Privacy notice
This notice explains how I handle personal data in my medico-legal (expert witness) practice and when you visit this website. I am the data controller for that processing. If you have any questions, please contact me at [medicolegal@domain.co.uk].
Who I am
Dr [Full Name], trading as [Company name] Ltd, of [postal address]. I am registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office under reference [ICO reference].
This website
- This website has no contact forms, no analytics and no advertising. It does not set cookies or use any other tracking technology, and it loads no content from third parties.
- When you visit, my hosting provider processes basic technical information, such as your IP address and the pages requested, in server logs so that the site is delivered securely and reliably.
What I collect
In the course of an instruction I may hold:
- contact and correspondence details of the solicitors and others involved in a case, such as names, organisations, email addresses and telephone numbers;
- case papers provided under the instruction, which commonly include medical records and other documents containing personal data — including health data — about the people involved in the case;
- financial information needed to invoice, such as a firm’s billing address and purchase order references;
- my own correspondence, notes and draft reports about the case.
I do not use personal data for marketing or for any purpose unrelated to the instruction.
Why I process it, and the lawful basis
- Contacts and billing. I process solicitors’ and parties’ contact details to communicate about the case and to invoice for my work. The lawful basis is [the performance of a contract with the instructing party / my legitimate interests in running my practice]. I keep financial records to meet my legal obligations under Article 6(1)(c).
- Case papers. I process case papers, including health data, because it is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims — in other words, to carry out the expert work I have been instructed to do. The lawful basis is my legitimate interests under Article 6(1)(f) UK GDPR, and for health data the condition in Article 9(2)(f) (legal claims and judicial acts).
Storage, security and retention
- Case material is held on encrypted, access-controlled systems, and is shared only with the minimum number of people necessary. Electronic records are sent by secure transfer.
- I keep case papers for [x] years after the case concludes, or longer if proceedings, an appeal or a regulatory process are ongoing. [Financial records are kept for [6] years, in line with tax requirements.]
- When records are no longer needed they are securely destroyed or deleted.
Sharing
- I do not sell personal data, and I do not share it for marketing.
- Case material is shared only as necessary for the instruction: with the instructing party and others in the proceedings — for example the court, other experts and the opposing party, in accordance with the rules of court — or where the law requires.
- My secretary and any transcription, courier or IT providers process data on my behalf under confidentiality obligations and, where required, written agreements.
- This website is hosted by [Cloudflare], which processes visitors’ server logs as described above.
- [Where a provider stores data outside the UK, appropriate safeguards such as the UK International Data Transfer Agreement are in place.]
Your rights
Under the UK GDPR you have the right to access your personal data, to have inaccurate data corrected, and in some circumstances to restrict or object to processing, or to have data erased. These rights are not absolute: for example, where data is held for legal proceedings, other rules may limit them.
To exercise any of these rights, contact me at [medicolegal@domain.co.uk]. If you are not satisfied with my response, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.
Changes to this notice
I keep this notice under review and will update it if my practice or the law changes. The version and date are shown at the top of this page.