personal data, including special category personal data as defined in paragraph 8 of this Policy, which Fowlerton Law Firm processes, complies with the laws governing Data Protection in Nigeria, as well as all other applicable international Data Protection Laws and Policies. Fowlerton Law Firm is committed to conducting its processing of personal data in accordance with these Laws.

2. Purpose of this Policy

This Privacy Policy (the “Policy”) is based on the principles of privacy and data protection that apply locally and in other jurisdictions where our clients operate. It is implemented with the overarching objective of complying with legal provisions, preserving client confidentiality, and representing our clients effectively within the boundaries of the law. This Policy applies to all personal data processed by Fowlerton Law Firm and forms part of Fowlerton Law Firm‘s approach to compliance with Data Protection and Privacy Laws and principles. All Fowlerton Law Firm personnel are expected to adhere to this policy, and failure to do so may result in disciplinary action for misconduct, including termination of employment.

3. Identity, Activities, and Contact Information

The Site and our Services are operated by Fowlerton Law Firm (“we,” “us,” or “our”). The data controller responsible for the processing of your personal information through the Site or in relation to our Services is Fowlerton Law Firm.  If you have any inquiries regarding this Privacy Policy, please contact us by sending an email to privacy@fowlerton-law.com.

4. Data Protection Principles

Fowlerton Law Firm adheres to the following data protection principles. When processing personal data, Fowlerton Law Firm ensures that:

– The processing is carried out lawfully, fairly, and transparently.
– The personal data is collected for specified, explicit, and legitimate purposes.
– The personal data is adequate, relevant, and limited to what is necessary for the purposes for which it is processed.
– The personal data is accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date, with reasonable steps taken to rectify any inaccuracies without delay.
– The personal data is kept in a form that allows identification of data subjects for no longer than necessary for the purposes for which it is processed.
– The personal data is processed in a manner that ensures appropriate security, including protection against unauthorized or unlawful processing and against accidental loss, destruction, or damage, using appropriate technical or organizational measures.

5. Information Collected during Service Usage

The personal data we process may include:
– Background information provided by you or collected as part of our recruitment processes.
– Basic information such as name, employer, title, age, and relationship affiliations with individuals or organizations.
– Contact information such as email address, fax and phone number(s), and physical addresses.
– Technical information (including your IP address) obtained from visits to our website.
– Confidential information provided to us by our clients or generated by us in the course of providing legal services.
– Any other information related to you that you may provide to us.

6. Methods of Data Collection

As a law firm operating primarily in Nigeria, Fowlerton Law Firm collects data from clients, staff, agents, lawyers, law students, job applicants, or others associated with or outside the firm in the following circumstances:

– When our website is accessed.
– When legal advice is sought from us.
– In relation to our recruitment process.
– When services are provided to us by external or

third-party organizations or vendors.
– Through contact made via email, social media platforms, or subscription to any of our products and services.

7. Processing Procedures and Guidelines

Fowlerton Law Firm will:

– Ensure that all processing is conducted in compliance with applicable laws.
– Not engage in any activities with your data beyond what is reasonably expected given the content of this Policy and the fair processing or privacy notice.
– Only collect and process personal data that is necessary for pre-identified purposes.
– Ensure the accuracy of the personal data held or establish systems to keep it up to date.
– Implement appropriate security measures to ensure that personal data is accessed only by authorized individuals and is securely stored and transferred.
Fowlerton Law Firm will ensure that all staff responsible for handling personal data on its behalf are aware of their responsibilities under this Policy and other relevant data protection and information security policies. They will receive adequate training and supervision.

Non-compliance with this policy may result in disciplinary action for misconduct, including termination of employment. Obtaining or disclosing personal data in violation of Fowlerton Law Firm‘s data protection policies may also be a criminal offense.

8. Usage of Cookies on our Website

What are cookies? Cookies are text files containing small amounts of information that are downloaded to your device when you visit a website. On subsequent visits, cookies are sent back to the originating website or to another website that recognizes those cookies. Cookies are useful as they allow a website to recognize a user’s device, preferences, and generally improve the online experience.
By using our Website, you consent to the placement of these types of cookies on your device. If you wish to restrict or block any of the aforementioned cookies, you can do so through your web browser settings for each browser and device you use to access the internet. Please note that certain areas of our Website may not function properly if your web browser does not accept cookies. However, you can allow cookies from specific websites by designating them as “trusted websites” in your web browser. The “Help” function within your web browser can provide instructions on making these changes.

9. Responsibility for Data Security

The Partners and staff of Fowlerton Law Firm bear ultimate responsibility for data protection. Consistent with our professional obligations, our firm has always exercised utmost discretion in handling the information entrusted to us by our clients.

We maintain reasonable and appropriate physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards to ensure the confidentiality of Personal Information, including information provided by visitors to this website or while using our other Internet Services. However, we cannot guarantee that our safeguards will always be effective.
We require consultants, suppliers, and vendors to maintain data protections consistent with reasonable and appropriate obligations of data processors, including, where applicable, European Union data protection laws and regulations.
We may retain information, including Personal Information provided by you, for as long as necessary to comply with legal obligations or achieve the purposes for which the information was originally collected, as described in this Policy and our applicable policies. For more details on our information practices, please refer to the “Contact details” provided above.

10. Disclosure and Transfer of Personal Information

As a law firm with practices spanning various locations, we operate systems that may allow data related to your matters to be accessible from our different offices worldwide and may transfer client data, including Personal Information, between our offices. When sharing or transferring your personal data, we will comply with applicable data protection laws and implement appropriate safeguards to ensure its protection.

11. Retention of Personal Data

At Fowlerton Law Firm, we will delete all personal data received when it is no longer reasonably required for the Authorized Uses or when consent has been withdrawn (whichever is applicable), provided that we are not legally obligated or otherwise authorized to continue holding such data. We may retain your personal data for additional periods if deleting it would require overwriting our automated disaster recovery backup systems or if we deem it necessary to assert or defend legal claims during any relevant retention period.

12. Rights of Data Subjects

Fowlerton Law Firm has established processes to facilitate requests made by individuals to exercise their rights under Data Protection Law. All staff members have received training and are aware of the rights of data subjects. They can identify such requests and know whom to forward them to.

All requests will be addressed without undue delay and within one month of receipt, to the extent feasible.

13. Monitoring and Review

This policy was last updated on November 15th, 2022, and will be regularly monitored and reviewed, at least every six months.