About this notice

This Privacy Notice tells you what to expect when Apex Chambers collects personal information. It applies to information we collect about:

• Visitors to our website;
• Complainants and other individuals in relation to a complaint;
• People who instruct us; and
• Job applicants, including pupillage and mini-pupillage, and our current and former employees.

Apex Chambers understands that your privacy is important to you and that you care about how your personal data is used and shared. We respect and value the privacy of everyone who visits our website, www.apexchambers.net (“Our Site”) or shares information with us directly and will only collect and use personal data in ways that are described here, and in a manner that is consistent with our obligations and your rights under the law.

Please read this Privacy Notice carefully and ensure that you understand it. Your acceptance of our Privacy Notice is deemed to occur upon your first use of our website or the first time we formally communicate with you.

• Definitions

• The Law

• Contact details

• What information we collect, use, and why

• Lawful bases and data protection rights

• Where we get personal information from

• How long we keep information

• Who we share information with

• Sharing information outside the UK

• How to complain

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Definitions

The following terms are defined by the UK GDPR and DPA 2018.

A short explanation is given below (though it is not intended to substitute for the definitions set out in the legislation).

 

Personal data means information relating to an identified or identifiable person.

 

Special category personal data means Personal data that reveals any of the following about an individual: racial or ethnic origin; political opinions; religious or philosophical beliefs; or trade union membership.

Personal data that consists of genetic data; biometric data used for the purpose of identifying an individual; data concerning health; or data concerning an individual’s sex life or sexual orientation

 

Criminal offence data means data about whether an individual has committed or has been convicted of a criminal offence.

 

Processor means a natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body which processes personal data on behalf of the controller.

 

Controller means the natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body which, alone or jointly with others, determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal data

 

The Law

The way in which Barristers and Apex Chambers process personal data is governed by data protection law, which includes the UK General Data Protection Regulation (“UK GDPR”) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (“DPA 2018”).

 

Contact Details

The data controller for your personal data may be an individual barrister practicing at Apex Chambers or may be Apex Chambers. This Privacy Notice explains which will be the data controller in relation to specific personal data.

 

Individual barristers and Apex Chambers Data Protection Officer can be contacted at:

Apex Chambers, 32 Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3BA

Telephone: 02920 232 032

Chambers Data Protection Officer is Hilary Estall

Email: clerks@apexchambers.net

 

What information we collect, use, and why

We collect or use the following information to provide legal services for clients:

• Names and contact details

• Addresses

• Transaction data (including details about payments to and from you)

• Usage data (including information about how you interact with and use our website)

• Criminal records data

• Information relating to compliments or complaints

• Records of meetings and decisions

• Account access information

• Website user information

We collect or use the following personal information for information updates or marketing purposes:

• Names and contact details

• Marketing preferences

• IP addresses

We collect or use the following personal information to comply with legal requirements:

• Name

• Contact information

• Identification documents

• Any other personal information required to comply with legal obligations

• Criminal offence data

We collect or use the following personal information for recruitment purposes:

• Contact details (eg name, address, telephone number or personal email address)

• Date of birth

• National Insurance number

• Copies of passports or other photo ID

• Employment history (eg job application, employment references or secondary employment)

• Education history (eg qualifications)

• Right to work information

• Details of any criminal convictions (eg Disclosure Barring Service (DBS), Access NI or Disclosure Scotland checks )

We also collect or use the following information for recruitment purposes:

• Racial or ethnic origin

• Sexual orientation information

We collect or use the following personal information for dealing with complaints:

• Names and contact details

• Address

• Correspondence

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Lawful bases and data protection rights

Under UK GDPR, we must have a “lawful basis” for collecting and using your personal information.

Which lawful basis we rely on may affect your data protection rights which are in brief, set out below.

 

What are the lawful bases for processing?

The lawful bases for processing are set out in the UK GDPR. At least one of these must apply whenever we process personal data:

 

Consent: the individual has given clear consent for a barrister or Apex Chambers to process their personal data for a specific purpose.

 

Contract: the processing is necessary for a contract with the individual, or because they have asked us to take specific steps before entering into a contract.

 

Legal obligation: the processing is necessary to comply with the law (not including contractual obligations).

 

Vital interests: the processing is necessary to protect someone’s life.

 

Public task: the processing is necessary to perform a task in the public interest or for official functions, and the task or function has a clear basis in law.

 

Legitimate interests: the processing is necessary for our legitimate interests or the legitimate interests of a third party, unless there is a good reason to protect the individual’s personal data which overrides those legitimate interests.

 

Our lawful bases for the collection and use of your data

Our lawful bases for collecting or using personal information to provide and improve legal services for clients are:

• Consent - we have permission from you after we gave you all the relevant information. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object. To be clear, you do have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.

• Legitimate interests – we’re collecting or using your information because it benefits you, our organisation or someone else, without causing an undue risk of harm to anyone. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to portability.

Chambers may also obtain information from third parties, parties involved in legal proceedings, such as witnesses, courts, tribunal.

 

Our legitimate interests

Apex Chambers employs staff members (including barristers’ clerks) to assist Barristers in conducting their practices, and to deal with the administration of Apex Chambers.

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Apex Chambers is the data controller for electronic personal data held by staff members (e.g. in the staff members’ email accounts and on their work devices) for the purposes of helping Barristers run their practices. Apex Chambers is also the data controller in respect of any electronic personal data processed in connection with any unallocated case (i.e. a case that has been sent to Apex Chambers but has not been allocated to a particular Barrister).

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Apex Chambers is the data controller in respect of any hard copy files which fall within the scope of the UK GDPR and which relate to a case which is unallocated. The legal basis upon which Apex Chambers processes personal data for the above purposes is as follows.

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Where a professional or lay client has given consent to the processing of their personal data by Apex Chambers, then the processing of that personal data by Apex Chambers is based on consent. Where consent has not been given for such processing, any such processing is based on Apex Chambers legitimate interests in assisting Barristers in conducting their professional practice and providing legal services.

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Apex Chambers is the data controller for data that is processed for the purposes of administering Chambers. This includes data that is processed for billing and marketing purposes. In relation to marketing data, Chambers will not send marketing emails except where permitted under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 or any successor legislation.

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Apex Chambers is the data controller in respect of all data relating to staff employed by Apex Chambers, contract workers who provide services to Apex Chambers (e.g. cleaners), pupils and mini-pupils at Apex Chambers. The legal basis on which Apex Chambers processes such personal data is as follows.

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The processing of staff data and data relating to contract workers is necessary for the performance of employment or other contracts to which Apex Chambers and the relevant data subjects are parties. The processing of special category personal data in connection with employment is conducted on the basis that the processing is for employment purposes, or for occupational health purposes. Data relating to pupils and mini-pupils is processed on the basis of the legitimate interest of individual Barristers and Apex Chambers, in the recruitment and training of new barristers and of potential new members of Apex Chambers.

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Marketing data is processed on the basis of the legitimate interests of individual Barristers and Apex Chambers in marketing the services of Barristers practicing at Apex Chambers. The processing of personal data for direct marketing by email is carried out on the basis of consent.

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Our lawful bases for collecting or using personal information for the prevention, detection, investigation or prosecution of crimes are:

• Consent - we have permission from you after we gave you all the relevant information. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.

• Legal obligation – we have to collect or use your information so we can comply with the law. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to erasure, the right to object and the right to data portability.

• Legitimate interests – we’re collecting or using your information because it benefits you, our organisation or someone else, without causing an undue risk of harm to anyone. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to portability. Our legitimate interests are where Apex Chambers processes special category personal data or criminal conviction data, this is on the basis that the processing that is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims. This would cover circumstances where the personal data was processed in connection with litigation, or for the purpose of providing legal advice.

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Our lawful bases for collecting or using personal information for information updates or marketing purposes are:

• Consent - we have permission from you after we gave you all the relevant information. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object. To be clear, you do have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.

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Our lawful bases for collecting or using personal information to comply with legal requirements:

• Consent - we have permission from you after we gave you all the relevant information. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object. To be clear, you do have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.

• Legal obligation – we have to collect or use your information so we can comply with the law. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to erasure, the right to object and the right to data portability.

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Our lawful bases for collecting or using personal information for recruitment purposes are:

• Consent - we have permission from you after we gave you all the relevant information. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.

• Contract – we have to collect or use the information so we can enter into or carry out a contract with you. All of your data protection rights may apply except the right to object.

• Legal obligation – we have to collect or use your information so we can comply with the law. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to erasure, the right to object and the right to data portability.

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Our lawful bases for collecting or using personal information for dealing with complaints are:

• Consent - we have permission from you after we gave you all the relevant information. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object. To be clear, you do have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.

 

Where we get personal information from

• Directly from you

• Legal bodies or professionals (such as courts or solicitors)

• Previous employment

 

Your Rights

• Your right of access – You have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information. You can request other information such as details about where we get personal information from and who we share personal information with. There are some exemptions which means you may not receive all the information you ask for.

 

• Your right to rectification – You have the right to ask us to correct or delete personal information you think is inaccurate or incomplete.

 

• Your right to erasure -You have the right to ask us to delete your personal information

 

• Your right to restriction of processing – You have the right to ask us to limit how we can use your personal information

 

• You have the right to object to processing – You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data

 

• Your right to data portability – You have the right to ask that we transfer your personal information you gave us to another organisation, or to you

 

• Your right to withdraw consent – When we use consent as our lawful basis you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time

 

If you make a request, we must respond to you without undue delay and in any event within one month.

 

To make a data protection rights request, please contact us using the contact details at the top of this privacy notice.

 

How long we keep information

Apex Chambers has a Data Retention Policy where full details of all personal information retained, may be found. Please contact clerks@apexchambers.net for more details.

 

Who we share information with

Data Processors handling personal data on our behalf process our payroll and Chambers rent information and manage our IT systems.

Professional consultants provide professional support to Apex Chambers and its management of Chambers.

 

Transfer Of Your Information Outside The European Economic Area (EEA)

We do not transfer any personal data to third countries

 

How to Complain

If you have any concerns about our use of your personal data, you can make a complaint to us using the contact details at the top of this privacy notice.

If you remain unhappy with how we’ve used your data after raising a complaint with us, you can also complain to the ICO.

The ICO’s address:           

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Helpline number: 0303 123 1113

Website: https://www.ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint

 

Privacy Notice last reviewed 30th April 2025